RGDiver
Registered
Was at LCBR last week for the first time so I figured I'd write a brief review of my experience there. I know this resort has been extensively reviewed both on this site and elsewhere. First off there seems to be an ongoing issue at LCBR with power supply and the power plant on the island. There was no Nitrox there last week when I was there and we were told it had to do with the Nitrox compressor being down. Later I heard via some scuttlebutt that it had to do with the resort being limited with its power supply during the summer because of the AC power usage etc. Not sure what to believe but most members of our travel group were expecting Nitrox and were disappointed not to have it. The set up at LCBR is ideal for divers. We had two tank dives each morning and one in the afternoon off the Newtons. The valet diving service which involves the dive masters bringing you your gear to a rear bench seat for setup was great. Overall the dive operation was excellent with good pre-dive briefings, guided dives and great sites. We had decent viz with little current most days and the wall diving in Little Cayman is awesome. Reefs are healthy and void of diseases, fish were a bit more sparse than I would have anticipated. I only saw 3 turtles the entire week and 2 sharks, grouper were plentiful. Water temp was around 89 at the surface and 87 at 100'...I was surprised at how warm the water was at depth. I would give the dive operation 5 stars for service and professionalism. The resort itself is nice, the rooms are basic and clean similar to a holiday inn type room; I feel they are a bit worn and could use some updating but overall are nice. The AC unit in my room worked well and the bed was comfortable. Water pressure in the showers is low but I got used to it after a couple days. The buffet food for breakfast, lunch and dinner was decent but not great and was a bit inconsistent day to day as far as quality. I found the breakfast and lunch meals much better than the dinners. Desserts were very good overall. The resort staff were very friendly and professional. Karaoke night on Friday was fun but the bar area became overrun with locals. The bartenders were very good and made great drinks. When we arrived on Saturday the pool area was jammed with kids, I think the resort lets the local kids use the pool on Saturdays. Overall the trip was great, the resort was nice and the staff both at the resort and with Reef Divers were very good. I do think I would return. My only gripes would be the lack of Nitrox (apparently an ongoing summer power problem) and I do think the food could be a lot better. On a related note: Cayman Airways seems to be a disorganized airline although they did manage to correct some luggage issues we caught when departing. I would suggest anyone traveling with them to keep an eye on what they are doing with your luggage.
