Grand Cayman - East or West side?

[scubazlot]

Hey all,

My girlfriend and I are planning our first trip to Grand Cayman. We will be going over the 2008 Winter holiday season. We are still somewhat new to diving, only 10 total dives, and our only tropical diving was in St. Lucia last year, the rest of the diving was quarry diving. So I am sure any of the diving we do will surpass that of St. Lucia and the quarry diving we have done in the past.

My question is, should we stay on the east side of the island or the west side near 7 mile beach? How hard is it to drive between the two? Do people rent cars in Grand Cayman? I cannot find any threads or websites explaining the differences of the east side vs the west side. Not just in terms of diving, but in terms of safety, nightlife, restaurants, shopping and other activities.

Here are a few things we enjoy:
1) Nicer hotels, does not have to be the Ritz. On the east side we looked at the Reef Resort, on 7 Mile Beach we looked at the Marriott and Westin though we are open to other suggestions as well.
2) Good diving - again, anything should meet or exceed our experiences in quarries and St. Lucia
3) Restaurants - an area where it is comfortable to walk around between hotel properties, go to various restaurants, etc
4) Shopping - duty free, local crafts, etc
5) Suggestions for other activities like hiking, kayaking, 4x4 tours, etc.


Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

 

[Alex777]

There are many previous threads on this subject. Essentially:

- the diving is far better on the East End; if you are coming primarily to dive, go there;

- restaurants, night clubs, shopping, etc., are mostly on the W side; E End has a couple of restaurants, one club at the Reef Resort, and no real shopping;

- both areas are reasonably safe for tourists;

- the Reef Resort is a decent E End hotel; on the W side, there are many, including those you mention;

- renting a car and driving from W to E to dive is quite doable; takes about 45 - 60 minutes; I often do the drive on the weekends.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

To add to what has already been said, if you stay in East End then you really must rent a car. There are restaurants at the resorts (which sit side by side) but really nothing else within short walking distance. The next closest restaurant is about 1.5 miles away, and then 7 miles for the one after that.

You can stay on the west side (Seven Mile Beach) and walk to a few different restaurants or else take taxis. Taxi rides are much shorter to the various restaurants and shopping areas.

Diving is better on East End, but he seas are usually rougher. Remember that all of Grand Cayman is known for wall dives, but the shallow dives are more dramatic on East End, IMHO.

Any of the hotels you mention are quite nice. Most (perhaps all?) of the Reef Resort units include a kitchen so you can buy a few groceries and prepare a few breakfasts and keep some snacks on hand.

Use common sense and Grand Cayman is an exceptionally safe destination. Stick to the well lit tourist areas along Seven Mile Beach or in downtown George Town if you are walking around at night.

Essentially all of the nightlife is on the west side. There is a locals bar in East End where the residents play serious games of dominoes. That is what passes for nightlife in East End.

There are good options for some topside activities. You can take a guided hike of the Mastic Trail (contact the National Trust), kayak through the mangroves (contact Cayman Kayaks), visit the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to see the endangered blue iguanas, or just go for a long stroll down the beach.

 

[CJ's]

Bear in mind what Drew says about rough seas at the East End, particularly during the winter months when you will be visiting.
With your experience levels you may be happier diving on the calmer sides on the Island which can include the West, South and North walls.
I disagree with Alex777 in that I believe inexperienced divers are not likely to notice much of a difference in the quality of diving between the East End and other parts of the Island.
The North, South and even the much maligned West side all have sites that rival or beat the East End sites without losing your breakfast over it! Not that the diving isn't great at East End, before you East Enders start having a go at me!!:mooner:
Also, as already mentioned you have access to much more entertainment and bars and restaurants if you stay near or on 7 Mile Beach, much of it in safe walking distance with no need to hire a car.
Hope this helps.

CJ

 

[Alex777]

The North, South and even the much maligned West side all have sites that rival or beat the East End sites without losing your breakfast over it! ...

CJ

I may have overstated the case a bit. SOME of the West Side wall dives are excellent: Orange Canyon, Trinity Caves & Hepp's Wall (to the NW) come to mind. Unfortunately, the shallow sites on the West Side are no longer up to par, IMHO.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Another option is Boddentown area which gives you proximity to both east and west side.the drive to georgetown is about 30 + minutes on weekedays and the east end is about 15 minutes.I am partial to Boddentown because i have a condo there at Turtle nest Condos.If you would like any info on rates etc. just let me know.

Cayman Hotels: Turtle Nest Inn, Grand Cayman - Intimate & Affordable Beachfront Alternative.

Turtle Nest Inn (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

 

[scuba kbell]

I am going to Cayman in June and am staying at 7 mile beach. I had most of the same questions as scubazlot. However can someone help with a few more questions?

Are there places to rent cars from besides the airport? Is it worth it to rent a car for the day and dive the east end or is it better to take the bus system (if it goes to the East end)? How is the East End diving in June? Are the seas calmer?
Would it be better to snorkel Sting Ray City or dive it?

Thank you!

 

[Drew Sailbum]

While most of the car rental companies are located at the airport, a few have offices along Seven Mile Beach as well. Two local rental companies, Andy's and Marshall's, immediately come to mind. Both are long established and reputable companies. For visitors staying in East End, McCurley's Rent a Car's fleet generally stays in the parking lots of the two main resorts and they can come to you to complete the paperwork.

Even if you aren't renting a car for the purpose of diving East End, I think it is worth it for at least one day just to be able to see the rest of the island. There are topside attractions in the eastern districts and it is much easier to take in a few of these in one day if you have a car. Buses do serve East End, but with much lesser frequency than the more populous west side of the island. Keep in mind that the route buses do not provide service to Rum Point in North Side.

On average, seas are calmer in the summer months and rougher in the winter months in East End. Even so, diving is rarely cancelled in East End due to rough seas. Diving is more often relocated in the west side (ie, changing from West Wall to South Sound) if changing winds are likely to bring rougher seas.

I tend to encourage people to experience a visit to the stingrays as a group. If you are traveling with non-divers, then go with them on a snorkeling trip. If you are all divers, then I think a dive is more interesting 3 dimensional experience. Most of all, I think the reaction of your friends and family is a major part of the stingray experience.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Bear in mind what Drew says about rough seas at the East End, particularly during the winter months when you will be visiting... CJ

Indeed, what might be considered relatively calm seas in East End :14: might be considered quite rough for the West Wall :l:

 

[marianne777]

I just got back from GC last Saturday. I had an awesome time even though it started to rain on Thursday... I've gone diving in St. Lucia and thought Cayman was better! You're in for a treat. I was debating whether to stay in the west vs east as well. I ended up on the West side because I wanted to be close to many restaurants, shops, and bars.

Hotel - heard that Ritz and Westin are the top hotels on the West side. I stayed at the Marriott Beach Resort and really enjoyed it. As for the east end, I saw Morritt's (didn't stay there) and it looked very nice.

Diving - I did 2 days on the North, 1 day on the North west, 1 day on the East end. During my 1 day of diving the east end, I didn't see anything during my dives there, but it is probably just bad luck. I had high expectations since I heard East end has the best diving. I did enjoy "The Maze" though with all the swim throughs. We dived with Ocean Frontiers which is well recommended for east end diving. It is a good dive op, but I tend to like small boats. I really enjoyed the North wall sites. I saw several eagle rays, turtles, stingrays, sharks, lobster, crab, etc. I will also recommend the Cracked Conch for a night dive. Saw a huge barracuda and an octopus there. We turned off our torches and played with the phosphorescence! Very cool. As for west dive op, I highly recommend Jason Washington from Ambassador Divers. Great customer service and picks up from the hotel. We only had 3-4 divers on the boat everyday - it was like a private charter! Jason is very professional, laid back and a great guy! When I lost my underwater camera, we looked for it for 10 minutes and found it!!! Thank goodness for calm seas that day!

Driving - I did rent a car for 2 days. We drove around for an afternoon (after the morning dives) and the next day, we went to the east end for some diving. It was very easy to dive to the east end - there's really only one major road! If you get a car with the steering wheel on the left side (we rented from Andy's across from Marriott), it is really super easy. I'm from NY and I don't drive much anymore, so take it from me when I say it can be done!

scuba kbell - I dived Stingray city as opposed to snorkeling. I thought it was great. I even met Psycho, the eel that hangs around there and tries to get in the action when feeding the stingrays. I brought my non-diving, non-snorkeling friend on the dive boat with us and Jason was nice enough to show her a couple of stingrays up close!