Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
Just got home from a week in paradise. Came back to Little Cayman after having been there once before in 2001 and having dove it from the Brac in 2003.
We stayed at the Club at Little Cayman. I can't say enough good things about this place. Its very posh but worth every penny. We had a "garden view" three bedroom suite. Full kitchen. Cable (watched a couple of the NFL wildcard games). Access to a nice spa and pool. All furnishings were upscale.
We had a meal plan with the Little Cayman Beach Resort that included breakfast and dinner. We were on our own for lunch. Buffet style dining at the resort. Always soup and salad and then a choice of two entrees. Great desserts. Enjoyed the cuban cigars and very dry martinis at the Beach Nuts Bar. Very convenient and great staff. Overall I'd give the food a B+ and the bar an A.
There is one all-purpose store on the island. It sells everything from hardware to groceries. Very limited selection on anything fresh. Comparable to a convenience store. The supply boat comes once a week so supplies vary. It did include a decent dvd selection for rental. Liquor store is next door and sells beer and booze. Prices really weren't that bad for booze. I'd say 1.5X US prices. You can rent a car at the resort for $100/day or grab a flyer for a private retal for a little less at the liquor store. They also rent scooters. Be careful with these! I've seen some horrible road rash in Mexico from crashes. Hell of a way to ruin a vacation.
There's really not much to do on the island except eat, sleep, and dive. You can observe the native booby population (wildlife preserve not beach bunnies!) or contemplate your navel but thats about it. We walked everywhere or borrowed bikes that were always in the racks outside the resorts. We took the last day off diving and kayaked over to Owen Island. It took less an hour to get there and back. I'd fogotten what hard work that is. If your looking for neon entertainment this is not the place for you. If your looking for a place to sit by the pool with a cool drink and read a book this is it.
Weather was comparatively rough when we arrived. A front was moving through and there was some serious waves. We had to dive the south side of the island and couldn't make it around to Bloody Bay Wall the first day. Standard spur and groove coral. Usual suspects as to fish. Occasional nurse shark. AND APPARENTLY A TEN FOOT HAMMERHEAD THAT SWAM RIGHT OVER MY BUDDY AND I. Everybody saw it except us. I wrote that in my log book along with "Too depressed to write anything else." DM said he'd been there for a year and a half and that was the first he'd seen. C'est la vie.
Air temp was a steady 85 F for the week and water temp was 80 F. There was always a breeze. Vis ranged from 50 to 100 feet.
Dove with Reef Divers which is the LCBR outfit. We had a six day dive package but took the last day off as above. I'd give the op an A+. Professional, friendly and very accommodating. 42' boats in fine shape. Ride to Bloody Bay twenty minutes. Ride to south side dive sites ten minutes.
Bloody Bay Wall is impressive as always. The wall starts at 15-25 feet and plunges straight down for 6,000 feet. Lots of swim-throughs, chimneys and caverns. Reef is extremely healthy and in good shape. Nice to get that kind of color on a wall. Probably went a little deep on a couple dives but never pushed deco limits. Dive profiles were generally max 110 feet for suggested 50 minutes and then 60 foot max. for a suggested hour. You were allowed to do your own thing or follow the DM.
I did my 200th dive this trip and couldn't think of a better place in the Caribbean to do it. I will say that the Pacific is calling me again. Palau spoiled me.
We stayed at the Club at Little Cayman. I can't say enough good things about this place. Its very posh but worth every penny. We had a "garden view" three bedroom suite. Full kitchen. Cable (watched a couple of the NFL wildcard games). Access to a nice spa and pool. All furnishings were upscale.
We had a meal plan with the Little Cayman Beach Resort that included breakfast and dinner. We were on our own for lunch. Buffet style dining at the resort. Always soup and salad and then a choice of two entrees. Great desserts. Enjoyed the cuban cigars and very dry martinis at the Beach Nuts Bar. Very convenient and great staff. Overall I'd give the food a B+ and the bar an A.
There is one all-purpose store on the island. It sells everything from hardware to groceries. Very limited selection on anything fresh. Comparable to a convenience store. The supply boat comes once a week so supplies vary. It did include a decent dvd selection for rental. Liquor store is next door and sells beer and booze. Prices really weren't that bad for booze. I'd say 1.5X US prices. You can rent a car at the resort for $100/day or grab a flyer for a private retal for a little less at the liquor store. They also rent scooters. Be careful with these! I've seen some horrible road rash in Mexico from crashes. Hell of a way to ruin a vacation.
There's really not much to do on the island except eat, sleep, and dive. You can observe the native booby population (wildlife preserve not beach bunnies!) or contemplate your navel but thats about it. We walked everywhere or borrowed bikes that were always in the racks outside the resorts. We took the last day off diving and kayaked over to Owen Island. It took less an hour to get there and back. I'd fogotten what hard work that is. If your looking for neon entertainment this is not the place for you. If your looking for a place to sit by the pool with a cool drink and read a book this is it.
Weather was comparatively rough when we arrived. A front was moving through and there was some serious waves. We had to dive the south side of the island and couldn't make it around to Bloody Bay Wall the first day. Standard spur and groove coral. Usual suspects as to fish. Occasional nurse shark. AND APPARENTLY A TEN FOOT HAMMERHEAD THAT SWAM RIGHT OVER MY BUDDY AND I. Everybody saw it except us. I wrote that in my log book along with "Too depressed to write anything else." DM said he'd been there for a year and a half and that was the first he'd seen. C'est la vie.
Air temp was a steady 85 F for the week and water temp was 80 F. There was always a breeze. Vis ranged from 50 to 100 feet.
Dove with Reef Divers which is the LCBR outfit. We had a six day dive package but took the last day off as above. I'd give the op an A+. Professional, friendly and very accommodating. 42' boats in fine shape. Ride to Bloody Bay twenty minutes. Ride to south side dive sites ten minutes.
Bloody Bay Wall is impressive as always. The wall starts at 15-25 feet and plunges straight down for 6,000 feet. Lots of swim-throughs, chimneys and caverns. Reef is extremely healthy and in good shape. Nice to get that kind of color on a wall. Probably went a little deep on a couple dives but never pushed deco limits. Dive profiles were generally max 110 feet for suggested 50 minutes and then 60 foot max. for a suggested hour. You were allowed to do your own thing or follow the DM.
I did my 200th dive this trip and couldn't think of a better place in the Caribbean to do it. I will say that the Pacific is calling me again. Palau spoiled me.
T-shirts are totally fine, but some folks just clean up more than others.
