Trip Report: Cobalt Coast Grand Cayman

[scubamax]

Yes it is.

And that does not include the cost of lunch or dinner!

 

[nfarrar]

Thanks....That is very EXPENSIVE.

Ya... thats winter rates. About 40-60% higher than summer rate. We are going in June and its $2295.00 per dive. Plus we paid for airfare with points. That company expense credit card is finally worth something!

As to the food.... We are from Louisiana. Creole and Cayman food are very closely related. That might be why we like it so much. Its like home cooking with fresh seafood. Its not all 5 star but we like most all of it.

Later Mon

 

[EastEndDiver]

Here are the condo rates ,including a car rental for the same condo for June.

[h=5]Ocean view condo
*US$189, per night
or
US$218, including an economy car
*US$1499, per week, including the
car
(Based on two guests/can sleep up to
six)[/h]
Full
kitchen with dishwasher, queen bed in the master bedroom, queen or two twins in
the second bedroom, queen sofa-bed in the living room and patio. Two-and-a-half
bathrooms, central A/C, washer/dryer, 45-channel TV, DVD-player, ceiling fans,
phone, wireless high-speed Internet access (free of charge), ceramic tile
throughout. Views of the Caribbean from
the patio and from the bedroom windows.

 

[morecowbells]

Thanks for your trip report Tridacna. FWIW, my husband and I stayed at Cobalt Coast 2 1/2 years ago. This was a dive trip with our local dive op. We stayed in one of the cottage units with another couple. These units did not have an ocean view and between a bunch of barking dogs(yes, I am a dog lover) and roosters, we decided to move into a room that was attached to the main building. While I agree that the decor is a bit outdated it suited our needs just fine. It was peaceful, quiet and the beds comfortable. The food was good, but I learned that I am not a fan of the all inclusive resorts. Meals became repetitious and I was getting antsy for a change. Please don't get me wrong, there was not a problem with the meals, but I like to shake it up a bit with different places.

We were unfortunate enough to visit the island while a tropical depression was just south of us. Rainfall at times was torrential and winds gusty. I have to give Dive Tech a lot of credit for doing everything possible avoid cancelling dives. There were a few days where they loaded us up in vans and drove us to the other side of the island where the seas were much calmer. The visibility and conditions were not ideal, but the variety of corals, swim throughs and terrain was interesting. Once the seas calmed we did some shore dives at Lighthouse Point and Turtle Reef which were wonderful sites.

I would enjoy returning to Grand Cayman, especially since it is so easy to get to. However, I agree that it is very pricey. It was around $4800 for the two of us. Lately I have been using VRBO for vacation rentals in the Caribbean. If I return to GC, that would be the route I would prefer. In the end, I feel that I get more bang for the buck in Cozumel and Curacao.

 

[tridacna]

We are going in June and its $2295.00 per dive. Plus we paid for airfare with points.

As to the food.... We are from Louisiana. Creole and Cayman food are very closely related. That might be why we like it so much. Its like home cooking with fresh seafood. Its not all 5 star but we like most all of it.

$2295 per dive is even more money than we paid! Whew!

The food at the resort is certainly not Creole. It's good - but not spicy which makes most Americans happy I suppose. For a really good eating experience, you must try Timbuctuu on TownHall Road. It's a tiny diner very near the West Bay Dock. The food is outstanding and great value.

 

[b-dog]

I was at Cobalt Coast last week as well. I have to agree that the resort is nothing special...the rooms are starting to show their age and fixtures and furnishings are cheap. The room did NOT have a proper thermostat to control the temp or fan speed...even budget hotels have something better than this.

There is nothing terribly wrong with Cobalt Coast, it was just not a very good value proposition. Several of the wait staff seem to just saunter and be truly on "island time", while other hotel staff are much more "with it". Cayman pricing overall is very expensive, and a week of diving/sleeping/eating at Cobalt is easily double the cost of places like Roatan, Cozumel, Belize.

That being said, I found the diving to be fantastic, and I am looking forward to coming back again, but will look at other options for a better value proposition. Renting a car is probably a good idea as well.

That is what I mean, the Caribbean in general is very expensive and not really that nice. I just got back from Trinidad and Tobego and had fun there but it was very expensive in relation to the value you get. And the diving was not even close to a good as it was in Thailand. I have dived all over the Caribbean from Caymon Islands to Belize to Mexico to Bahamas to Colombia and to me the diving is good but nothing compared to Thailand or Indonesia.

Where I am coming from is that from a total trip cost Thailand and Indonesia are less expensive and far nicer. Thailand was very safe and the people were very nice. The hotels were far better than the ones in the Caribbean that I stayed in and right on the beach as well. The hotel per night in Thailand was only $50 a night and it might have cost $200 in Jamaica or other Island. I stayed in Phuket and it did cost about $1500 to get there buy once I was there all of the little things like hotel rooms, transportation, food etc. were vere cheap and when added up the vacation to Thailand was less expensive. Plus the beaches in Phuket are stunningly beautiful. Just go to Youtube and see some videos of Koh Tao or Koh Samui and you will see that going to Thailand is far better than anything the Caribbean has to offer.

 

[bullshark]

Thanks...for...writing it it out so gracefully.

You're welcome.

 

[Rhone Man]

Thanks for the well written and frank review. I had always assumed when I finally make it to Cayman (I have no excuses, my firm has an office there!) I would stay at Cobalt Coast and dive my guts out. I'll probably still stick to that plan, but at least I know what I am getting.

Don't knock Cobalt Coast too much for doing the best they can on an expensive island. Cost of living is eye watering due to the successful financial services sector. I appreciate that is highly irrelevant to people choosing between Bonaire or Roatan and Cayman, but just making the point. Don't imagine the owners of Cobalt Coast are getting rich off those prices.

 

[nfarrar]

Here are the condo rates ,including a car rental for the same condo for June.

Ocean view condo
*US$189, per night
or
US$218, including an economy car
*US$1499, per week, including the
car
(Based on two guests/can sleep up to
six)


Full
kitchen with dishwasher, queen bed in the master bedroom, queen or two twins in
the second bedroom, queen sofa-bed in the living room and patio. Two-and-a-half
bathrooms, central A/C, washer/dryer, 45-channel TV, DVD-player, ceiling fans,
phone, wireless high-speed Internet access (free of charge), ceramic tile
throughout. Views of the Caribbean from
the patio and from the bedroom windows.

What condos do you like or stay at? We like Villas of the Galleon. A one BR ocean front is 16-1700 a week. The wife has to be able to walk out the door and be at the beach.... Spoiled. FYI they give 40% off on wedding groups! We have friends that own a condo 2 BR at the Kaibo yacht club. They rent it out for 1k a week in the summer. Its ocean from but on bloody bay. Its just not the same. I knew it would cost more but wanted to have the meals make for us and close by. This is her first trip diving and we are going to get all the bottom time our sb galileos and ean will let us get. We dont have to worry about getting up and cooking or driving to the boat. We are giving up some $$$ for convenience. Next year when she is more comfortable in the water we will go back to the condos.

 

[nfarrar]

Sorry... $2295 per diver.

Timbuctuu, we have eaten there many times. But its usually for breakfast and the all you can eat pancakes.