Trip Report CBBR trip review 12/2-9

[mbs]

Great trip, went toooo fast. I guess I could stop there, but some might like more details First kudos to @KathyV for recommending taking the shuttle from GCM to GTYC rather than hangin for a long layover in the airport. At least half of our plane showed up there so the word must have gotten out. Very pleasant place to spend some time. Good food/drinks although pricey.
The 5:15 flight was delayed for some unknown mechanical issue. Glad were were headed to Brac and not Little Cayman as I assume we would not have made it to LC after dark. Full disclosure: We had a dream group on our boat and lots of nice folks at the resort so my review may be slanted positive due to that Moved thru the airport quickly and they got us to the resort and checked in quickly as well. The room was quite nice and clean with a good mattress. The balcony was good for drying bathing suits. We could have used just a tad more space for stuff.
Food: Was ok to very good some meals. Stuff leans towards overly sauced and cooked which is not my preference. But there were some very good options, especially for meat eaters. The Friday night BBQ was probably the best for me with the jerked fish. The bar area was beautiful and the bartenders very nice. Excellent area to hang out in. We had the 3 drink/night package so we spent some time there
We have been to LC a few times so we knew what to expect from Reef Divers and they did not disappoint. There was a very large group from NJ and I believe the took over 2 of the boats. We were assigned to Big Sister and there were mostly individual buddy groups and a a few that knew each other. Turned out to be primarily experienced divers and there was no drama on the boat. As a bonus they were really interesting people that we really enjoyed getting to know! The first few days it was quite windy with decent swells. You needed to be very careful at the ladder. One of the other boats apparently had some folks getting sick and people skipped dives. We had no issues with that on our boat. One day they came back to the docks between the 2 morning dives. I assume because folks were getting sick on the si. We did 2 morning and 1 afternoon dive each day. There was only one other couple that did the afternoon dive so they moved us to another boat. We stuck to the south side the first 2 days and I thought the sites were quite good. But then we went around to the point and I really enjoyed those dives. Much more fishy. I found the sites to be very varied. Lots of sand channels, great walls, coral head pinnacles. Some of those pinnacles came up quite shallow and had tons of fish, especially juvis!! Fairy Bassletts like 1/2 inch to a few inches. Btw, I just cannot get a focused picture of those suckers! Hmmm, was going to upload a shot, but not working for me...
Doing the afternoon dives did not really leave us any time to explore the island so I really can't comment on that which I regret. I thought about renting a car Friday afternoon, but the "wrong" side of the road thing does not make me happy. Could have taken a tour with another couple. Even thought about taking bikes out. But in the end we decided to be lazy around the pool. So I guess we just need to visit Brac again!

 

[Trailboss123]

Thanks for sharing your report!

 

[drrich2]

Nice review! Since you’ve apparently now done both LCBR and CBBR, any thoughts on what would move you to pick between the two for a trip?

 

[KathyV]

Great report, thanks for sharing. I understand that several Caribbean ports were closed recently - including Cozumel and Grand Cayman - due to a bad storm that came through. That might have been while you were on Brac so I am glad that you were able to get some decent diving, despite the weather.

Something that I've always appreciated about Brac is that you are aren't very likely to meet many newbies there, it seems that the island is "under the radar" and tends to primarily attract more seasoned divers. Nothing against newbies - we've all been in that category once in our life - but Brac is just a nice, quiet dive experience with laid-back dive companions.

Also glad that you had a chance to try the George Town Yacht Club during your layover - it's a much nicer place to hang out than the Hungry Horse tent in the parking lot - or the departure lounge! Food and drinks are pricey in Cayman - another reason why we appreciate the all-inclusive packages at CBBR and LCBR.

When we are on Grand Cayman, with so many places to eat and drink, we tend to stay in a condo or apartment and prepare some simple meals and go out to eat around once per day. Eating out at restaurants 3 times a day would be very expensive in Cayman!

We usually order off of the appetizer menu at the GTYC, the portions are a nice size and the prices are better than the entrees. We have never tried the drinks package at the Clearly Cayman resorts, how do they work, are you limited to well-drinks only?

 

[mbs]

Nice review! Since you’ve apparently now done both LCBR and CBBR, any thoughts on what would move you to pick between the two for a trip?

Ha, I was waiting for you to ask that I was at LC last in 2014 with a lot of dives in between so I'm afraid my memory is not that good of the dives. I think the resort matches up pretty equally. The rooms at CBBR are all away from the bar area so very quiet whereas LC some rooms are close. The pool area and views at CBBR are off the charts gorgeous. Food is probably a wash between the 2. Reef Divers is the same at either. And I did not leave the resort at either island. I wish I had been to LC more recently to recall if the wall there is 1000% better than in Brac. But I just don't have that recollection.
Soooo, CBBR is less expensive than LCBR. Brac has the option to fly into from Miami skipping GCM. I'm surprised to hear myself say it, but I would lean towards returning to Brac next time! Some day I would like to try a rental there and do some shore diving. I'm edging closer to being on a fixed income so costs are suddenly moving higher up in priorities. On the other hand my wife/buddy has no intention of retiring so I have that going for me Except I'm not sure how well it will go over when I say I'm heading to Brac next week and the freezer is stocked with meals for you

 

[mbs]

Great report, thanks for sharing. I understand that several Caribbean ports were closed recently - including Cozumel and Grand Cayman - due to a bad storm that came through from the North East. That might have been while you were on Brac so I am glad that you were able to get some decent diving, despite the weather.

Something that I've always appreciated about Brac is that you are aren't very likely to meet many newbies there, it seems that the island is "under the radar" and tends to primarily attract more seasoned divers. Nothing against newbies - we've all been in that category once in our life - but Brac is just a nice, quiet dive experience with laid-back dive companions.

Also glad that you had a chance to try the George Town Yacht Club during your layover - it's a much nicer place to hang out than the Hungry Horse tent in the parking lot - or the departure lounge! Food and drinks are pricey in Cayman - another reason why we appreciate the all-inclusive packages at CBBR and LCBR.

When we are on Grand Cayman, with so many places to eat and drink, we tend to stay in a condo or apartment and prepare some simple meals and go out to eat around once per day. Eating out at restaurants 3 times a day would be very expensive in Cayman!

We usually order off of the appetizer menu at the GTYC, the portions are a mice size and the prices are better than the entrees. We have never tried the drinks package at the Clearly Cayman resorts, how do they work, are you limited to well-drinks only?

I actually don't recall how much extra I paid to add in the 3 drinks package. So I can't say if it was worth it or not! Need to see if I can find my notes or email reef fanta seas to check. We only drank beer and wine and I didn't really pay attention to what the other options were. I didn't use all 3 for drinks every night so brought back either a water bottle or can of coke. I know there was a list on the back of the drinks card so I assume there are restrictions. Sorry I can't be more helpful there.
So the prices at GTYC are typical for Grand Cayman?

 

[KathyV]

...So the prices at GTYC are typical for Grand Cayman?

Hard to say that anywhere has "typical prices" because there is a large selection of restaurants with a wide range of cuisines and prices all across Grand Cayman. There are restaurants priced much higher than GTYC and some much cheaper. And keep in mind that the US dollar is only worth 0.80 cents in Cayman - so you automatically add 20% to everything you buy. The Caymans are expensive - there's no getting around that - but if you are a savvy shopper you can mitigate some of the expense and still have a great trip. Staying at an all-inclusive like CBBR is one example of ways to control the costs.

When we go to GC we travel during the lower season, we stay in a quiet, lovely, and less-expensive area away from George Town and the Seven Mile Beach. We prepare some simple breakfast and lunch meals and mix some of our own drinks - and we go out to eat about once per day. We also tend to do more shore diving and snorkeling on GC and wait until the second week on CB or LC to do most of our boat dives. The thread below discusses Diving Grand Cayman on a Budget and it describes some good options:

Is It Possible to Dive Grand Cayman on a Budget?

But we are also getting closer to living on a fixed income and so I definitely understand your concerns. I sometimes wonder how much longer we will be able to take beautiful, tropical vacations to places like Cayman.

But all things considered, I think that the Caymans have a lot to offer. I posted the comments below after our recent trip to Little Cayman Beach Resort and it kind of sums up my philosophy.

"...As we were hanging around the tiny LC airport to head home I overhead a guy that had also been staying at LCBR complain that "This was an expensive vacation as compared to Roatan!" I kept my mouth shut but I was tempted to say "No kidding, maybe it's because you are in the 1st World and not the 3rd World!"

You can eat the food and drink the water without worry, you don't have to get vaccinated before traveling or take anti-malaria medications, and you don't have to worry about mosquito-borne diseases and ferocious sand fleas. You can drive everywhere on good roads and you are very unlikely to get robbed, plus the diving is better than Roatan IMO and you get valet dive services. There are also excellent health facilities available and strict safety requirements governing the dive ops. And for us, the airfare is cheaper and easier than Honduras.

We've had some wonderful dive trips to Roatan, but sometimes you get what you pay for - but that's just my opinion! And another nice thing about the Caymans is that you can enjoy the urbane sophistication and attractions of the 7 Mile Beach and West Bay area on GC as well as the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the East End of GC and also the Sister Islands of LC and CB - you can easily have it all!..."