jlandersn:
We are planning our fall dive trip and everyone is raving about the diving on Little Cayman. Is it worth the 3 flights we will have to take to get there? Any recommendations on places to stay? We have been to Bonaire, Cozumel, Roatan and The Aquacat liveaboard in the Bahamas, for comparison.
Yes, it is definitely worth the grief. My wife and I used to go to a different Carribean dive resort once or twice a year, and we went all over. One year we went to Cayman Brac...and one day the boat took us over to Little Cayman for a couple of dives. That did it for us...we never went anywhere else except Little Cayman. After a few years, I bought some land there...then a few years later started building a house there. Now I live there six months a year, and absolutely love it!
Advice on travel: check with Cayman Airways to see what kind of deal they are offering this week to get you all the way to Little Cayman. Things keep changing while they are in the process of trying to put Island Air out of business. Last I looked, you could get to Little Cayman for small change with them if you flew into the Cayman Islands on Cayman Airways.
Where to stay: The big question is, what do you really like? There are 5 resorts on the island, and each has its own distinct personality. I think they are all good, but your mileage will vary based on your own personality.
Pirate's Point: max 20 guests, very laid back, very clubby. They eat a long leisurely breakfast, then go diving at 10 a.m. for 2 tanks only. Then a late lunch, followed by some kind of group (typically) activity, then a gourmet dinner. Best food on the island. The repeat rate there is about 90 percent.
Little Cayman Beach Resort: Bigger and more intense about their diving. Be on the dock at 8 a.m. or get left behind. They can handle a max of 60 divers/day with their 3 Newton 42's. The morning dive is 2 tank, back about noon. Then the afternoon dive leaves about 3 p.m. for one tank. Meals are all-you-can-eat buffet style, and the food is good.
Southern Cross Club: more laid back than LCBR, but not like Pirate's Point. They have the best beach on the island, the best Friday afternoon happy hour. A smaller boat there can only take 14 divers, and the resort can handle a maximum of 20 guests.
Paradise Villas: very much a-la-carte. There are 10 units which are really suites, complete with a mini-kitchen. You can cook in your room if you want or go next door to the Hungry Iguana restaurant to eat. Neither option is inexpensive, though. Their boat is a flat-bottomed affair which is the fastest dive boat on the island...in calm water. And they go really early in the morning. Banana Wind is always the first one out the inlet.
McCoy's Lodge: Much more of a Caymanian flavor than any of the other resorts, for the obvious reason that Sam and Mary McCoy are Caymanian.
If you want more info, you can get links to their web pages off my own web page at
http://www.qsl.net/zf2nt/lcm_info.htm.
