Grand Cayman and Little Cayman, how much time on each?

[phuertas]

We are going to Grand Cayman later this year for our 2nd time and wanted to go to Little Cayman as well. I've heard Bloody Bay Wall is incredible. We only have a week. How much time would you recommend on Little Cayman? Recommendations on places to stay?

 

[KathyV]

How much time are you planning for your trip and how much diving do you like to do? What other things do you like to do on vacation? Last year we spent a week on Grand Cayman followed by a week on Little Cayman.

Keep in mind that the "wait to fly after diving" rule does apply to the short flights to and from GC and LC so you have to figure that into your travel plans. What time of year do you plan to travel? Planes can only land and take off from the LC airport during daylight hours, so during winter that shortens the window for available flights.

We love the Little Cayman Beach Resort, it is a small, reasonably-priced, diver-dedicated, all inclusive with an onsite dive op, but the Southern Cross Club is more upscale, and more expensive and it is also a popular venue.

 

[phuertas]

How much time are you planning for your trip and how much diving do you like to do? What other things do you like to do on vacation? Last year we spent a week on Grand Cayman followed by a week on Little Cayman.

Keep in mind that the "wait to fly after diving" rule does apply to the short flights to and from GC and LC so you have to figure that into your travel plans. What time of year do you plan to travel? Planes can only land and take off from the LC airport during daylight hours, so during winter that shortens the window for available flights.

We love the Little Cayman Beach Resort, it is a small, reasonably-priced, diver-dedicated, all inclusive with an onsite dive op, but the Southern Cross Club is more upscale, and more expensive and it is also a popular venue.

We are only staying a week and traveling in Mid-October.

 

[scubadada]

We are only staying a week and traveling in Mid-October.

Since you're only going for a week, I would consider spending the whole week either on Grand Cayman or Little Cayman. I don't know what you did on your 1st visit to Grand Cayman, you could try something different like East End at Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers or something similar. As per @KathyV I'm also quite fond of Little Cayman Beach Resort/Reef Divers. I'm assuming you'd like to maximize your diving rather than traveling.

 

[phuertas]

Since you're only going for a week, I would consider spending the whole week either on Grand Cayman or Little Cayman. I don't know what you did on your 1st visit to Grand Cayman, you could try something different like East End at Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers or something similar. As per @KathyV I'm also quite fond of Little Cayman Beach Resort/Reef Divers. I'm assuming you'd like to maximize your diving rather than traveling.

On our last trip we stayed on 7MB and went out with Living the Dream for 4 days of diving. We really enjoyed diving with them.

 

[Damselfish]

With only a week I would pick one island - do 2 and you will lose too much time drying/packing/moving/no-fly time and I'll bet wish you had not done that. If you want to go Little Cayman this time just do that. If you just want something different, staying in a different area of Grand than wherever you stayed the first time can also give you that.

 

[tkaelin]

Agree with others. 1 week is really too short to break up your trip in the middle to try to do both islands. If you stretched it out to 10 days it might be more doable. I can see splitting a week on GC staying part on the east end and the other west but breaking up your diving, packing up and limiting your diving by the midweek no fly doesn't seem worth it to hit two islands. Just too tight.

 

[Scared Silly]

Grand Cayman 0 days, for the remaining time Little Cayman.

Checkout Southern Cross or Little Cayman Resort.

 

[KathyV]

We are going to Grand Cayman later this year for our 2nd time and wanted to go to Little Cayman as well. I've heard Bloody Bay Wall is incredible. We only have a week. How much time would you recommend on Little Cayman? Recommendations on places to stay?

I like all 3 Cayman Islands for similar and different reasons and a lot depends on what you want to do on your vacation, and there is no wrong answer here - it's your vacation - do what you want!

If you think that you might like dining out at nice restaurants and enjoying some fun topside activities, as well as getting the chance to do some great boat and/or shore diving - then Grand Cayman is the place for you. And GC offers both sophisticated and chic places like the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay, as well as more layed back, quiet and rural areas like the East End and the Northside.

But if you'd like a chance to really relax and enjoy a funky place with amazing natural beauties including bluffs, caves, hiking, wildlife, and great diving - along with the chance to dive on a sunken Russian Frigate - then Cayman Brac is a great place to visit.

And if you want to do basically nothing but eat, sleep, relax, and dive on one of the most spectacular reef systems in the Caribbean - then Little Cayman should be your first choice.

Just pick the island that appeals to you the most and plan a vacation, but Little Cayman books up fast, so don't wait too long.

 

[BDSC]

but Little Cayman books up fast, so don't wait too long.

To add to what Kathy has said, decide quickly and book if you want to go to Little Cayman. Another recommendation for the Little Cayman Beach Resort from me. Great resort all around. But also consider this.

There is pretty much only one way to get to Little Cayman and that is taking a twin otter from GC to LC. Those planes typically hold 15 to 16 people so space is at a premium. If you decide on LC, YOU CAN'T BOOK THAT FLIGHT SOON ENOUGH. Lots of ways to get to GC but one way to get to LC so don't hesitate on that flight.

I think their last flight to LC is around 5:00ish in the afternoon. They also have one in the 3:00ish range as well. What we typically do is book one of the later flights to give us plenty of time to fly to GC, go thru customs, get our bags, and recheck them to LC on Cayman Air.

If you have some flexibility on travel days for your week, you may want to consider going Friday to Friday. Most folks fly Saturday to Saturday and the airport is packed and those seats going to LC sell out even quicker. Even Sunday to Sunday is likely better than Saturday to Saturday.