I have been meaning to write this for a couple of weeks now. If I don't write this soon, I won't remember the details. So here goes, observations from a first time visitor to Grand Cayman, some hints, preferences & opinions. YMMV, veterans will hopefully correct any gaffs that I may make.
Figure out what you want from the trip. If you want to walk to food and shopping & be in the middle of the hustle and bustle, stay close to Seven Mile Beach. If driving/travel time/cooking is a good trade off for more quiet areas look East. Hint #1: For many places to stay, prices are softer after April 15, we arrived on April 16, and this saved several hundred dollars.
Four out of the group dives, and none of us had any desire to fight through Cruise line crowds, we visited the Cayman Port Authority http://http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php website to find out when ships would be in George Town and scheduled East End activities for those days. For most of us that meant East End diving. (Side note: Ocean Frontiers is a really impressive dive operation. I had met Ocean Frontier employees at DEMA, and had later e-mailed them back and forth. I was REALLY put off by them. I sucked it up because there isn't much choice for dive operators on that side of the island so I went with them. This is confession time: I was 100%, double underlined, WRONG! If you get the same impression I got, get over it, meet the people and go do some outstanding diving. You will not be disappointed.) Hint #2: figure out what dive package you want (if you dive with OF) at least 6 weeks before arriving on the island. The spots fill fast and early. One diver of our group did not bother reserving a spot until the last minute & missed a spectacular dive (Babylon) because all the spots on the boat were sold. FYI: April 22-25 the conditions on the East End had small craft advisories out. Swells varied from 4 to 8 feet with a 5 or 6 second intervals (I am used to slower intervals, took me a few dives to time it well.) Water temp was 79F to 81F, no thermal through recreational depth. Vis was always at least 70'. I am not including any specific dive site info because I don't have my log book with me, and OF captains choose the dive site based on weather & whether the dive group have been there before. I did not see a bad site.
Okay on to the island. You will arrive and go through the standard customs routine. You will need to have the location of where you are staying available. If you are leading the group, remind everyone in the group that there is a $25US per person exit tax that must be paid in cash. It is on the forms. Hint #3: the tax is built into the airplane ticket so they won't have to pay it when they leave, but then everyone has $$ left to buy you beer in the bar when waiting for the plane to leave. Once you are through customs and exit the terminal with all of your bags, you will wonder where the rental cars are. Go out to the road look left, you will see an Avis sign about 200 yards away, most of the car rental companies are in that strip mall. Hint #4: Americans have a learning curve with driving on the left side of the road & roundabouts are real treat (they work really well). Hint #5: I didn't rent a new vehicle; I rented a 9 passenger van (which smelled like rotting dive gear by the end of the trip). Cost: $730 for 10 days, 3 drivers & insurance, the condo agent helped with this. Hint #6: C.I. speed limits are in MPH (I didn't know if they were metric or not.)
When you leave the airport, you will most likely drive by a grocery store and a liquor store. These places are your friend. I saw two grocery chains, Fosters and Hurley's. Both were nice, nearly everything is imported so you will recognize many of the food brands. Hint #7: Food is expensive, it won't be a crazy shock until you hit the register, the prices are in Cayman $, and $1 Cayman = $1.25 US. So everything is 20% more expensive. (The only exception is gasoline; there is 25% more ounces in an imperial gallon so the price was close to what I pay in California.) Hint #8: Most restaurants and bars add the tip into the bill. Check first, tip more if you want, but at least be aware.
If you are coming off of a cruise ship & want (relatively) cheap diving, get off of the ship at the terminal & turn right (south) & walk a half a mile to Eden Rock. You can rent weights and tanks (or whatever) and dive off the shore. It should be about $10-$15 a dive. The real advantage is no taxi bills for a 10 to 15 minute walk. I talked to the people at Eden Rock, but didn't dive with them; they seemed okay. They also have boat dives available, so that may be an option rather than the cruise ship offering.
I took a photography class with Cathy Church's store. I was taught by one of her helpers, Kat Ramage. Thank you Kat you are amazing!!!!! I use a point-and-shoot Olympus 1030. It is nothing special because that is the level of photographer that I am. I cannot believe how much of an improvement a 2 hour class and a 1 hour dive can make. I am still basking. You will need transportation to get there. Cathy Church's is at Sunset House about a mile from downtown; farther than I want to carry my dive gear. There is no sidewalk for much of the way. The class isn't cheap, but it sure is worth it.
A few last observations: The turtle farm is very quiet first thing Sunday mornings. Stingray city is hyped, crowded & amazing--a must do. Rum Point has got me hooked on Jerk Burgers. There is a farmer's market on Saturday mornings on the south side near Bodden Town; it's really small but the produce is great, has some great deals on Caymanite jewelry, & it gives you a small exposure to the working class people of the island (they are wonderful.) It was a good trip.
Figure out what you want from the trip. If you want to walk to food and shopping & be in the middle of the hustle and bustle, stay close to Seven Mile Beach. If driving/travel time/cooking is a good trade off for more quiet areas look East. Hint #1: For many places to stay, prices are softer after April 15, we arrived on April 16, and this saved several hundred dollars.
Four out of the group dives, and none of us had any desire to fight through Cruise line crowds, we visited the Cayman Port Authority http://http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php website to find out when ships would be in George Town and scheduled East End activities for those days. For most of us that meant East End diving. (Side note: Ocean Frontiers is a really impressive dive operation. I had met Ocean Frontier employees at DEMA, and had later e-mailed them back and forth. I was REALLY put off by them. I sucked it up because there isn't much choice for dive operators on that side of the island so I went with them. This is confession time: I was 100%, double underlined, WRONG! If you get the same impression I got, get over it, meet the people and go do some outstanding diving. You will not be disappointed.) Hint #2: figure out what dive package you want (if you dive with OF) at least 6 weeks before arriving on the island. The spots fill fast and early. One diver of our group did not bother reserving a spot until the last minute & missed a spectacular dive (Babylon) because all the spots on the boat were sold. FYI: April 22-25 the conditions on the East End had small craft advisories out. Swells varied from 4 to 8 feet with a 5 or 6 second intervals (I am used to slower intervals, took me a few dives to time it well.) Water temp was 79F to 81F, no thermal through recreational depth. Vis was always at least 70'. I am not including any specific dive site info because I don't have my log book with me, and OF captains choose the dive site based on weather & whether the dive group have been there before. I did not see a bad site.
Okay on to the island. You will arrive and go through the standard customs routine. You will need to have the location of where you are staying available. If you are leading the group, remind everyone in the group that there is a $25US per person exit tax that must be paid in cash. It is on the forms. Hint #3: the tax is built into the airplane ticket so they won't have to pay it when they leave, but then everyone has $$ left to buy you beer in the bar when waiting for the plane to leave. Once you are through customs and exit the terminal with all of your bags, you will wonder where the rental cars are. Go out to the road look left, you will see an Avis sign about 200 yards away, most of the car rental companies are in that strip mall. Hint #4: Americans have a learning curve with driving on the left side of the road & roundabouts are real treat (they work really well). Hint #5: I didn't rent a new vehicle; I rented a 9 passenger van (which smelled like rotting dive gear by the end of the trip). Cost: $730 for 10 days, 3 drivers & insurance, the condo agent helped with this. Hint #6: C.I. speed limits are in MPH (I didn't know if they were metric or not.)
When you leave the airport, you will most likely drive by a grocery store and a liquor store. These places are your friend. I saw two grocery chains, Fosters and Hurley's. Both were nice, nearly everything is imported so you will recognize many of the food brands. Hint #7: Food is expensive, it won't be a crazy shock until you hit the register, the prices are in Cayman $, and $1 Cayman = $1.25 US. So everything is 20% more expensive. (The only exception is gasoline; there is 25% more ounces in an imperial gallon so the price was close to what I pay in California.) Hint #8: Most restaurants and bars add the tip into the bill. Check first, tip more if you want, but at least be aware.
If you are coming off of a cruise ship & want (relatively) cheap diving, get off of the ship at the terminal & turn right (south) & walk a half a mile to Eden Rock. You can rent weights and tanks (or whatever) and dive off the shore. It should be about $10-$15 a dive. The real advantage is no taxi bills for a 10 to 15 minute walk. I talked to the people at Eden Rock, but didn't dive with them; they seemed okay. They also have boat dives available, so that may be an option rather than the cruise ship offering.
I took a photography class with Cathy Church's store. I was taught by one of her helpers, Kat Ramage. Thank you Kat you are amazing!!!!! I use a point-and-shoot Olympus 1030. It is nothing special because that is the level of photographer that I am. I cannot believe how much of an improvement a 2 hour class and a 1 hour dive can make. I am still basking. You will need transportation to get there. Cathy Church's is at Sunset House about a mile from downtown; farther than I want to carry my dive gear. There is no sidewalk for much of the way. The class isn't cheap, but it sure is worth it.
A few last observations: The turtle farm is very quiet first thing Sunday mornings. Stingray city is hyped, crowded & amazing--a must do. Rum Point has got me hooked on Jerk Burgers. There is a farmer's market on Saturday mornings on the south side near Bodden Town; it's really small but the produce is great, has some great deals on Caymanite jewelry, & it gives you a small exposure to the working class people of the island (they are wonderful.) It was a good trip.
