Cayman Air is Now Offering Direct Flights from Denver!

[morecowbells]

We are staying in a condo next to the Carib Sands. Several years ago when visiting Grand Cayman, I discovered the sticker shock of buying liquor on the island. Since then, we have discovered the duty free store in MIA. Occasionally a drink at the bar is worth the price, but like you, I also enjoy a drink(vodka tonic with grapefruit juice) on the balcony. Do you know if CBBR allows non guests to buy dinner at the resort?

 

[KathyV]

We are staying in a condo next to the Carib Sands. Several years ago when visiting Grand Cayman, I discovered the sticker shock of buying liquor on the island. Since then, we have discovered the duty free store in MIA. Occasionally a drink at the bar is worth the price, but like you, I also enjoy a drink(vodka tonic with grapefruit juice) on the balcony. Do you know if CBBR allows non guests to buy dinner at the resort?

Yes, the CBBR does allow non-guests to buy a meal, but it is expensive. They also offer fine dining in their Island Prime restaurant a few nights per week and they have a large Sunday brunch and I often see locals there after church on Sundays.

We have also seen locals around the bar at night, especially Bingo Night which is a popular activity on the island.

They have a small spa at the resort and I've enjoyed getting a massage there during our trips.

We've stopped at the Captain's Table and at their outside bar at Carib Sands and it looks like a nice property. Are you diving with Brac Scuba Shack and will you be doing any shore diving? Please give us a report when you return!

FYI, take a look at the film "Cayman Went" at the link below. It is a small, independent film that was filmed on Brac. You don't have to watch the whole thing but you will see lots of images of the island, both the topside and underwater, including a scene filmed at the Captain's Table.

Much of the action in the film takes place at La Esperanza on the other side of island. We have stopped there for a drink but it is the only place I've found in Cayman (so far) that seems a bit sketchy and made me uncomfortable. I wouldn't go there at night.
https://vimeo.com/104722556

Here are some more links for Brac that may be of interest:

https://youtu.be/NTcZso-Zg80

http://www.xray-mag.com/pdfs/articles/Travel_CaymanBrac_LawsonWood_60_locked.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/cayman.brac.diving/posts/874214046078664#

https://www.caymancompass.com/2013/06/14/cayman-brac-makes-shore-diving-easy/

https://www.facebook.com/BracShoreDivers/photos/a.201549920051286.1073741827.200460450160233/412053515667591/?type=3

http://caribjournal.com/2015/09/15/journey-to-cayman-brac/

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/shore-diving-on-cayman-brac.553128/

 

[morecowbells]

We plan on doing some boat dives with Brac Scuba Shack and some shore dives as well. Thanks for sharing the links! It is not easy finding info on shore diving in Brac, so I appreciate all the helpful info. I definitely will post a trip report. I like posting my experiences on some of the more obscure places.

 

[KathyV]

...I will book the flight with the longer layover and go to the GTYC. I have never booked a vacation with so many different flights/variables.

In the past it was sometimes a problem to get back to GCM from the Sister Islands too early because you had to check your luggage for the next flight at the ticketing counter and it might not open until 1.5 or 2 hours before their first flight of the day, so you would be hanging around waiting for the desk to open.

With the recent GCM airport renovations completed they now have kiosks where you can check your bags yourself, so that shouldn't be an issue any longer.

We are staying in a condo next to the Carib Sands....Do you know if CBBR allows non guests to buy dinner at the resort?

Just an FYI, the Dart corporation recently purchased the Le Soleil d'Or luxury resort on Brac. I don't know when they plan to reopen the property, but in the past it was known for having a high-end "farm to table" restaurant. I am sure that it will be expensive, but you might want to check it out if it is open when you are there.

 

[KathyV]

Sorry if this is somewhat off topic, but I couldn't find an answer while searching other threads. So here is my dilemma: We are flying St. Louis to Miami on AA, then flying Cayman Air directly into Cayman Brac. On return flight, we will be flying Southwest from Grand Cayman, to Fort Lauderdale, to St. Louis. The only ticket we have yet to purchase, is the Cayman Brac to Grand Cayman. I have no idea how much time to allow for this stop over. Will we have to go through customs and re-check our bags since switching airlines? Sorry to be so confusing. Thanks in advance for any input

Since you will be arriving on Saturday and staying at a condo you really will need to pick up supplies on Saturday evening because the stores are all closed on Sunday. I think that Kirkconnell's is the largest market, see link below. The availability of fresh meats, dairy, and produce may vary with the arrival of the weekly supply barge. You won't starve on Brac but your choices may be limited depending on the days you shop.
Kirkconnell Market

The local Pioneer Bakery sells fresh baked goods:
https://www.caribjournal.com/2016/10/14/how-to-break-bread-in-cayman-brac/

 

[KathyV]

@morecowbells I remember now that you were trying to decide between Provo in the T&Cs and Cayman Brac, what made you decide to give Brac a try?

 

[morecowbells]

@morecowbells I remember now that you were trying to decide between Provo in the T&Cs and Cayman Brac, what made you decide to give Brac a try?

One of our friends who we were going to dive with wanted to visit the T and C. He ended up tearing his ACL during a ski accident and is scheduled for surgery with a long rehab. The vacation plans then shifted to my just my husband and I. The sticker shock of staying in the T and C was a big factor. We prefer accommodations where there is a separate living room and bedroom. I stay up late reading, my husband is an early riser. I swear that as each day goes by, the room shrinks by a foot. Having a buffer goes a long way. Such accommodations in the T and C become cost prohibitive. Secondly, I am not keen on long boat rides which seems to be the norm in the T and C. I also enjoy doing some shore dives, which seems uncommon in the T and C. I am excited about trying Brac. I like a low key destination without casinos or cruise ships, but with restaurants nearby.

 

[KathyV]

One of our friends who we were going to dive with wanted to visit the T and C. He ended up tearing his ACL during a ski accident and is scheduled for surgery with a long rehab. The vacation plans then shifted to my just my husband and I. The sticker shock of staying in the T and C was a big factor. We prefer accommodations where there is a separate living room and bedroom. I stay up late reading, my husband is an early riser. I swear that as each day goes by, the room shrinks by a foot. Having a buffer goes a long way. Such accommodations in the T and C become cost prohibitive. Secondly, I am not keen on long boat rides which seems to be the norm in the T and C. I also enjoy doing some shore dives, which seems uncommon in the T and C. I am excited about trying Brac. I like a low key destination without casinos or cruise ships, but with restaurants nearby.

So sorry to hear about your friend's injury. Grace Bay Beach on Provo is gorgeous and the island is very enjoyable but I think that Provo is just about as expensive as Grand Cayman - and you have more options and price ranges on GC - at least that's been my experience. I've never stayed on Grand Turk or any of the other T&C islands but they might be worth investigating. I think that there are shorter boat trips to the reef on GT.

The last time we were on Provo (prior to the 2017 hurricane) we stayed at the Royal West Indies in a 1-bedroom suite and it was lovely and quite spacious. It was an expensive place but we traveled off-season and we got the best price available. We spent our second week on the Aggressor - great diving and lots of sharks! We grabbed an extra day of vacation after getting off the LOB and spent our last night at the Ports of Call hotel. It was just a hotel room but nice, it seemed very roomy after living on a boat for a week!

I hope that you like Brac, there's a lot more stuff to do topside on Provo. There are restaurants on Brac but not many. You might take a look at this trip report from @large_diver, see link below. He visited Brac earlier this year with his family. They stayed at CBBR but his wife is a rock climber and so they rented a car and did some exploring and ate out a couple of times.

Trip Report & Pics - Cayman Brac Beach Resort

We always rent a car for a day and love touring the island and checking things out, Brac is a quiet but beautiful place IMO.