Caymen Islands -- Recommended restuarnts and things to do

[Anonymous]

We are headed to Grand Cayman next seek and will be staying on Seven Mile Beach. Wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for restaurants (somewhat family friendly -- have an 11 and 13 year old) as well as recommendations of places/activities that would be fun to explore/do during our stay. Would appreciate any recommendations! TIA!

[Anonymous]

Head over to the East End and visit the parrot sanctuary and have lunch at Big Tree BBQ. Stop at the botanical gardens to see some blue iguanas on your way back to the west side. I also think your kids would love the double slide pontoon boat snorkeling trip (https://www.whitesandwatersports.com/tours/double-water-slide-pontoon-boat). We also had a blast with the jet ski tour by Fat Fish.

[Anonymous]

Will you be driving around? Crystal Caves and, very close by, the Over the Edge restaurant for sunset views. Also Starfish Point. Again, if you're driving and have or rent snorkel gear, go there on your own instead of on a tour and plan to avoid it when a cruise ship is in port (take this advice for lots of places esp if you're staying on Seven Mile Beach).

[Anonymous]

Starfish point, stingrays tour, snorkeling at Smith's Barcadere.

We enjoyed a family-friendly dinner at Pane & Pasta

[Anonymous]

To be honest, the food in 7 Mile Beach isn't that great. Mostly hotel restaurants, fast food, generally Caribbean places and bar & grills.

I think I prefer Heritage, Cracked Conch or Tukka in West Bay if you are near the Turtle Farm or Barker's National Park (this is where you do horseback in the water off the beach). Sunshine Grill by the pool in the Sunshine Suites is pretty good too across from the Westin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Head over to the East End and visit the parrot sanctuary and have lunch at Big Tree BBQ. Stop at the botanical gardens to see some blue iguanas on your way back to the west side. I also think your kids would love the double slide pontoon boat snorkeling trip (https://www.whitesandwatersports.com/tours/double-water-slide-pontoon-boat). We also had a blast with the jet ski tour by Fat Fish.

Just keep in mind this is literally just a big grill on this guy's front yard with like 3 picnic tables. Rubbery lobster grilled from frozen (but surprisingly cheap), but amazing BBQ otherwise, including some of the best beef ribs I've eaten outside of Texas. I rented a house near it, and I swear, they just opened whenever they felt like it. The hours were inconsistent and did not follow the Google Maps operating times. Just a warning because it is long drive (over an hour) to get there from 7 Mile Beach and not worth it unless you were already in the area. Tukka has another restaurant nearby (they have a location off the North Sound too in the West too) if Big Tree is closed.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend a snorkel trip that includes Starfish Point and a trip to a sand bar that has stingrays. Six Senses is the company we used and we did the one that is early in the morning.

If you have extra time and money, do their bioluminescent bay trip. That was fun but the first tour I mentioned is a must for Cayman.

The restaurant at the Palm Heights is really good. I also liked the ambiance of Miss Tillies. The sushi place at the Ritz is really good and they have fresh wasabi that they grate tableside. Taxis are very expensive so I recommend renting a car. Most resorts include free parking as part of their fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Head over to the East End and visit the parrot sanctuary and have lunch at Big Tree BBQ. Stop at the botanical gardens to see some blue iguanas on your way back to the west side. I also think your kids would love the double slide pontoon boat snorkeling trip (https://www.whitesandwatersports.com/tours/double-water-slide-pontoon-boat). We also had a blast with the jet ski tour by Fat Fish.

Just keep in mind this is literally just a big grill on this guy's front yard with like 3 picnic tables. Rubbery lobster grilled from frozen (but surprisingly cheap), but amazing BBQ otherwise, including some of the best beef ribs I've eaten outside of Texas. I rented a house near it, and I swear, they just opened whenever they felt like it. The hours were inconsistent and did not follow the Google Maps operating times. Just a warning because it is long drive (over an hour) to get there from 7 Mile Beach and not worth it unless you were already in the area. Tukka has another restaurant nearby (they have a location off the North Sound too in the West too) if Big Tree is closed.

And his aunt also has a little restaurant across the street called Vivine's Kitchen (she literally serves the food out of her kitchen window). With that said, I would make a day of exploring the East End -- see the parrots, see the gardens/iguanas, eat lunch (if Big Tree and Vivine's are closed, try La Casita), go on the snorkeling trip with White Sands, and then head home. Maybe stop at one of the fish fry places on your way back home.

Definitely book the snorkel/stingray jet ski trip with Fat Fish. You get to go really fast, and your kids will love it.

[Anonymous]

Snorkel trips esp to Stingray City, and bioluminescent bay kayak tour

Our favorite Restaurants were Calypso Grill (caribbean), Ragazzi (italian) and Coccoloba (casual Mexican place in the Kimpton right on the beach)

[Anonymous]

OP here -- this is awesome -- thank you! We are renting a car so will be able to explore some of your recommendations. Also, which supermarket closest to Seven Mile Beach has the best selection of foods, etc? We are staying in a condo and can do some of our own food prep during our stay and wondering if you were able to find most of what you needed there re: food items. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- this is awesome -- thank you! We are renting a car so will be able to explore some of your recommendations. Also, which supermarket closest to Seven Mile Beach has the best selection of foods, etc? We are staying in a condo and can do some of our own food prep during our stay and wondering if you were able to find most of what you needed there re: food items. Thanks!

Foster’s Canana Bay is excellent.

[Anonymous]

Starfish point has like 10 starfish these days.

[Anonymous]

Eduardo’s
Ragazzi
Calypso Grill
Sushi place I can’t remember, but it’s in a strip mall near the Westin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- this is awesome -- thank you! We are renting a car so will be able to explore some of your recommendations. Also, which supermarket closest to Seven Mile Beach has the best selection of foods, etc? We are staying in a condo and can do some of our own food prep during our stay and wondering if you were able to find most of what you needed there re: food items. Thanks!

Either Foster’s or Kirk’s. They are both fine so just pick the closest to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, the food in 7 Mile Beach isn't that great. Mostly hotel restaurants, fast food, generally Caribbean places and bar & grills.

I think I prefer Heritage, Cracked Conch or Tukka in West Bay if you are near the Turtle Farm or Barker's National Park (this is where you do horseback in the water off the beach). Sunshine Grill by the pool in the Sunshine Suites is pretty good too across from the Westin.

Yeah, we love Grand Cayman and have been going for more than 20 years, but the food is mostly mediocre and overpriced. We stay in a condo that walks out onto the beach and make our breakfasts and lunches. For dinner, we like Singh’s Roti House in Georgetown (Trini cuisine at a bar in Georgetown; no problem taking your kids), Heritage Kitchen in West Bay (local fish, and they run out of stuff so go early), The Burger Shack (a shack in a random strip mall that does good smash burgers), Yoshi for perfectly fine sushi/pan Asian, and Good Eats for OK diner-style food. Our last visit to Sunshine Grill was really disappointing; it used to be reliable for good bar-type food, but boy has it gone downhill.

Agree with a PP that Foster’s Caymana Bay and the Kirk are good for groceries. The staff at the condo where we stay will shop in advance so we have groceries on arrival, which is nice and gives a couple of days cushion before having to shop again; it’s worth asking if that’s available where you’re staying.