First time to Grand Cayman - Must dos?

[diversteve]

Oh, you were at The Reef on the East End. We mistook it for Cayman Reef Resort which is mid-SMB. Big difference in drive time...

Besides Turtle Reef which others have mentioned you should be able to find a buddy fairly easily at Cobalt Coast - Dive Tech is on site there. Their other shop is at Lighthouse Pt. but it's quieter there.

The North Wall is off the whole north end of the island. Drops several thousand feet just a short distance off-shore. Some of the better boat dives to ask for are Ghost Mountain, Hammerhead Hill, Eagle Ray Pass - and if they'll go that far east - Babylon. There's also a lot of great diving off NW Point - classic dives like Orange Canyon, Big Tunnel, the "Hepps" sites, Trinity Caves, I could list a bunch more but instead:
Cayman Dive Sites: Guide to Best Dive Sites in Cayman Islands by iDive

Since you mentioned your wife wanting the beach - there isn't one at Sunshine Suites. There's one nearby but it's across the main road and down a little. "Nearby" is accurate - it's about 200 yards or so. Tell your wife she isn't missing much by moving - there's enough weed at the Reef's beach that they collect it daily.

Another option without paying beachfront prices might be Comfort Suites - similar in price/quality to Sunshine Suites but about 50 yds. from Seven Mile Beach. There's a path directly to it from there. Grand Cayman Comfort Suites & Resort Ambassador Divers is on-site there for boat dives - I recommend them often. They're the people who put together IdiveCayman.com. I recommend Giles at WtoW also - they're a good group.

In case money's not an issue, the Westin is really nice: http://www.westingrandcayman.com/

 

[Kbach]

If you've never been to GC before, a Stingray City trip is interesting. Very commercialized, but fun to hold a stingray. Rum Point is nice when the big boats aren't around. If you get a car, Smith's Cove is a nice locals beach to snorkel and have a beer. Cemetery Beach is similar. Eating at any of the places in Caymana Bay is good. The Brasserie is also very nice to eat at. Any of the restaurants at the Ritz are good (my son works there), but like others have said, be prepared for the bill. Don't bother with the Botanical Garden.


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[KathyV]

I agree that stringray city is a nice trip for a first timer but it is best to go early in the morning (on a day when there aren't any cruise ships in port) to avoid the crowds.

We went to Hell the first time we visited GC but I don't think it is worth it. You should rent a car at least for a day or two and explore the island.

 

[Damselfish]

If your wife wants to be close to shopping and lots of restaurants (and congestion) moving to 7MB was a good idea, but if she really wants to spend most of her time lounging on the beach I'd have stuck with the (east end) Reef Resort. It has a nice beach right there in front of all the rooms, a couple pools right along the beach, and good snorkeling. I'd way rather be there than most parts of 7MB, plus the diving tends to be better from the East End. When on the East End most will recommend diving with Ocean Frontiers nearby which is an excellent dive op.

 

[t4e]

we're heading there too in september, this is the condo we booked, right on the beach and Don Foster's Dive is just 5 minutes away

Spotts Vacation Rental - VRBO 507818 - 2 BR Grand Cayman Condo in Cayman Islands, Direct Beachfront 2 Bedroom Condo. Beautiful White Sand, Quiet, Safe, Private

 

[diver 85]

Is the North Wall one particular site or a bunch of different sites?

Bunch of different ones........see this link..........
Deep Blue Divers ? Dive Grand Cayman's World Famous North and West Walls

EDIT:.....OH---& I forgot about Hell.......

 

[dmoore19]

Hey, how could you go to Grand Cayman and not send post cards from Hell? Would I do it again? Probably not but ya gotta do it at least once.

 

[fire_diver]

YEs, for the length of time you will be there, you should absolutely look into renting a compact car. Don't worry, it's easy to adjust to driving on the opposite side of the rode. The ability to jump into your car and explore the island is great! And yes, if you have a car, you need to go the hell. Like everyone else said, it's worth going at least once. We even got our passports stamped there.

 

[KathyV]

Definitely rent a car, do you have a Garmin GPS (or can you borrow one)? We have found that the Garmin has good maps of GC and it is helpful when you are finding your way around and adjusting to driving on the left side of the road - especially navigating through the roundabouts. The Garmin voice says things like "enter roundabout and take the second exit" and that makes things pretty easy.

---------- Post added July 4th, 2014 at 08:25 PM ----------

I didn't know that you could get your passports stamped in Hell - we may have to go back there!

 

[ranchonodinero]

You might consider going on VRBO and renting a condo. We did and stayed 60' from the waters edge-it was a bargain and on the beach. Sunshine is off the beach and although not a long walk, you still cross a fairly busy street to walk down the beach access and you have to tote your own chairs and umbrellas. Caymanreefresort rentals is the site for the condo rental. Older condos but furnished nicely. Depending on what you want, the East end isn't so bad and much more quiet than the SMB area. We stayed at Morritts-older place, but on the beach and on the tranquil quiet East end. The East is where you will find Rum point, Starfish point, and a generally more laid back pace. The drive is not bad at all.