Aruba, Barbados, or Grand Cayman 5 nights

[Anonymous]

We chose Grand Cayman for next spring break, but mostly based on the hotel points we had. Hopefully it’s still fun.

[Anonymous]

We got harassed in Barbados by people aggressively trying to sell things.

[Anonymous]

I've been to Barbados and Cayman, so here are my takes:

Cayman pros: beach is beautiful; the island is very safe; amazing snorkeling/diving, and you can find good snorkeling off the beach in many spots; good restaurants and nice condos/hotels.

Cayman cons: a bit bland and feels Americanized; the larger resorts have crowded beachfronts.

Barbados pros: surprisingly excellent restaurants that will please foodies on every level; island is safe and interesting to explore--one side has calm beaches with crystal clear water, while the other is rugged with tide pools and rain forests; it doesn't feel like a place built for Americans to enjoy on vacation.

Barbados cons: the beaches are pretty, but not on the level of classic Caribbean beaches like 7 Mile Beach in Cayman; there is some snorkeling if you'd like to do that, but it's not what attracts people there; it was buggy, but that may be a function of when I was there (June) vs. Cayman (December/March).

[Anonymous]

I've been to Aruba and Cayman. I like Aruba for the convenience - I find there are more nonstop flights, the hotels on palm beach are all next to each other and across the street from a ton of restaurants and bars so no need to rent a car. The airport is fine especially with global entry. They've made some improvements in recent years. It is also much more affordable than Cayman.

Cayman is more beautiful in my view and the snorkeling is much better. It has a more upscale vibe but everything is more expensive by 25% - the Cayman dollar is stronger than USD. There are fewer nonstop options so you'll spend 7-8 hours getting there not including airport time. Also, I find the arrival at Cayman airport as bad as departure at Aruba.

[Anonymous]

We had a cruise stop in grand cayman last year and I was chatting for a while with a local there who drove our bus to the marina (there was a problem with the boat at the marina so we had a lot of time to chat). He was saying a lot of the locals are upset because there’s a particular billionaire buying up most of the r island and really changing the island. Here’s an old NYT article about it, but my impression is that he’s bought up a bunch more land since then. I don’t know how it’s affecting tourism but the impression I got is that the caymans are turning into something other than what they were years ago—-would be curious to hear from anyone who knows more.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/business/kenneth-dart-cayman-islands.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been to Barbados and Cayman, so here are my takes:

Cayman pros: beach is beautiful; the island is very safe; amazing snorkeling/diving, and you can find good snorkeling off the beach in many spots; good restaurants and nice condos/hotels.

Cayman cons: a bit bland and feels Americanized; the larger resorts have crowded beachfronts.

Barbados pros: surprisingly excellent restaurants that will please foodies on every level; island is safe and interesting to explore--one side has calm beaches with crystal clear water, while the other is rugged with tide pools and rain forests; it doesn't feel like a place built for Americans to enjoy on vacation.

Barbados cons: the beaches are pretty, but not on the level of classic Caribbean beaches like 7 Mile Beach in Cayman; there is some snorkeling if you'd like to do that, but it's not what attracts people there; it was buggy, but that may be a function of when I was there (June) vs. Cayman (December/March).

Are you sure you snorkeled in Barbados? There are many, many gorgeous beaches that far surpass Cayman’s 7 mile beach both in beauty and snorkeling. In Barbados, while snorkeling I saw huge eagle rays, tarpon, turtles and lots of different tropical fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been to Aruba and Cayman. I like Aruba for the convenience - I find there are more nonstop flights, the hotels on palm beach are all next to each other and across the street from a ton of restaurants and bars so no need to rent a car. The airport is fine especially with global entry. They've made some improvements in recent years. It is also much more affordable than Cayman.

Cayman is more beautiful in my view and the snorkeling is much better. It has a more upscale vibe but everything is more expensive by 25% - the Cayman dollar is stronger than USD. There are fewer nonstop options so you'll spend 7-8 hours getting there not including airport time. Also, I find the arrival at Cayman airport as bad as departure at Aruba.

The Cayman dollar isn’t stronger than the US dollar— it has a fixed exchange rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to Aruba and Grand Cayman. I’d say both are perfect if you mainly want to hang out on the beach/at a pool, and like a variety of restaurants including Americanized ones. They both are “easy” islands and get a lot of cruise ship traffic. Neither has a lot to do other than water activities, esp if you don’t scuba dive (I don’t either). Both are flat and not super scenic islands other than the gorgeous sea. I enjoyed both the same amount, so I’d go with the waterfront option.

Plenty of "local Aruba" restaurants, in both Palm and Eagle Beach. Too many to go to for a 7 days stay.

[Anonymous]

Cayman is great if you want super safe, excellent food/quality of ingredients, and beautiful beaches. For us it checked all boxes. We just hung at the beach. Expensive, as it’s essentially US prices but Cayman dollar is 1.20 US dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been to Barbados and Cayman, so here are my takes:

Cayman pros: beach is beautiful; the island is very safe; amazing snorkeling/diving, and you can find good snorkeling off the beach in many spots; good restaurants and nice condos/hotels.

Cayman cons: a bit bland and feels Americanized; the larger resorts have crowded beachfronts.

Barbados pros: surprisingly excellent restaurants that will please foodies on every level; island is safe and interesting to explore--one side has calm beaches with crystal clear water, while the other is rugged with tide pools and rain forests; it doesn't feel like a place built for Americans to enjoy on vacation.

Barbados cons: the beaches are pretty, but not on the level of classic Caribbean beaches like 7 Mile Beach in Cayman; there is some snorkeling if you'd like to do that, but it's not what attracts people there; it was buggy, but that may be a function of when I was there (June) vs. Cayman (December/March).

Are you sure you snorkeled in Barbados? There are many, many gorgeous beaches that far surpass Cayman’s 7 mile beach both in beauty and snorkeling. In Barbados, while snorkeling I saw huge eagle rays, tarpon, turtles and lots of different tropical fish.

Yes. Cayman is a diving destination for a reason, and I’ve been several times because DH loves scuba diving and planned vacations around it before we had DCs. If snorkeling is just one thing you’d like to experience on a beach vacation, either island will do.