Tell me about Grand Cayman

[Anonymous]

Where you stay and eat and what you like to do. Any recommendations would be fantastic!

[Anonymous]

If you're looking for a high-end resort, you can't go wrong with the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. We celebrated our 15th anniversary there last May. Fabulous food and service. Gorgeous resort!

[Anonymous]

The Ritz is fantastic. We stayed at the Marriott resort there and it was also VERY nice. Grand Cayman's a little pricier than some of the other islands, fyi.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know people's thoughts on Grand Cayman as well. What's the vibe like? Are tourists mostly American?

[Anonymous]

It's safe (since there's little poverty). They have a regular grocery store on seven mile beach, so you can easily rent a condo and prepare some meals. It's easy to drive there. They have real medical care if you get into trouble. The Westin is nice too.

[Anonymous]

We are planning to stay at Ritz Carlton, but dont plan to eat there.
What kind of restuarants are there close by? What breakfast options ? can we find starbucks and similar there?

[Anonymous]

Oh boy where to begin . . . I could go on all day about Cayman. I moved there in 2000 and left for DC in 2006. Now our family (me, spouse, 2 kids) go there for vacation almost every year.

Lodging: Ritz is gorgeous. The Westin was recently renovated and is looking wonderful. I think that the Westin really stepped it up when they had to compete with the Ritz. The Westin beach and pool area are great. The condos on seven mile are a good bet and they have the pools, beach. There are 2 grocery stores along seven mile so you can find all the groceries you need. If we didn't stay with friends, we would probably rent a condo.

Restaurants: My favorites include Eduardo's (you can walk there from the Westin) and Calypso Grill in West Bay (it is a drive but totally worth it). Ragazzi is good too. Of course the food at the Ritz is amazing. There are a lot of new restaurants at Camana Bay and they are probably good. The atmosphere at Camana Bay is really nice - great for kids.

Must do: Stingray City and Smith Cove. Rum Point is nice if you go when there are not a lot of cruise ships in. You can check the cruise ship schedule on-line.

There are no Starbucks there. Paperman's coffee shop is pretty good and I think there is one by Foster's grocery store on seven mile - that isn't too far from Ritz. My friends think the best coffee on the island comes from a shop at Camana Bay - Jessie's.

[Anonymous]

Sting Ray city was incredible. I'd have done that 50 times.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I forgot to answer the question about tourists. The cruise ship passengers are mostly American, but they come and go pretty fast. The tourists that actually stay at the hotels are mixed - American, Canadian, British.

Most of the service providers are expats. The bartenders, dive masters, waitresses, etc are predominately from Canada, Australia, South Africa, UK. There are also a lot of Jamaicans and Cubans.

I find the island to be safe, but I wouldn't leave my door unlocked (I don't do that in DC either).

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much PP. I'm not the OP but am also visiting (staying at Ritz as well) and your posts were very helpful and have me excited!

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much PP! we love snorkeling so if there are any great places to explore, please do tell!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I forgot to answer the question about tourists. The cruise ship passengers are mostly American, but they come and go pretty fast. The tourists that actually stay at the hotels are mixed - American, Canadian, British.

Most of the service providers are expats. The bartenders, dive masters, waitresses, etc are predominately from Canada, Australia, South Africa, UK. There are also a lot of Jamaicans and Cubans.

I find the island to be safe, but I wouldn't leave my door unlocked (I don't do that in DC either).

We ran into a few tourists while there. Did not feel crowded although we were far from the cruise ship scene. First time we stayed at Grand Caymsnian which is off the beaten path. Second time we rented a condo. We rented a car and enjoyed exploring the island. We met and friended a family from Boston, Canada and England. It's an easy island. Clean, friendly, wealthy. Loved the Calypso grill for outdoor dining on the island. Also enjoyed meals outdoors at Luca overlooking the infinity pool and ocean.

[Anonymous]

Would teens enjoy it? Am looking for vacation ideas with a 15, 14 and 9 year old. Just priced out Atlantis and since they don't allow 5 to a room it was really expensive to book 2 rooms.

[Anonymous]

This is 22:12 again. The best snorkeling is at Smith Cove. Cemetary Beach can be good for snorkeling but the conditions have to be just right. Smith Cove is just good - all the time. Smith Cove is not seven mile so you would need a rental car, but there is plenty of parking. There are a few other good things in the vicinity of Smith Cove: Pure Art is my fave shop for Cayman stuff and it is worth a look. Sunset House is over there too. I forgot to mention it earlier, But Sunset has great food and atmosphere. It is casual so you could go from the beach.

Back to snorkeling - you can snorkel almost anywhere on seven mile without being disapointed. The hotel workers will point you toward a reef. If you are at a condo, just hang out on the beach and observe where people go to snorkel. Rum Point is good for snorkel too.

I forgot to mention Tiki Beach for food. That is close to Ritz. Great fish and chips.

I don't have teenagers so its a little hard to judge. Cayman doesnt have the waterslides and stuff. My thought is that a teen could have a blast, especially if you had an unlimited budget for water skies, scuba lessons, eating out.

[Anonymous]

Jet skies not water skies