Planning June, 2018 Trip to GC - Suggestions?

[Macabucan]

Just returned from a 9 day stay at Morritts Resort first week of April. Really nice property and we loved the three pools and many nice people we met. It may have been very lucky to book a unit as a guest in April since the property is actually operated as a "floating timeshare" with apartment-style units and not a typical motel.

The Tortuga Divers / Red Sail operates an excellent dive shop right on the property and offers daily 2 tank AM dives along the east shore, which I really did enjoy. They are a well-run dive op and they offer a 3-day dive package, which is flexible for any day during your stay, assuming the winds are low and permits diving. I believe Ocean Quest is run out of the Compass resort, about 5 miles to the west, with similar large dive boat, pricing, and same east shore diving.

Unfortunately, the shore diving you are looking for is on the West and Northwest Shores and you will quickly find the availability of on-site shore dive ops (offering tanks an weights) is very limited. Get an early start and enjoy the shore dives, but do depart by about 3:30 PM to miss the heavy PM local traffic. The automobile drive to the West Shore is a minimum of 45 minutes, each way, along one, narrow, curvey, 2 lane road. However, I do prefer the East Shore, its a quiet, beautiful location, as such I plan only a few trips to George Town and the West Shore. I personally hate to waste my time in a car, since travel to/from Morritts is slow going.

I do enjoy all of the Caymans, and there are also many other beaches all around GC to swim and snorkel; bring your own beach towel and cooler. I recommend include Spots Reef beach in Savana near Pedro St. James and Smiths Cove on the southwest shore near Sunset House. Another is Water Cay, located just south of Rum Point (along the same road) with a small parking area and a short walk to the end of the point, with a large sandy beach and nice views, great for the kids.

That's my 2 cents worth, as an avid diver and sun worshiper.

Hi 500 PSI we have just returned from the Wyndham Reef Resort, right next door! The dive conditions were awesome .

1000RR: i would definitely +1 Spotts beach, and Cemetery beach, for snorkelling. Personally I would avoid the Turtle Farm (I’m really unsure about the conditions those turtles are farmed in) and see the family of wild green turtles at Spotts instead. It’s shallow, but covered in turtle grass, so depending on your family’s water confidence (and the conditions) they might want to lower themselves off the little pier to get in (or bring wet shoes). We always find the turtles eventually, but it can vary how long this takes! Sometimes we have noticed other snorkelers hovering in the water and head to that spot first. Other times it takes a bit of swimming around. There’s a couple of small coral heads to look at too, but the turtles (and the picture perfect little beach itself) are the main draw.

Cemetery is by far my favourite place to snorkel/ hang out on 7MB. It is well shaded all day with plenty of sea grape and casuarina trees. You could drop your non-divers off at the cemetery (you walk down one of two available paths, just opposite the fire station. Park on the roadside) and then continue up to Dive Tech or Macabuca for your shore dive. There are NO facilities at Cemetery (Big part of its charm!) so make sure they have a cooler etc. If they are confident swimmers (and perhaps kit them out with a snorkel ring / flag) then they can go out quite far and see some amazing coral heads. We have seen all sorts at that beach, and every day is varied.

We have spent a fair amount of time on Cayman (6 months, 9 months secondments and then a recent vacation) so could probably go on and on about our favourite eateries! “Must do” for us are:
Icoa at 7 Mile shops (delicious Asian food, including a Street food night, a thali night etc. Also lovely patisserie). Don’t be put off by inauspicious location!
My Bar / Seaharvest restaurant at Sunset House. Lime daiquiris and cold beers at the bar while watching the cruise ships depart and then the sunset. Malabar fish curry.
Macabuca bar for after your shore dive there (Cracked Conch restaurant above if you’re feeling fancy).
Rum Point but coffee from the Kaibo espresso bar just down the road. Also the Tuesday night beach bbq at Kaibo is excellent (I think booking is advised).
Sunday brunch is a bit of a “Thing” on Cayman. We love the laid back/ good value brunch at Tukka, but if you’re wanting a 7MB experience then try the Marriott?
If your non-Diving family want a day on 7-MB with all the facilities, while you’re Diving, then Beach Suites / Hemingway’s is a great option. It’s not a hotel anymore but has reopened as a restaurant / beach club. You can use the pool, sunloungers etc etc. I believe (but not certain of this) that you don’t get the cruise ship crowds in the way royal palms does.

Hope this helps. Sorry for the essay. I love Cayman

 

[1000RR]

Thank you guys for taking the time to share the fine spots to see, etc. Our trip got moved to the beginning of August, so I have a little more time to make our final plans. Will be researching dive boats a bit pretty soon. Want to make sure we aren't on a cattle boat.. We got spoiled a bit with our diving out of South Florida (non-cattle boats) and then recently went out of the Keys and WOW was it packed on the boat. So we'll see what we can find that isn't crazy packed like that.

 

[Macabucan]

Thank you guys for taking the time to share the fine spots to see, etc. Our trip got moved to the beginning of August, so I have a little more time to make our final plans. Will be researching dive boats a bit pretty soon. Want to make sure we aren't on a cattle boat.. We got spoiled a bit with our diving out of South Florida (non-cattle boats) and then recently went out of the Keys and WOW was it packed on the boat. So we'll see what we can find that isn't crazy packed like that.

We went out with White Sand Water Sports (East End, based at the Wyndham Reef resort) and it was just us two and the two members of staff on the boat! I think the max they take is 8, and it’s a full “valet” service

Am sure there will be lots of other recommended ones like this too - good luck!

 

[Saboteur]

Hi Macabucan and 500 psi.... how did you find the surf and winds on the east side compared to 7MB? I'm quite interested in diving the east side but my non diving partner needs a really good beach. I have read that the east end is "surfier" and windier than the west side. The east side sure looks more attractive price wise. We heading to GC in two weeks and had a heck of a time finding something within our budget on the west side.

 

[Macabucan]

Hi Macabucan and 500 psi.... how did you find the surf and winds on the east side compared to 7MB? I'm quite interested in diving the east side but my non diving partner needs a really good beach. I have read that the east end is "surfier" and windier than the west side. The east side sure looks more attractive price wise. We heading to GC in two weeks and had a heck of a time finding something within our budget on the west side.

Hi saboteur - it’s a really good question. I’ve had fantastic times at the Reef Resort (next door to Morritts) but how much we use the beach itself is quite dependent on the weather (specifically the wind!). When we were there last week conditions were perfect - for both Diving and sunbathing/swimming on the beach. If you have a car then you have more options in case of high winds: driving to Rum Point where it is well sheltered. We return to the reef resort a lot, because we always get a gorgeous ocean fronting room (there’s no “courtyard” rooms, unlike many of the 7MB places) and we appreciate the kitchen (we stop at Hurleys to stock up on breakfast and lunch items, and self cater for much of the time). My 5yo son also adores their “cupboard beds” (Murphy Beds I think they’re called, available in the one bedroom units: you get a double bedroom full bathroom, and then a kitchen/diner/living room with 2 Murphy beds).

I absolutely love the Diving, which can be reached so easily from these resorts: sites like Snapper Hole are right there...

Hope this helps - if you can’t choose between 7MB and the East End then you could always look at Turtle Nest Inn, which also has a beach?

 

[Macabucan]

(Should say, I haven’t stayed at TNI myself but family stayed there when visiting us on island. They liked it. The beach is not quite as accessible as 7MB - there is some seaweed, rocks, etc as well as the typical white sand...)

 

[500 PSI]

First, the winds are an issue on the East and North shores, but I believe they do subside in April and May even into June but that is all I really know. I don't think diving the East Shore is a problem in the later months of spring and probably into summer. It is far better than diving the popular 7 Mile Beach, simply fewer divers to spoil the coral, sea plants and sea life. Whereas, the North shore is absolutely the best!! But high winds are frequent and I was told summers are nearly impossible. Surf is low on most of East Shore due to natural coral breakwater protecting the shoreline.

Most dive ops are found on the West Shore that runs to the North Shore for diving, but staying on the East Shore makes it most difficult due to long drive distances on a difficult road.

As far as beaches go, the East and North shore the best beaches are at resorts. There are multiple small beaches along the coastal road (the most popular is Rum Point and I do like Starfish Point near Rum Point). There are also two small public beaches along the north shoreline road toward Rum Point, but they are not great and shore diving is nearly impossible but may be OK for surfing if you can get past the hard coral along the shorelines. I think surfing may only work on high wind days or months, but with all the shallow coral it may be impossible. If you want real surf head west to California dude.
I know 7M lodging can be very expensive and beaches are crowded, with no surf to speak of, but I think the Comfort Suites (on the beach) Cayman Resort and maybe Holiday Inn may be the lowest priced motels. I did see on Booking.com that the East Shore Wyndham is offering rooms for 188, which is a nice beach front place to stay. winds could pick up.

GC is certainly a divers heaven and I do love it, but be aware of the added costs. The US $1 is worth $0.80 Cayman...BOO. Things just plain cost more, its a high demand, tourist, island country. Also, the 2017 fall hurricanes season were wicked and destroyed many other competitive, Caribbean Island destinations, but the Caymans were spared.

Good luck on your travel plans I hope this helps my fellow tourists and divers.

 

[1000RR]

Here's some good information on weather (rain/temp/humidity/ and wind):

Average Weather in George Town, Cayman Islands, Year Round - Weather Spark

 

[Alucard]

Someone mentioned Hemingways as a spot for non-divers to hang out. I have heard that they require a $25 minimum spend per person at the bar or restaurant in order to use their beach facilities, so if you plan on lunch there you should be covered.

 

[mi000ke]

Someone mentioned Hemingways as a spot for non-divers to hang out. I have heard that they require a $25 minimum spend per person at the bar or restaurant in order to use their beach facilities, so if you plan on lunch there you should be covered.

It's not a bad place to hang out. The beach there is nice, it is usually not very crowded, the food is very good (we go there for the sushi platter about once a week), and there is a bar right there, of course. With a drink and a snack you've made your cover charge. This is one of my regular stops when walking the dog on the beach in the afternoon as it's about as far as he'll go before flopping on the sand. I get a beer, he gets a bowl of ice, and we fight over who gets what.