7MB Grand Cayman trip report first week of May

[Saboteur]

Thanks



I haven't downloaded my dives yet but I think low 80s, 83 specifically was being tossed about on the boat. Most were diving either 1-2mm fulls or 3mm shorties. Myself and one other diver didn't wear any wet suit. Near the end of the second dive I was beginning to feel a little cool, and I might pack a shorty next time if temps are below 85.

Thanks for the info.

 

[drrich2]

We stayed at Plantana this time and were very happy with the accommodations. They have some nice trees providing shade along their beach front which is great with a toddler.

Nice to know. I hadn't heard of Plantana; how'd you learn of it and what other features led you to choose it over other options? The rationale for choosing a specific topside base can be useful to others.

Richard.

 

[Skeptic14]

Nice to know. I hadn't heard of Plantana; how'd you learn of it and what other features led you to choose it over other options? The rationale for choosing a specific topside base can be useful to others.

Richard.

My wife does the research and selection of accommodations; if it meets her standards it'll easily meet mine and that gives me more time to think about the diving

We'd previously stayed at the Beach Comber on 7MB and it was awesome, but there was no availability when we started looking in January for the first week of May. I think my wife started on trip advisor and this time also read different blogs etc on traveling with a toddler. One of the things she read was to get a ground floor unit because with a toddler there will be lots of trips back and forth to the room. So I think she looked for condos that had 2bed room ground floor units with good reviews. Then she looks at the pictures for the specific units to select one; some of the units are not as updated/upgraded which is more or less important to different people.

We'd return to either Beach Comber or Plantana; Plantana is slightly cheaper so that would be my first choice!

 

[Redfoot]

Awesome that you guys are travelling with the toddler! What a great introduction to life.

Sounds like a good trip, I really like your turtle picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mi000ke]

How's the water temperature? Various websites say it's around 82F in May. I'll be there next week, and I know everyone is different but were many people in shorty's this time of year?

check this out:

https://seatemperature.info/grand-cayman-water-temperature.html

Water was just hitting 82 when I left the island a couple of weeks ago.

 

[mi000ke]

We'd previously stayed at the Beach Comber on 7MB and it was awesome, but there was no availability when we started looking in January for the first week of May. I think my wife started on trip advisor and this time also read different blogs etc on traveling with a toddler. One of the things she read was to get a ground floor unit because with a toddler there will be lots of trips back and forth to the room. So I think she looked for condos that had 2bed room ground floor units with good reviews. Then she looks at the pictures for the specific units to select one; some of the units are not as updated/upgraded which is more or less important to different people.

We'd return to either Beach Comber or Plantana; Plantana is slightly cheaper so that would be my first choice!

Check out the Meridian (where we live) next door to Beachcomber. They have great ground floor units that are always being rented by families with small kids. The Meridian was built by the same developer, so I assume the layout is probably similar. You get a 10% discount as a repeat customer, but I bet if you say you are coming over from Beachcomber, they'd honor that (sibling rivalry and all )

 

[tkaelin]

Never heard of either. Just looked them up. Very Expensive and way too close to downtown and cruisers for my tastes but I could see how it would appeal to others.

 

[Skeptic14]

Check out the Meridian (where we live) next door to Beachcomber. They have great ground floor units that are always being rented by families with small kids. The Meridian was built by the same developer, so I assume the layout is probably similar. You get a 10% discount as a repeat customer, but I bet if you say you are coming over from Beachcomber, they'd honor that (sibling rivalry and all )

Meridian sounds familiar, I believe my wife did look at that one as well for both trips, not sure what was the deciding factor maybe availability. 10% discount sounds good, will keep that in mind for next trip!

 

[jgttrey]

Plantana is great. I've stayed there several times.

It's plenty far away from G-town and cruise ship destinations - not near downtown at all. There's no Cabo-Wabo nonsense anywhere near it. But still an easy walk to the Westin if you want to rent a Hobie or jump on a Red Sail excursion or whatever. Also much more convenient if you like to eat out.

What I would say is that you should pay particular attention to the specific unit you reserve, both in location and interior. Some garden-view units are pretty far back there. If a water view/beach front thing is your deal, you need to pay attention to where the unit is located. I also think there is also a bit more variety in interior furnishing quality than other condos I've been in. They are all fine, but some are nicer than others.

Like most SMB condos, it's relatively expensive, but if you need/want beach front, it's a good spot. If I'm going just to dive, I stay up north at Coconut Bay or Lighthouse. When I'm with family and friends and have little ones that want to build sand castles and such, something like Plantana was perfect. We sort of outgrew it (not as many 3BR units there), and now book at Avalon, which is a couple of spots north of Plantana. It's not cheap, but it's very nice.

 

[Trivan]

Can anyone "speak" about the snorkeling around the Plantana resort? I read Governors Beach was good, but these were write up from a number of years ago.