Grand Cayman vs Little Cayman vs Provo for mixed group?

[Scuba Diver Gal]

Sorry I should have been clearer, only myself and my wife will be diving on the trip, the rest will snorkel, swim, hang out, etc..

Ok. Giving you some point form considering the above statement you make about having to appeal to more than just divers. My family has a place on Seven Mile Beach and we have spent at least 2 months a year on Grand Cayman over the last 8 years...

- Grand Cayman is very nice and beautiful for those who like more developed - there are beautiful homes along Boggy Sand Road that are a bit off the beaten path, have a beautiful beach and aren't quite as busy as being closer to downtown - great snorkelling right off shore
- the BEST dive company I have ever experienced in any of our travels anywhere (including South Pacific) is Living the Dream Divers - only 8 divers on a huge boat - towel service, pick up service, will store your gear, fresh cookies on board, and extremely safe practices
- have spent much time on Little Cayman and stayed at Little Cayman Beach Resort oceanfront suite - beautiful - a bit of action at the bar - karaoke night friday night, decent food, nice pool, etc. - HATED diving with Reef Divers which is on property at LCBR - would find a different dive shop
- all my times on Little Cayman the beach has NEVER inspired me to walk on it or swim in the water from shore near LCBR…the water is OK, the beaches are just OK on LC (in my opinion)
- Point O Sand beach on Little Cayman is beautiful and is worth driving there
- diving on LC is better than on GC because the wall starts shallower (60 feet) - but not worth making your groups time miserable or boring because you want significantly better diving
- Prevailing winds are from the east so remember staying on East End the water is usually rough, I have spoken with many divers who get sea sick on their way out to the dive site
- Have tried to dive east end MANY times and it has just been too rough for my liking
- diving with Living the Dream Divers they will try to dive NORTH as much as possible on GC and it is awesome diving compared to west.
- other dive operators run off public beach so try to stay diving west - LTD will do whatever conditions allow and most of their clients wish
- north diving is AWESOME!
- if you want an awesome dive contact Dive Tech on GC and try to prebook a "West Bay Express" - it's a scooter ride from Cobalt Coast location to their Litehouse Point location with a tracker boat following on the surface and it rounds the NW point which is a point that has good currents - meaning healthy life on the reef - AWESOME! if you can get the right conditions
- Little Cayman is my preference over Grand Cayman because I like diving, loved the quietness of the island and think that GC is a bit too over developed for my liking - but it would be WAY too much pressure for me to take a group of people there and hope that they can be happy on such a quiet place with no beached even close to what GC has

As an aside, I am trying to book a 3 week vacation with a group of friends for Christmas. Knowing what I know about their needs: some divers, some snorkelers, some shoppers, want a bit of dining out, and a bit of eating in home, and want to rent a beautiful beachfront home, I am considering Turks and Caicos….But that could also be because I have seen a lot of GC. We are taking a group of 12 divers with us to GC in 6 weeks also…but not visiting LC or the Brac...

Not sure if this helps...

 

[Bryan Cunningham]

All three are going to shock your friends price wise when compared to Cuba. Have you considered Cayo Largo in Cuba? Rated in 10 ten for best beaches, and has really good diving.

Another option with great beaches (and good diving if you know who to dive with and specify where you want to dive) is Antigua.

But if you have the budget to go to Caymans and Provo, you'll get more bang for your buck in many other destinations like Belize or Roatan.

I'm not much help with house/villa rentals, but can help with AIs Caribbean wide with dive shops onsite.

Cheers

 

[qwimjim]

All three are going to shock your friends price wise when compared to Cuba. Have you considered Cayo Largo in Cuba? Rated in 10 ten for best beaches, and has really good diving.

Another option with great beaches (and good diving if you know who to dive with and specify where you want to dive) is Antigua.

But if you have the budget to go to Caymans and Provo, you'll get more bang for your buck in many other destinations like Belize or Roatan.

I'm not much help with house/villa rentals, but can help with AIs Caribbean wide with dive shops onsite.

Cheers

Well the whole point of going as a group, renting a big house, cooking our own meals, etc.. is that it will actually be quite affordable this way, comparable to what we would pay for a week in Cuba at an AI.

---------- Post added February 7th, 2014 at 02:28 PM ----------

Sorry I should have been clearer, only myself and my wife will be diving on the trip, the rest will snorkel, swim, hang out, etc..
- all my times on Little Cayman the beach has NEVER inspired me to walk on it or swim in the water from shore near LCBR…the water is OK, the beaches are just OK on LC (in my opinion)
- Point O Sand beach on Little Cayman is beautiful and is worth driving there
- diving on LC is better than on GC because the wall starts shallower (60 feet) - but not worth making your groups time miserable or boring because you want significantly better diving
- Little Cayman is my preference over Grand Cayman because I like diving, loved the quietness of the island and think that GC is a bit too over developed for my liking - but it would be WAY too much pressure for me to take a group of people there and hope that they can be happy on such a quiet place with no beached even close to what GC has

It helps a lot, the thing is with this group we don't want to be on a big crowded beach, no one has any interest in shopping or restaurants. It's all about going somewhere quiet but beautiful and having fun as a group, together, which is why I liked the idea of LC plus the bonus of it being great diving. It's a small island, no need for a rental car, we can bike around, etc.. But if the beach is ugly and the swimming sucks that's a definitely deal breaker.. and it's hard to figure out exactly what the deal is with the beach? The beach has to be nice, swimming has to be nice. What's the deal with Owen island? I was under the impression it was awesome and super easy to get to?

I definitely don't want anyone to be miserable, hence this thread So if we were to go to Grand Cayman instead, where would you recommend finding a beach front condo where it's quiet, we won't need a rental car (too many people to make that work), there's good diving, and the beach is beautiful with nice swimming? Because it seems like everywhere other than Rum Point and SMB has the same kind of turtle grass beach as LC but without Owen island a couple of hundred feet off shore, and you need a rental car to get around instead of bicycles?

Thanks!

 

[Carlos Danger]

So is that about right? I'd really like to make LC or GC or a combo GC/LC trip work because I've read so many good things about LC.. but I'm worried the beach might disappoint those that have been to Cuba. And I'm not entirely sure how Provo/West Caicos/French Cay rank because they don't get mentioned as much. Any insight would be greatly appreciated as always!

Personally, I like your combo trip idea. Do LC for the first half, and then finish up on GC. I did a similar type setup on a past trip to Turks and Caicos, split between Grand Turk and Provo. This was one of the more memorable trips I've been on, like going on two vacations back-to-back. I would not let yourself get caught in the trap of trying to cover every base for a group of this size, it's not always realistic. You will all be sharing the experiences together, that's what's important. You can always save Provo for your next trip?

 

[AggieDiver]

But if the beach is ugly and the swimming sucks that's a definitely deal breaker.. and it's hard to figure out exactly what the deal is with the beach? The beach has to be nice, swimming has to be nice. What's the deal with Owen island? I was under the impression it was awesome and super easy to get to?

I definitely don't want anyone to be miserable, hence this thread So if we were to go to Grand Cayman instead, where would you recommend finding a beach front condo where it's quiet, we won't need a rental car (too many people to make that work), there's good diving, and the beach is beautiful with nice swimming? Because it seems like everywhere other than Rum Point and SMB has the same kind of turtle grass beach as LC but without Owen island a couple of hundred feet off shore, and you need a rental car to get around instead of bicycles?

Thanks!

The deal with the beach at LC is that the resorts are all set on the south side of the island on a lagoon area inside a reef. The lagoon is quite shallow and has lots of turtle grass. The reef prevents the wave action that would usually create a nice smooth sandy beach. Yes, there is sand, but it generally is not a "wading/swimming" type beach of the type you would find along most of the US coast. If they want to rent a car or a few scooters, or don't mind riding a bike a few miles, there are some beach access areas on the north side of the island or down at point of sand that are more appealing to wade/snorkel. Also, with a large group, you could probably work out a deal with the dive shop to let the snorkelers tag along on the dive boat for a fee. Another option is to look for a rental home along the beach portion of the north side of the island. You would be father from the dive operations at the resorts, but it might be more conducive for folks to swim and snorkel from the beach.

With all that said, I really think with such a large group of non-divers compared to relatively few divers, it probably doesn't make sense to go somewhere so limited for the non-divers just because it is better for the divers. They will end up spending quite a bit of money to get less than what they could get at some other locations. But you know the personalities of the group, and if they truly just want to lay around in the sun and relax, LC is certainly a great place for that.

 

[qwimjim]

So since no one has mentioned Owen Island I'm going to assume it's not as nice or convenient in reality as it looks in photos? So if not LC, then where? Where is there an awesome beach and top tier Caribbean diving but some peace and quiet too?

 

[Carlos Danger]

So if not LC, then where? Where is there an awesome beach and top tier Caribbean diving but some peace and quiet too?

Grace Bay in Provo is definitely a fantastic beach, but very big and commercial. The diving is expensive and time consuming because of the travel involved to get to some of the more popular sites, but it's generally a pretty quiet area because everything is so spread out. Grand Turk has excellent diving and is very quiet, but like LC it's pretty remote with very little to do if you don't dive (not to mention that you may not be able to get your entire party onto the internal connecting flight). The video in my signature link at the bottom was shot in Grand Turk and West Caicos, if you're interested in a sampling of the dive experience.

Outside the areas of your initial focus, West Bay in Roatan Honduras is one of the best beaches I have seen in the Caribbean, with plenty to do, great diving, and is very low-key. And, of course, there is the always eternal Cozumel, which is pretty tough to beat on a number of levels.



Grand Turk


Provo


West Bay Roatan

 

[qwimjim]

Grace Bay in Provo is definitely a fantastic beach, but very big and commercial. The diving is expensive and time consuming because of the travel involved to get to some of the more popular sites, but it's generally a pretty quiet area because everything is so spread out. Grand Turk has excellent diving and is very quiet, but like LC it's pretty remote with very little to do if you don't dive (not to mention that you may not be able to get your entire party onto the connecting internal flight). The video in my signature link at the bottom was shot in Grand Turk and West Caicos, if you're interested in a sampling of the dive experience.

Outside the areas of your initial focus, West Bay in Roatan Honduras is one of the best beaches I have seen in the Caribbean, with plenty to do, great diving, and is very low-key. And, of course, there is the always eternal Cozumel, which is pretty tough to beat on a number of levels.

Grand Turk looks nicest of those three to me, we definitely don't want a big built up busy cancun style beach. But don't want a crappy unswimmable beach either.. we went to Cozumel this year, there are a couple of condo complexes in the south that have beaches but diving wise I wasn't blown away. The topography was great but I found the marine life lacking. Cozumel however seems like a place we'll return to because it's such an amazing value, so the idea with this trip is to go somewhere we otherwise wouldn't go because it would be too expensive compared to something like coz.

Is Grand Cayman going to be appreciably better in terms of marine life than Cozumel? That's why I had my sights set on LC because everything I read about it was that it was the best in the Caribbean.. but if the beach sucks, and owen island isn't all that it's cracked up to be than perhaps GC is a better choice. The best I've found is a few vrbo condo on the north shore just east of Rum Point before the beach gets too turtle grassy, inside of a mile from Rum Point. Looks like nice houses with pool's, beach looks quiet but you can walk to Rum Point for a nicer beach or more hustle & bustle? But don't know what dive ops (if any) operate from that part of the island and if they can get to the best dive sites from there.

 

[ianr33]

But don't know what dive ops (if any) operate from that part of the island and if they can get to the best dive sites from there.

Activities | Cayman Islands | Red Sail Sports Cayman No idea if they are worth diving with or not.
If it were me i would drive to Ocean Frontiers.

 

[Scared Silly]

So since no one has mentioned Owen Island I'm going to assume it's not as nice or convenient in reality as it looks in photos? So if not LC, then where? Where is there an awesome beach and top tier Caribbean diving but some peace and quiet too?

Depending on where you start Owen Islands is an easy paddle 2hr RT. But there are no trails on it and the interior is bush. I noticed today that many male divers have their wives with them at Little Cayman Resort. We are down the road at Conch Club which hosts 2 couples per condo. We did all of our own cooking. We brought some stuff with us and bought food at the store. No big deal really just think chicken dishes and hamburgers.

Part of the problem is group size. Hard to find a single place for 10. If you all want to relax but have beaches near by and cook I'd suggest St Croix and Northside Valley | St. Croix Eco-Villas. We have been a couple of times. Very quiet there. There is a beach in walking distance but some others close by via car. We have used Cane Bay Dive Shop St Croix to do both shore and boat dives.