Planning trip to Caymans

[majames42]

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to the Caymans this Dec and had a few questions. We were thinking of going first to Little Cayman and staying there for 7 nights (w/ 6 days of diving) and then flying to Grand Cayman for a few days (to check out stingray city). Does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay while at Little Cayman and Grand Cayman? The resorts at Little Cayman seem expensive -- are all-inclusive resorts the only options? Finally, is it a good idea to combine diving at both Little and Grand Cayman?

Thanks for any info!

Mary Ann

 

[Damselfish]

First thing, since you don't mention it, are you aware of the hurricane that hit the islands in September? Little Cayman came though pretty well and you can go there, but Grand Cayman had major damage and is not really even open for tourists yet. (I believe you still need proof you're staying on LC or the Brac to even pass through GC airport.) They keep saying it should be open by December, and they are starting to allow a few cruise ships to stop. But things will not be completely back to normal and some places that were really badly trashed certainly won't be ready by then. So not to say you won't be able to go, and they'll certainly need the business, but your timing of December requires care and research.

That said, I've combined Little Cayman and Grand Cayman a couple times (5/5, 7/3 nts) and I think it's a fine idea, especially if you haven't been to either place yet. On Little Cayman we've always stayed at Little Cayman Beach Resort and like it, but the other 'major' places are all nice and have many fans. Each place is pretty different so it depends what you like. I prefer Cobalt Coast on the West End of GC, or the places on the East End of Grand Cayman, but I don't know how the East End places will be doing by December, or if they have power yet. I suggest searching for Cayman on this board, as Cayman is popular and there's many discussions of the different resorts, and also of hurricane status. Most of the resorts have hurricane status on their web sites.

There's a reason most places on LC are all-inclusive - it's not trivial to do your own meals. There's no real grocery store, just a little convienience type store. So you'd want to shop mostly on Grand Cayman and bring food with you if you want to rent a condo and cook. And besides the restaurants at the AI resorts there's only one standalone restaurant, not like there's lots of dining options inexpensive or otherwise. Cayman in general is expensive, and remote islands like Little Cayman tend to be expensive because they don't have volume and they have to get things there. It just comes with the territory.

 

[-hh]

Here's a quick data dump from two sources.

#1 is a projected opening date list for tourism-related businesses. The summary statement is:

"...[the] island is expected to be open to overnight visitors by December first or sooner [with] Over 50% of the hotels and condos will be open by then..."

Note that this is a PARTIAL listing of tourist related businesses. The individual who's maintaining this list appears to be keeping it up to date, but they are not providing a "As of XX Date" information.


HOTELS:
Comfort Suites - December
Hyatt - Ocean front suites - December
Hyatt - Main Resort - 2005
Marriott Courtyard - Open
Marriott – December
Reef Resort - December
Sunshine Suites – January
Sunset House – December
Turtle Nest Inn - December 15th.
Westin – Open

CONDOS:
Anchorage - 2005
Aqua Bay Club – December
Avalon – November
Beachcomber - 2005
Britannnia Villas at the Hyatt Resort - 2005
Casa Carib – December
Compass Point - November
Cayman Reef Resort - 2005
Cayman Club - December
Christopher Columbus – January
Cobalt Coast Resort - Open and taking reservations -- reservations@cobaltcoast.com
Coconut Bay - Open and taking reservations - www.CoconutBayGetaway.com
Colonial Club – Open
Coralstone Club – March
Crescent Point - December
Discovery Point – 2005
Georgetown Villas - 2005
Grandview - 2005
Grapetree – December
Harbor Heights – December
Heritage Club - 2005
Island Pines – December
Islands Club - December
Lacovia – December
London House - 2005
Meridian - February
Pinnacle- November
Plantana – December
Plantation Village - 2005
Poinsettia – 2005
Regal Beach Club – Open
Seagull - 2005
Spanish Bay - 2005
Silver Sands – December
Treasure Island Condos - 2005
Turtle Nest Inn - December
Victoria House - 2005
Villas of the Galleon – 2005
White Sands – Open

CAR RENTAL:
Budget - Open
Economy - Open

RESTAURANTS/BARS:
Bamboo at the Hyatt – Open
Cracked Conch – Open
Casa Havana at the Westin – Open
Cafe del Sol - Open - Cafe AND internet access
Café Med – Open
Grand Old House – Open
Gateway to India – December
Britannia Grill - Open
Cayman Coffee House at the Hyatt - December
Eats Cafe - January (not confirmed)
Edoardos - January (not confirmed)
Ferdinands at the Westin - Open
Hard Rock Café – January
Hemingways at the Hyatt - December
La Bodega – January
Legendz - January (not confirmed)
Lobster Pot – November
Lighthouse - January
Marriott Pirate's Buffet - Open
Matrix - December
Mezza - Open
Outback – December
Pappagallo – January
Peninsula Restaurant - Open
Rackham’s Pub – Open
Stingers – November
Subway - All Locations except West Shore - Open
Treehouse – January
Treehouse Luau – January
Wharf - Open
Yoshi Sushi - January (not confirmed)

GIFT/SOUVENIR STORES:
Big Daddy's Liquor - Open
Blackbeard’s Liquor Stores – 3 open now - 2 more opening in November
Blackbeard’s Rum Cake Centers – November
Cathy Church Underwater Photo Center & Gallery - Open
Calico Jacks - Open
Colombian Emeralds - January
For Your Eyes Only – Open
Kennedy Gallery - December
Latitude 19 – Open
Mitzi's Jewelry - December (not confirmed)
Pure Art - Open
Sun Dog – November
Too Hot – October
Tropical L'Attitude - Open
Stingray Brewery - December

ATTRACTIONS:
Botanic Park – January
Butterfly Farm - February (not confirmed)
Cayman Islands Museum - Open
Hell - Open
Pedro’s Castle - December
Pirate's Caves - Open
Stingray Brewery - December
Turtle Farm – November

GROCERY STORES:
Fosters Food Fair/Airport – Open
Fosters Food Fair/Strand – January
Kirk Supermarket – Open
Hurleys Supermarket – Open

WATERSPORTS:
Absolute Divers – Open
Atlantis Submarines - Open
Bob Soto’s Reef Divers – December
Bayside Watersports - December (not confirmed)
Cayman Submariners - Open
Don Foster’s Diving – Open
Eden Rock Dive Center – Open
Jolly Roger – Open
Neptune’s Divers – Open
Parasailing Professionals - Open
Soto’s Cruises – Open
Yellow Rose Water Adventures - Open

GOLF COURSES:
Brittania at the Hyatt – Open - walk-on (no carts) until further notice
Links at Safehaven - January
Sunrise Family Golf - January (not confirmed)
Mini Golf at the Hyatt - January (not confirmed)

GAS STATIONS:
Approx. 15 gas stations/mini marts now open island-wide. No lines, no waiting

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES:
Cayman Island Helicopters - Open
Cayman National Bank - Open with most ATM's in service by December
Cuba Vacations - Open
Hawg Sightseeing Tours - Open
Pampered Ponies horseback riding - Open
Spa to Go at Grand Harbor - Open
Spa to Go mobile services - Operational

Island Air - Open with daily flights to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac

{end of Source #1}

Source #2 is a now-dated (8 October) report on Grand Cayman 7 Mile Beach resorts. I provide it only because it may be useful to compare listings to the better list (above) to get a read on if a particular destination's estimated have significantly changed or not:

Resort ---- Damage Report --- Expected Re-Opening Date

Silver Sands Water damage. ?
Aqua Bay Club Minor damage. November 1st
Discovery Point Roof damage, water damage. December
Christopher Columbus Part of roof gone, water damage. December
Anchorage Severe damage. Roof gone. 6 months to 1 year
Victoria House Roof gone. Water Damage. 6 months
London House Roof and water damage. December
Tarquynn Manor ? ?
Heritage Club Heavy damage. Spring 2005
Courtyard Marriott Damaged but partially occupiable. October
Plantana Some broken windows, water damage. December 15th
Sunshine Suites Flooded. Office lost roof. January 15th
Westin Casuarina Flooded. Some windows & roof damaged. October 29th
Villas of the Galleon Heavy roof damage, water damage. 6 months to 1 year
Ritz Carlton (new resort) No reported damage. Delayed until March ?
Coralstone Club Minor damage only. November 20th
The Meridian (new resort) Some water and upper floor damage. Delayed until February 1st
Casa Caribe Roof tiles and minor damage to most units. November 14th
Islands Club 4 units destroyed. Some roof damage. November
Colonial Club Landscaping gone. Minor damage. ?
Hyatt Regency Flooding, roof damage to the main bldg. December 1st - beach wing
June - main building
Britannia Villas flooding all ground floor villas. December
Beach Club 2nd floor is gone. Severe damage. Closed
Lacovia Flooding. Some roof damage. November 15th
Cayman Club Roof and Oceanview units damaged. December
Seagull Flooding. Some structural damage. November 15th
Regal Beach Club Minor damage, but housing locals. December 15th
Marriott Beach Resort Roof damage. Broken windows. Flooding. November 1st
Comfort Suites ? January 1st
Turtle Beach Villas Partially collapsed - severe damage. Will be demolished
Tamarind Bay Flooding, severe roof damage. 6 - 9 months
Plantation Village Flooding, heavy roof damage. April
Crescent Point Flooding, some roof damage. December
Treasure Island Condos Flooding, minor roof damage. November 15th
Grandview Flooding. Gazebo gone. December 15th
Georgetown Villas Flooding. November


{end Source #2}

Additional comment to follow.

-hh

 

[RSoper]

I live on Grand Cayman and honestly can't see the island opening up to over night tourists until the curfew is lifted (it is currently an arrestable offence to be found in a public place between 23:00 and 05:00.) This will not happen until the street lights are all back up and running, which is a case of how long is a piece of string...Lot's of us in the George Town, SMB, South Sound area have electricity now, but none of the street lights seem to be working for some reason.

 

[-hh]

First thing, since you don't mention it, are you aware of the hurricane that hit the islands in September? Little Cayman came though pretty well and you can go there, but Grand Cayman had major damage and is not really even open for tourists yet.....but your timing of December requires care and research.

I agree. Grand Cayman's going to be a challenge, especially if you're thinking about early December.

That said, I've combined Little Cayman and Grand Cayman a couple times (5/5, 7/3 nts) and I think it's a fine idea, especially if you haven't been to either place yet.

Also be aware that people who think about doing such a trip often get "greedy" in that they don't want to lose a dive-day for the transit between the islands. Unfortunately for them, it is a ~75 mile and ~45 minute flight, so time-to-fly rules do apply. It depends on where you're coming from to arrange flight schedules, but I'd generally recommend consider travelling all the way to LC upon your arrival, as this way you only lose a "short morning hop" getting back over to Grand Cayman and thus, you don't lose the afternoon of your travel day.

On Little Cayman...Each place is pretty different so it depends what you like.

In short, you can stay at a 'hotel' (LCBR), or a 'camp' (think cluster of cottages of varying degrees of "rustic"...Pirate's Point, Southern Cross, Sam McCoys), or at some efficiency/condo/house types of places (meals are on your own). My next visit to LC will be to Pirate's Point, as Gladys Howard's food is to die for, and I don't feel the need to make more than 2 dives/day.

I prefer Cobalt Coast on the West End of GC...

Reportedly, they've reopened, so they should be an option for Mary Ann, as soon as the Cayman Government's travel restriction is lifted for Grand Cayman.

I suggest searching for Cayman on this board...

...as well as other Internet information resources

There's a reason most places on LC are all-inclusive - it's not trivial to do your own meals. There's no real grocery store, just a little convienience type store.

And the only non-resort restaurant is the 'Hungry Iguana'.

Cayman in general is expensive, and remote islands like Little Cayman tend to be expensive because they don't have volume and they have to get things there. It just comes with the territory.

True, although hotel rooms on the Brac are surprisingly cheap, which does tend to offset the generally high food costs of resort meal plans.

FWIW, for Little Cayman, none of the Resorts are really big enough to operate with something other than a set menu each day. If you're a picky eater, you're better off staying on Grand Cayman, where the restaurants offer menu's.

For the price-concious, Sam McCoy's is usually one of the less expensive all-inclusive places, although it is a bit more rustic than the others. I've not stayed with them (yet), but I understand from friends who are faithful repeat guests there that they do a great job.

And no matter where you go in the Caymans, liquor is going to be expensive: they have a very high liquor tax. The same bottle of rum that's $8 duty-free for carrying home costs over $40 to keep it on the island...something to keep that in mind when you get sticker shock at bar prices.


-hh

 

[Damselfish]

FWIW, for Little Cayman, none of the Resorts are really big enough to operate with something other than a set menu each day. If you're a picky eater, you're better off staying on Grand Cayman, where the restaurants offer menu's.

LCBR does everything buffet, since its the largest place I suspect it has the best selection but I'm just guessing on that. My husband is a pretty picky eater (doesn't eat much seafood, hates many veggies) and has no problem eating there. If all else fails, their desserts always rock.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

For Grand Cayman, it will definitely be a different experience. The East End is known for great diving, but there has been extensive damage in that part of the island. As of now, it seems that only Ocean Frontiers will be open in East End by the December time frame you are looking at.

 

[majames42]

Thanks for everyone's help! I'm so glad I found this board. My boyfriend and I are now thinking that it may be better to wait a little before going to the Caymans to dive. We are looking at possibly going to Turks and Caicos instead. I've been reading other posts regarding T&C and it seems that people rate both locations as great places to dive. Anyway, thanks again for pointing out that this may not be the best time to go due to the hurricanes.

 

[RSoper]

Drew :

My Girlfriend and me have a week off at the end of Nov, and are looking forward to some well earned R&R, but are too skint to get off the island, do you know what east end operators are up and running for some diving?

Cheers - Bob

 

[RSoper]

For Grand Cayman, it will definitely be a different experience. The East End is known for great diving, but there has been extensive damage in that part of the island. As of now, it seems that only Ocean Frontiers will be open in East End by the December time frame you are looking at.

Sorry Drew i have just realized you have already awnsered my question!