Airbnb a Factor in Increased Tourism on Cayman Brac

[CathyCA]

We are on Brac now for a few days and then on to Pirates Point on Little Cayman for a week. We are at Carib Sands condos which are the place you mentioned by Captains Table. The reporter for the Compass who wrote the article you linked was at the bar tonight, small world. We dive with Brac Scuba Shack. 6 divers on the boat today. Lovely day. We like the smaller, personal touch of Scuba Shack and Pirates Point. Wi-Fi is good here and at PP.

 

[KathyV]

We are on Brac now for a few days and then on to Pirates Point on Little Cayman for a week. We are at Carib Sands condos which are the place you mentioned by Captains Table. The reporter for the Compass who wrote the article you linked was at the bar tonight, small world. We dive with Brac Scuba Shack. 6 divers on the boat today. Lovely day. We like the smaller, personal touch of Scuba Shack and Pirates Point. Wi-Fi is good here and at PP.

Sounds lovely! And have you tried any shore diving on Brac? Have a great rest of your trip!

 

[CathyCA]

Sounds lovely! And have you tried any shore diving on Brac? Have a great rest of your trip!

We have not done shore diving on Brac. We are senior citizens now and try to minimize lugging tanks and gear around.

 

[KathyV]

We have not done shore diving on Brac. We are senior citizens now and try to minimize lugging tanks and gear around.

I totally get that! We loved Bonaire but haven't been back there for about 5 years for that reason. We still do some shore diving on Grand Cayman but at places that are pretty easy, like Turtle Reef.

One of the reasons we like the Clearly Cayman resorts like CBBR is because the dive staff do all the lugging and heavy lifting for us, do Brac Scuba Shack and/or Pirates Pointe offer valet diving services?

 

[KathyV]

Brac has pretty much everything you need to have a comfortable life, it even has a small Jewish Synagogue and a Roman Catholic Church on a tiny, Protestant island. But the question is, does it have enough of what you want?

When I dream about retiring to a remote and lovely tropical island, the first thing that comes to mind is the availability of quality health care services. It's not a big issue for us now, but it is likely to become more important as we get older. Grand Cayman has excellent health care and there are good clinics and facilities on Brac with access to higher level care on GC, but Brac may not be the best choice for an aging American couple. A big question is would we qualify for government-sponsored healthcare services because you don't pay any income tax in Cayman.

If we retired to a US island like St. Croix (or even Florida) we would be eligible for Medicare coverage so that could be important!

We will probably just stay in the frozen Midwest to stay close to family - and due to fear of hurricanes - but it is nice to dream!

 

[caydiver]

"Grand Cayman has excellent health care and there are good clinics and facilities on Brac with access to higher level care on GC, but Brac may not be the best choice for an aging American couple. A big question is would we qualify for government-sponsored healthcare services because you don't pay any income tax in Cayman."

You cannot just move to The Cayman Islands and live here as a resident. You pay for a permit if you don’t have a job that pays it for you. As retirees you pay for the right to live here and you have prove that your income is enough for you to live and pay for any services you need including mandatory health care coverage as well as having invested required amounts in property and other obligations. Americans are required to pay income tax while they live in Cayman but it will be to Uncle Sam not The Cayman Islands. While it is true that we don't pay tax to the government here, we do pay hefty duty on everything. I consider "duty" another word for "tax" so in reality as Americans you will still be paying income tax and the hefty duty on everything you purchase which in part fulfills the government need to gather revenue from residents to cover the cost of services said government provides.

 

[KathyV]

"Grand Cayman has excellent health care and there are good clinics and facilities on Brac with access to higher level care on GC, but Brac may not be the best choice for an aging American couple. A big question is would we qualify for government-sponsored healthcare services because you don't pay any income tax in Cayman."

You cannot just move to The Cayman Islands and live here as a resident. You pay for a permit if you don’t have a job that pays it for you. As retirees you pay for the right to live here and you have prove that your income is enough for you to live and pay for any services you need including mandatory health care coverage as well as having invested required amounts in property and other obligations. Americans are required to pay income tax while they live in Cayman but it will be to Uncle Sam not The Cayman Islands. While it is true that we don't pay tax to the government here, we do pay hefty duty on everything. I consider "duty" another word for "tax" so in reality as Americans you will still be paying income tax and the hefty duty on everything you purchase which in part fulfills the government need to gather revenue from residents to cover the cost of services said government provides.

I figured, every country has strict regulations and requirements for visitors and residents; another reason why an American island like St. Croix would be the easiest, best choice for me - but my heart is in the Caymans! Oh well, our families are here in the Midwest. If we could manage a second home in the tropics they would all come to visit us - and that might be too much of a good thing!

 

[CathyCA]

One of the reasons we like the Clearly Cayman resorts like CBBR is because the dive staff do all the lugging and heavy lifting for us, do Brac Scuba Shack and/or Pirates Pointe offer valet diving services?

Yes Brac Scuba Shack and Pirates Point do the heavy lifting, carrying the tanks and gear to the boat and back. Most divers do set up their own BC's and regs at PP. On BSS, they put them together for us. We don't mind and like to put together our own gear.
We dove with Cayman Brac Reef Resort the first time we did Brac, a few years ago. We went there after a week at Pirates Point and the food seemed mediocre and the boats crowded. I am sure if we had gone there first, it would not have been so noticeable. There really wasn't anything wrong with CBRR, it just was a different experience. Today was a perfect example of the difference. We were to dive the Russian frigate the first dive. We got there and CBBR had 2 boats on the frigate. That means about 40 divers in the water. Our boat changed plans and did it the 2nd dive. We were the only boat there with 10 divers plus guide.

 

[EastEndDiver]

You senior citizens are scaring me ……..you are making me think that in 15 years when I am 82 I'm going to have to give up diving..

 

[CathyCA]

You senior citizens are scaring me ……..you are making me think that in 15 years when I am 82 I'm going to have to give up diving..

66 and 78 and still diving! But we are selective about the conditions and who we go out with. We dive solo on our own boat in California in the cold waters. I don't climb the ladder in full gear, tie it off and haul it in later. Compromises that make it work.