Trip Report GC trip report: west side, east side, shore dive, and eats

[KathyV]

Here's a report from my first trip to Grand Cayman (June 9-20, 2018.)...Airport Arrival: We arrived on Saturday before noon. We did not have to stand in the sun, and went through immigration rapidly. The main hold up was customs, but there was AC so the 20min in line didn't seem too bad...Airport Departure: I left on a Wednesday which should have been less busy, but there was a snaking line OUTSIDE the terminal (in the heat) BEFORE you get inside to an even bigger line to check bags. HINT: if you are able to check in on-line the night before, you can get expedited inside (show them the boarding pass on your phone). And once inside they had a shorter, faster bag-check line for the folks with e-boarding passes...

@dberry I have a question, you said that Customs took the most time for your airport arrival. Did you have to fill out and submit Customs Declaration forms? It was recently announced that Customs forms are no longer required for most GC arrivals, but I have been reading that travelers are still be asked to complete the forms and submit them to the Customs agent.

Twenty minutes doesn't sound bad, unless you have a tight connection to a flight to the sister islands, but why was there a hold-up in Customs during your arrival, were there multiple flights arriving around the same time? Were there sufficient Customs agents available to process the arrivals?

Also, I appreciate your advice to check in online in advance to circumvent some of the lines on departure, but that didn't work for us when leaving Little Cayman last year. We were flying from LC to GC to connect to UA for the flight home.

We tried using our phones, my ipad, and the computer in the lobby at the LCBR, both the night before and the next morning, and we were unable to check in online - the Cayman Air portion of our return was the block and we couldn't complete the check-in process. Another guest told me that she was having the same issue. I don't know if it was just a fluke on that particular day or if it is a regular issue, but unfortunately you may not always be able to count on an electronic check-in to make your travel experience better.

But here's a helpful departure hint for you, if you ever decide to return to Cayman. We like to arrive at GCM early, return our rental car, check-in our bags and then take advantage of the free shuttle to the George Town Yacht Club at the marina, to enjoy our last hours before leaving.

The GTYC is only about 3 minutes away and they regularly run the shuttle all day on the weekends. I think that they offer the shuttle on weekdays starting with lunch at 11 am, but on weekends they offer breakfast from 8:30 am to 11 am and then lunch.

Of course you cannot cut it too close because you will have to go through Security at the airport, but GTYC is much nicer than hanging around the airport, IMO. The food and ambiance are great, they offer indoor and outdoor dining, and they even have a small pool that kids may enjoy while waiting for the trip home. They are owned by the same company that owns The Cracked Conch and Macabuca, and I think that they have the best cracked conch on the island!

Home

FREE AIRPORT SHUTTLE
Beat the crowds with early check in, then relax at GTYC with our free shuttle service to and from Owen Roberts International Airport. Call +1 (345) 947 4892 to find out more.

 

[dberry]

@KathyV We had hoped that the 10:30am arrival on Saturday would mean fewer people than in the afternoon, but there were at least two other flights that landed within 5-10 min of our flights. I honestly don't recall if we filled out custom forms or not. I think the delay at customs was mainly do to locals bringing in relatively large quantities of stuff. After waiting for 10-15 min in line, it suddenly started to move faster and we were waived through promptly (with nothing to declare).

Overall, we weren't unhappy with the time spent, especially compared to the horror stories we read on this forum (prior to the renovations).

We did not have to make connecting flights to LC or Brac, and were flying on American Airlines - maybe that's why we could check-in on-line? We checked-in the night before from the condo (wifi).

GTYC sounds like a solid choice for lunch after early bag check at the airport. We stopped at the Czech Inn Grill for take out burgers on our drive from the East Side. I had a fantastic lamb burger - yum!

 

[KathyV]

@KathyV ... We stopped at the Czech Inn Grill for take out burgers on our drive from the East Side. I had a fantastic lamb burger - yum!

The Czech Inn is a great place. We usually stay in Bodden Town at the Turtle Nest Inn and we can just walk across the street to enjoy a meal at Czech Inn.

We love TNI, but we mostly shore dive and snorkel on GC and may do a couple of boat dives depending on the weather, but it's probably not the best location if you want to do a lot of boat dives. Staying at a dedicated dive resort or someplace near the dive op would be best if you want to do a lot of boat dives. We prefer to stay at dedicated dive ops on Brac or Little Cayman because we want to do boat dives every day.

If you drive into Bodden Town on the weekend, you should also try the fried fish at the Grapetree Café - if you like fish. They are only open on Fri, Sat, and Sun and you get to eat delicious fried fish at a picnic table on the beach for a cheap price.
Grape Tree Cafe, Bodden Town

That's why I keep repeating that travel to the Caymans doesn't have to be super expensive. It will never be a cheap destination, but the airfares and car rental prices are usually pretty good. You can shore dive for $15 for tanks and weights, you can find great meals at places like the Czech Inn for a reasonable price. If you are willing to drive and not stay in the prime area of 7MB you can find decent prices for a nice condo or apartment, and preparing a few simple meals for yourself saves time and money, too. And sometimes you can find good deals on resort/dive/meal packages.

 

[DiveMalby]

@Doctorfish how is the beach on the north end? My wife does not dive and my only saving grace, if I want to dive, is a pretty beach!

 

[FindingMenno]

@Doctorfish how is the beach on the north end? My wife does not dive and my only saving grace, if I want to dive, is a pretty beach!

Hi, there is no beach further north than West Bay Dock. I know Cobalt has a little cove with some sand, although the actual surf is rock again. You have to get closer to Barker's for some beaches, I believe Conch Point Villas and Villas Papagallo have some beach.

 

[Doctorfish]

I know of no place on the north side with a real beach. If you want a real sand beach the best options are 7MB, East End, Bodden Town area.

I was on GC last week and customs did require forms but there are an increased number of officers so the whole deal from landing to rental car only took about 35 minutes.

 

[Sallygirl]

We are making our first trip to GC in May. This report was extremely helpful. Thank you for posting!

 

[DiveMalby]

We are making our first trip to GC in May. This report was extremely helpful. Thank you for posting!

Sallygirl where are ya'll staying? We also are planning our trip in May but don't have definite dates yet. I was thinking about renting condo along 7mb area.

 

[Doctorfish]

The north end of 7MB is quiet, relatively close to west bay dock, yacht club and turtle reef and the beach itself is very expansive.

Check out Christopher Columbus, Anchorage and Discovery for pricing. Should be not too bad in off season.