Grand Cayman over New Years

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SaltyKSue

Contributor
Messages
449
Reaction score
23
Location
Holladay, Ut
# of dives
500 - 999
I am going to Grand Cayman the end of Dec. and will be there over New Years- Staying at Cobalt Coast but not doing the all-inclusive deal or diving there.
I looked into a few dive ops that I found on the internet and decided on a place called "Living the Dream" I just LOVED the name and they were very good at responding to my inquiries.
Has anyone heard of or used them? If so, how were they to dive with?

Also, my sister who does not dive will be with me and we will want to check out the Island. Any suggestions on things we may want to see and do after my dives?
We are not looking for quiet and relaxing....rather want fun, entertaining, get up and do type of stuff.
Any suggestions on restaurants?
We WILL be renting a car so will have no problem getting around.

Any idea of things maybe going on for New Years Eve?
 
It's not clear to me why you would choose to stay at Cobalt Coast if you are not diving with them or using their all-inclusive option, and if you like fun and entertainment and trying out restaurants.

CC is a quiet, diver-dedicated resort in West Bay north of Seven Mile Beach. There are a few nice restaurants in the area. Ristorante Pappagallo is north of CC and the Cracked Conch and Macabuca are good places to eat that are south of CC.

We like Cobalt Coast - it's a great venue - but it doesn't sound like what you are looking for, it's mostly for people that like to "eat, sleep, and dive" IMO.

There are loads of restaurants in the 7MB area - what do you like - pricey gourmet restaurants, or more casual places, or local food stands? Or a mix of options?

I have never dived with Living the Dream but they have a good reputation, but you should find out where you will have to meet them to board the boat. If you were staying in the 7MB area then most dive ops will pick you up in a van or on the beach by boat - but since you are staying in a rather remote area, I think you will have to drive to meet them and the traffic can be quite heavy during rush hours. But if they usually leave from the West Bay Dock during that time of year, that should be okay and it won't be a bad drive from CC.

But it would be easier and less time-consuming just to dive with Reef Divers at Cobalt Coast. You could store your gear on the property and their boats will either leave from their dock or they will transport you by van to West Bay Dock.

There are many fine dive ops on GC, it is a very competitive market so a shop wouldn't stay in business very long if they weren't good. There are also good, inexpensive shore dives available, but solo diving is generally not permitted in the Caymans.

When you say that you like fun and entertaining things to do, what do you have in mind? Does that mean eating out and dining and dancing and live music? Or do you mean excursions and nature-based activities? Or all of the above?

You should try to avoid popular venues and the George Town area between 10 am and 3 pm on days when cruise ships are in port, it gets very crowded - and the holidays are one of the busiest times of the year to visit GC.

There's loads of stuff to do on GC, and renting a car is smart, but if you will be drinking while having fun (which is just fine, you'll be on vacation!) then you should stay in a more centrally located area, so that you can easily walk or cab to night spots. Drinking and then driving on the left side of the road, through the traffic and roundabouts, is really not a good idea.

Be sure to reserve your rental car soon, they are in high demand during the holiday season and you might not be able to get one! And's there no uber-type service on GC.

Eating out 3 times a day is very pricey on GC, it's best to stay some place with a kitchen so that you can prepare simple breakfast and lunch meals and then go out for a nice dinner.

If budget is tight and CC had availability at a good price then I can understand that - but maybe we can recommend some place that would work better for your vacation plans - although it will be hard to find availability at this late date.

Take a look at Comfort Suites on 7MB, they offer suites with a microwave and frig and they are on the same side of the street as the beach - they have a small section of 7MB reserved with lawn chairs and amenities that you can access easily by a short path. Daily breakfast is included and you can walk or cab to nearby restaurants and I believe that they offer free parking. Ambassador divers are the group associated with the hotel, but you could make arrangements with LTD or any other op in the area.

The Grand Caymanian (Holiday Inn) might be another option. It is also rather remote but a little more accessible than CC and they offer free shuttles to 7MB and GT - at least during the day - and it might be easier/cheaper to cab there than to CC. I think that breakfast is also included. Dive Tech has an onsite shop and I think that they will provide gear storage and will transport you to their Lighthouse Point facility to shore dive and board their boats.

Sunshine Suites and Sunset House are other properties that come to mind but they are probably already booked up - although they might get a cancellation!

We love the Cayman islands and hope that you have a great time!
 
Yep...food is pricey....opposite site roundabouts are challenging after a few Tequila shots! 7 mile Beach is awesome...I never thought GC as a party town, but we always partied....enjoy!
 
Heard good things about LTD but have not dove with them. Why stay at CC way up in the middle of nowhere if not to dive with them. It seems like you will be far from any place you would want to go.
 
I have gone with LTD and did my AOW with them. They leave from West bay doc or yacht club depending on where they are diving. They are a great outfit and nice folks. That said, there are many great dive ops on the island. For info on Grand Cayman, if you do a search on SB there is a ton of good advice.

Hard to get a bad meal on GC. Regarding West Bay, one of our favorite restaurants is Calypso Grill. If you are looking for something a bit more "down home" and authentic, check out Heritage Kitchen. If you are into vegetarian eating, VIVO is great - and they also serve lionfish, which I guess is now a vegetable. They are located at the DiveTech shop/Lighthouse Point in West bay. Macabuca is a great place to shore dive and snorkel and grab a good informal meal at the outside bar. Their Monday buffet is pretty good.

As for New Years Eve, you are in luck as it's on a Monday so there will be plenty of live music at many of the hotels and bar/restaurants (last year Jan 1 fell on a Sunday, and live music is not allowed on Sundays in the Caymans so as not to offend the godly spirits who apparently only like recorded music). Without knowing your demographics, the younger locals will no doubt be raving at Calico Jacks in West Bay - a good beach bar to grab a beer with the locals (but the only place on GC I won't order food). Check out

Some of Cayman’s top New Year’s Eve parties | Cayman Compass

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Grand Cayman - Explore Cayman Event

Grand Cayman New Years Eve 2019 | Fireworks, Parties & Hotels


The Whiskey Mist in the Strand on Seven Mile Beach used to be a good local hangout for music and drink. It changed hands last year and not sure what the name is now but I think they still have a music scene. Some of the best nights to go out are on "jam nights" when the locals sit in with the house band. Jack's is tuesday, Lone Star is Wed, what used to be the Mist was Thursday (not sure if it's still on but this one was the most fun and most rowdy - in a good way). Marriott is Saturday but that is a much milder touristy hotel-guest scene. The dive crowd hangs out at Rackham's in town. And if you want to find out what's on, ask the dive master where he or she is hanging out that evening.
 
I am staying at Cobalt Coast because I have a "timeshare" type of a thing and that is where there happened to be availability on the dates I could go. - The deal I got does not come with the "ALL INCLUSIVE" which I dislike anyway. I'd much rather get away from the resort and experience the Island and what it has to offer.
The only other place my "timeshare" has on Grand Cayman is at the Morritt's Tortuga Club and that looked to be even farther away from everything than Cobalt Coast. Plus there wasn't availability on the dates I could go anyway.

I priced the diving with Cobalt Coast and unless I am doing the "all inclusive" package they are more expensive and don't give a break even if you are staying at their resort. That's why I'm not diving with them.

The place we have is a condo - so it does have a kitchen. I do plan on hitting the grocery store and eating "at home" a bit.
Will be going out for dinner almost every night though. LOVE Lionfish so may have to hit VIVO just for that. I'm not a vegetarian and neither is my sister.
I'm not a "fancy" girl so would probably look for the more casual types of places for dinner and drinks. We might go to a fancy place once or twice.

In response to KathyV - YES to "all the above" dining, dancing, excursions, nature based activities.....good to know about being in Georgetown between 10 AM and 3 PM - We do want to stay away from the cruise crowds.
I also, have put in a reservation for a car with Marshalls, but they have not gotten back to me yet. Maybe I need to try another company.
 
I'm not a "fancy" girl so would probably look for the more casual types of places for dinner and drinks. We might go to a fancy place once or twice.

Some of the more casual places we like are Macabuca (already mentioned a couple of times), Sunshine Grill (my wife's favorite breakfast place as it's walking distance from our place - but good for lunch and dinner, too), EATS, Lauren's, Chicken! Chicken! (great jerked chicken and also rotisserie chicken if you don't like the spices), Heritage Kitchen, Cimboco, Paperman's (for sandwiches), West Bay Diner ( try the cow's hooves, but only once !), A La Kebab and Burger Shack for take out ( They are next to each other mid SMB. My wife and daughter love the burgers), Rackham's, My Bar (for the conch chowder), Czech Inn (for great cooking in a casual atmosphere), and Vivine's Kitchen (way on the east side, but kind of cool as you get to order from the back door of Vivene's house and eat at one of the tables in her back yard overlooking the ocean, and it will get you to see the other side of the island).

And if you decide to cook fish and you can get into town on a low-cruise day, stop at the open air dayboat fish market on the right side past Rackham's and Casanova as you head into town. Look for the tents. They will sell you the fish whole, or chop it into steaks, or fillet it for you. Doesn't get much fresher. Parking can sometimes be a challenge. My "secret" parking spot is to take a hard left off of North Church Street (the road into town) at Da Fish Shack (another fish restaurant worth checking out) onto Wahoo Circle (or maybe it's Wahoo Court) and immediately park on the right. You will be within a 2 minute walk towards town to the fish market (and you can walk around town to check it out before getting your fish).

Check the cruise ship schedule here:
Ship Schedules - Port Authority of the Cayman Islands

Have a happy new year on GC!
 
Yep...food is pricey....opposite site roundabouts are challenging after a few Tequila shots! 7 mile Beach is awesome...I never thought GC as a party town, but we always partied....enjoy!
One should not be behind the wheel (or diving) after a few tequila shots... do us all a favor and take a cab or have a designated driver in your group!
 

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