Little Cayman Beach Resort versus Pirate's Point

[lulubelle]

Hello all. I am making my third jaunt to LC soon. It is funny, I am not a creature of habit, but the diving and the whole setup are so good that I keep wanting to go back. I am thinking of trying Pirate's point this time rather than Little Cayman BR. I am limited to those two at this point as they are both well set up for travelers who want to have a private room without selling the farm and to be in an all inclusive.

Can someone explain how the dive op works at PP? I understand from some really old threads that there is not a dock right at the resort. Also, what do you perceive as the pros and cons of each? I have been to LCBR twice.

LCBR-

Pros-
Ease of access to diving, proximity of boat/drying shed.
3 dive a day packages
Nice place
Adequate if not fabulous food

Cons-
Sometimes issues of professionalism of a few of the dive staff. I wont get into the particulars, but I've seen it on two trips now. Overall, they run a very good and very safe operation. Most of the dive staff are polite, professional, friendly, helpful, have their attention on their divers, etc. Most. Had one issue last trip which should have been easy to handle. Instead I was given nothing but grief and I had to go to the resort manager who did handle it with one 30 second phone call.
Food didn't really work for me although it was good enough.
Single supplement though reasonable.

PP-keep in mind I have not been yet

Pros-
-Hear the food there is fabulous
-No single supp
-Heard nothing but praise for their dive staff

Cons-
-No on site dock

Thanks!

 

[lulubelle]

Anyone?

 

[jbjclj]

We loved Pirates Point. Fabulous food and intimate atmosphere. Everyone meets in the bar for cocktails and appetizers. Pour you own drinks. The dive staff is the wait staff. Gladys is a character and she invited everyone to her home for a cocktail party.

The diving was wonderful. They go to the same sites as LCBR, but only do 2 dives a day. It was no big deal to drive to the boat.

We have friends who love LCBR and have been 3 times.

Try Pirates Point, then you'll know which you prefer. Have fun

 

[lulubelle]

We loved Pirates Point. Fabulous food and intimate atmosphere. Everyone meets in the bar for cocktails and appetizers. Pour you own drinks. The dive staff is the wait staff. Gladys is a character and she invited everyone to her home for a cocktail party.

The diving was wonderful. They go to the same sites as LCBR, but only do 2 dives a day. It was no big deal to drive to the boat.

We have friends who love LCBR and have been 3 times.

Try Pirates Point, then you'll know which you prefer. Have fun

I have been to LCBR twice. It was great for the most part.

It looks like I am booked for Pirate's point as I am looking for the "whole package" of a relaxing vacation which includes good diving.
How does the logistics of the diving work? Are there facilities for rinsing and drying your gear apre dive at the dock or do you haul it back?

 

[jbjclj]

The truck brings the dive gear back to the resort and there are rinse and hanging facilities right at the resort. Everyone usually just goes to lunch and then rinses gear.

 

[carriemak]

Have been to LCBR a dozen times and love it. Have visited PP, ate there, but never stayed there. Always wanted the 3 dives a day. Like the boat/dock being where I can walk to it. Like the food set up better than PP and you can request anything you want for a meal within reason: you want French fries, you get French fries.
If you would like to join a group trip, PM me @ one in June 2012.

 

[-hh]

I have been to LCBR twice. It was great for the most part.

Been to both. I'd consider PP to be quieter, although if Gladys is still having the nightly dominoes game, not necessarily too quiet

How does the logistics of the diving work? Are there facilities for rinsing and drying your gear apre dive at the dock or do you haul it back?

The truck brings the dive gear back to the resort and there are rinse and hanging facilities right at the resort. Everyone usually just goes to lunch and then rinses gear.

I initially considered the communal van ride to the boat to be a bit of a hassle, but it does work fine and it also does make sure that you don't have "late birds" holding up the boat's departure.

Some people aren't thrilled with the idea of PP only having 2 dives/day instead of 3 such as at LCBR, but the counterpoint is that PP's dives are not time-limited...and yet you're never late for lunch, because there's just one diveboat and the staff coordinates the return. Personally, I've not done an afternoon diveboat in years, so I'm just as happy at having two unrushed AM dives.

Your inquiry does remind me though that it is time to start to think about another visit to Little Cayman...


-hh

 

[South4Scuba]

We have been to LCBR numerous times and it is clearly our favorite dive destination in the Caribbean. We've been to the resorts where you lug your gear around and ride in vans, trucks, water taxi . . . whatever. For my money I want the exact setup that LCBR has. Wake up, eat breakfast, casually walk to the boat and dive, dive, dive!! Yes, that means 3 dives per day.

I have never experienced timed dives at LCBR. Typical dives there are 60 minutes.

I have never experienced any attitude from the dive staff or resort staff at LCBR. Typically, I know them on a first name basis by the end of the week and really enjoy having a drink with them at the bar.

I have never left LCBR thinking that I wanted to check out another resort on Little Cayman. Actually, the list of alternatives is quite small.

If we could all just get Cayman Airways to act like they need our business it would be so much more pleasant to travel to Little Cayman.

 

[swim deep]

My husband and I are considering Little Cayman LCBR for April 2012. I saw something about popular dive sites being closed? I can not find where I read that now. Is this true? Are the reefs in good shape?
We are narrowing down the choices to make the decision in the next couple days. Coco view would be a wait list, Turneffe Island Resort looks good to us too but I haven't checked their availability yet. Utila is interesting. I think LCBR is our top choice at this moment.

 

[BDSC]

My husband and I are considering Little Cayman LCBR for April 2012. I saw something about popular dive sites being closed? I can not find where I read that now. Is this true? Are the reefs in good shape?
We are narrowing down the choices to make the decision in the next couple days. Coco view would be a wait list, Turneffe Island Resort looks good to us too but I haven't checked their availability yet. Utila is interesting. I think LCBR is our top choice at this moment.

I have been to CocoView, Turneffe Island Resort, and LCBR and hands down LCBR is the best of the three. Now we did very much enjoy TIR and would go there again and CocoView was OK but nothing special. (I think there are better deals on Roatan for your money.) But LCBR had incredible food and the diving was far superior to either Belize or Roatan. That would be an excellent choice!