We will be traveling next summer. I know it's a LONG ways out, but our upcoming cruise to GT, St Thomas, and San Juan got me thinking about next summer's trip.
Sounds like it will be Grand Cayman!
And good point on the 13% tax on Air BnB. I'll have to see how final prices compare to hotels/resorts. Do the hotels/resorts also add on the tax on top of the advertised rates?
I found around 20 Air BnBs with great reviews and pictures. That's how we like to travel. Most of them were on either the north or south ends of the island. Don't think I saw one on 7MB that weren't pretty pricey. We don't mind driving to beaches however.
The tax is required on all hotels, resorts, and rentals. Most of the rental properties will add the 13% tax (and sometimes other fees) to the listed price, a few properties include taxes and other charges in the listed price. Just make sure you understand the final price.
The north end of the island around Kaibo and Rum Point is very nice and you can dive with some of the East End Dive Ops like Ocean Frontiers or Tortuga. It is a long drive to the more popular parts of the island, but there is life on the East End and North Side! When you say that you don't mind driving, be aware that there are rush hours on GC near George Town and 7MB and the more heavily populated areas. It's not a problem as long as you time excursions around the rush hours and the peak periods/days when cruisers are in port.
The South Sound is also a lovely area - but it has been hit hardest by the sargassum influx this year. It isn't too far from the airport, George Town, and the 7MB. Sunset House is a dive resort just south of George Town with an onsite dive op and house reef.
If you stay on the South Sound you will probably be diving the west site - which is the calmest side and with healthy fish populations, but not the best corals. The East End and the North Side have the most dramatic walls and the weather should be calm in the summer.
You could also take a look at properties in West Bay on the West Side of the Island, north of 7MB. Waterfront properties are on ironshore not sand but nice. You can dive the West Side or the North Wall - depending on the weather - and the area is not far from 7MB.
I know that there are rental properties on canals that look lovely, but it is my understanding that some of the canals were heavily infiltrated by sargassum this year. Just something to keep in mind.
