Grand Cayman

[zoebartlett]

I just posted this is LIW but maybe it should go here...


So I''ve been watching what is turning out to be a marathon of Weddings Away, which I posted about in another thread. I keep thinking about what the island must be like, and it''s fun to see the different brides and grooms plan their weddings on the island.
Has anyone been to Grand Cayman? What''s it like, from a tourist''s perspective?

 

[onedrop]

Hi zoe!

I''ve been to Grand Cayman twice. For me it was just a "meh" experience. It''s a very small island with a lot of ex-pats (American, Canadian, European, etc.). For that reason, I didn''t get that *homey* feeling that I have when I visit other islands. And it''s VERY hot there when the sun is at its peak, I guess because of the close proximity to the equator. If one likes diving (and I don''t) then it''s a great place to go because they have several ship wrecks because of the reefs. And IMO it''s very expensive due to the fact that they monetary system is based in the English pound. The plus side is they have a beautiful seven-mile beach that is great to take in early in the morning and after the sun goes down. In addition, the island it pretty modern and developed, there is pretty good shopping in comparison to other Caribbean islands and they have some beautiful hotels and a ton of condos right on the beach. Would I go back? Possibly. I''d love to read other''s opinions.

 

[qtiekiki]

We only went there as one of the ports for our Western Carribean cruise, so we didn''t stay on the island. We went in December, so it wasn''t too hot but still really warm. We stayed close to the port, so it was really touristsy. We did go on an excursion to the sting ray place. It''s a place in the middle of the ocean where the water only go up to my shoulder and there''s a bunch of sting rays that swim around that. When fishing was a big business, the fisherman used stop there to gut the fishes and throw the guts back in the ocean. The sting rays would just eat it up, so they just stayed around there. The sting rays just swim right next to you. It was an awesome experience for me, so I have a good impression of Grand Cayman because of that. I have no idea how it''s would be like to stay there, I would probably just chill at the beach.

 

[So_happy]

I too went to GC on a cruise (pre hurricaine damage) and it would STILL hold the title of "The Best Snorkeling Ever" after many many other Carrib. islands throughout the years. The water is just perfection AND the coral system (and the fish etc that come with that) are just amazing. We had a fantastic time there for the whole day we were there

. It was one of those places where I''d really think I''d enjoy coming back to and staying for at least a week to "get to know" it better.

I''ll agree, tho, with the expensive

part.

 

[Fancy605]

I''ve never been to Grand Caymen, but I did consider it in the search for our honeymoon locaion. I found this site super helpful Trip advisor

In fact, besides pricescope, trip advisor is my biggest on line addiction.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/29/2007 9:32:34 AM
Author: Fancy605
I''ve never been to Grand Caymen, but I did consider it in the search for our honeymoon locaion. I found this site super helpful Trip advisor

In fact, besides pricescope, trip advisor is my biggest on line addiction.

Me too!

 

[bravesfan]

I have some family that lives there so we went for a little over a week. I would say that if you are looking to relax then it would be a great place to go. You can get some wonderful snorkeling in (they have the most beautiful fish there---- and entire schools swim all around you) they also have the area with the stingrays where you are in the middle of the ocean and there are just stingrays everywhere you look! That was pretty cool...


I would say there isnt a ton of shopping and NO nightlife. Personally I enjoyed being forced to do nothing but my fi would go cazy if he was forced to "relax" all day.

 

[emeraldlover1]

I''m sorry I didn''t find this post earlier. You may have already decided where to go but I wanted to give you my opinion. I''ve been to Grand Cayman twice. The first time that I went was on a cruise, a totally different experience then the second time that I went. My boyfriend and I went for a week earlier this year. Four of the seven days that we were there we were with other people so that may have something to do with why I loved it so much. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and it was truly the best vacation I have ever had. There is so much to do there, snorkeling, stingray city (a must), golf, fishing, not to mention the water. Like most of the Carribean the water is amazingly clear, however, Grand Cayman being on the Carribean sea there are virtually no waves. The pools are amazing at the Ritz but we spent more time just lounging in the water because it was so calm.

I can''t say enough about the Ritz, it is great and Friday nights they turn the lobby into a dance club. It was pretty neat, the food was great and even the resturaunts that we visited outside of the hotel were fantastic. There are some places to go for nightlife you just need to know where to find them. I found it was the perfect place to go for a week. My boyfriend and I have pretty high paced stressful jobs and most of what we wanted to do on vacaiton was relax and do more sporty type things however we did find plently of time to socialize and it did not seem overwelming. I can tell you more if you want just let me know.

Going on a cruise there was ok. We were only there for a few hours so it was really hard to get an idea of what it is like. The shops there do close down after the cruises leave. However, for myself and my boyfriend, we live in NYC and had no intention of going shoping on vacation. Although I have to say, my boyfriend is selling a company down there right now and a few weeks after we got back from vacation he had to return for business, while he was there he bought the Cartier Roadster Crono Men''s watch due to the the no tax he would have to pay there. You can do that at most Carribean Islands though.

I think it is a fantastic place and I would defintatly go back, however, not on a cruise. We saw quite a few beach weddings when we were there. They were amazing and the Ritz totally had everything under control. The ritz is insane. We even had a table set up in the pool (yes in the pool) to have dinner one night. It was fun but afterwards we were like, "Why did we do that again?".

Hope the info helps.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks so much for all the replies! Emeraldlover, thank you for taking the time to write as much detail as you did. I think Grand Cayman sounds wonderful and I''d love to go there. I''m not sure my FI would totally love spending a week lounging around, which I could easily do.

It''s great to hear how fun the snorkeling is! I''ll put this info. in my folder of vacation spots for future trips.

Thanks again!