There are definitely some helpful things to know when visiting Grand Cayman that don’t necessarily fall into a “Review” post, so I thought I’d do an extra bonus post with some additional Cayman tips and tricks! To be honest, most of these tips can be applied to almost any Caribbean island trip, or really, on most trips anywhere 🙂 Hope you find them helpful, and happy travelling!
Cayman Tips and Tricks:
1.) The islanders are very friendly and are super helpful in recommending places to visit and giving directions, so don’t be afraid to ask! We may or may not have stopped several times to ask for directions 😀
2.) Driving is a little tricky in Grand Cayman for several reasons:
- First, there are hardly any street signs. For people who don’t have an international phone plan (us), it can get pretty tricky if you can’t use Google Maps internationally. Luckily, about halfway through our trip we discovered that you can download certain portions of Google Maps and use them to drive with even if you don’t have wifi. Once we learned that we were golden, so I HIGHLY recommend using this free option if you plan on driving.
- Secondly, there are LOTS of roundabouts. Probably not an issue for Europeans, but for us Americans who don’t use them much it is something to be aware of. Most likely, your car rental dealer will want to explain them to you since locals don’t like accidents either.
- Third, if you’re American, you’ll be driving on the opposite side of the road in Grand Cayman. Not particularly hard, it just requires a bit more concentration. You MAY even get a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side as well, our rental dealer asked what we preferred, so you may have an option, but if you don’t have reservations you may not have an option
3.) Just a head’s up…the island itself if pretty expensive. We went to the grocery store and bought our own bread, cheese, and snacks so that we could make our own breakfast and lunches in an effort to avoid going out for every meal. We actually do this on almost every trip…European-styled breakfast/lunches are super cheap and filling, all you need is some decent cheese (we recommend Gouda or Havarti) and a french baguette!
4.) As you could have guessed based on the previous item, drinks can also be fairly expensive. At one location, one drink cost us $17! In order to avoid steep drink prices, we bought local rum ($20), coke ($2), and Pina Colada mix ($4) at the store, and made our own rum and cokes and Pina Coladas in our room. We were lucky enough to have a full kitchen at Caribbean Club that included a fridge with an icemaker and a blender, so we could easily make our own, but this may be a bit more difficult if your hotel doesn’t offer those appliances. Either way, there are definitely alternatives to spending a ton of money on food and drinks if you think creatively and plan ahead, but if you’re on a budget it is helpful to know what to expect! (Pro Tip – invest in some Yeti tumblers and pack them on every trip! These worked like a charm for us and kept our homemade drinks nice and frozen all day!)
5.) Pack your own snorkel gear – all you REALLY need is a mask, don’t pay outrageous prices for rentals when it’s small enough to pack! If you plan on using it on other trips it’s probably worth the (small) investment.
6.) This is obvious, but if you’re on a budget…do the FREE things! Starfish Point, Rum Point, Smith Cove, 7 Mile Beach…all free! Read more here, but honestly, you don’t NEED to drop a ton of money on tours, trips, and toys to have an amazing Cayman experience. Cayman may be a bit expensive, but you can definitely MAKE it more budget friendly if you want to.
7.) Pack your own sunscreen in your checked bag – we ALWAYS do this, sunscreen prices in tourist locations are astronomical, so we prefer to bring our own sunscreen that can be bought at home for a less inflated price. (Can anyone guess who wears which sunscreen options between the 2 of us?? :D)
remotely interested in Grand Cayman…and for good reason! Easily our favorite Caribbean beach, 7 Mile is absolutely breathtaking! The sand is white and the water is clear and beautiful…..clear enough to see 50 feet in all directions and a wonderful ombre color of blue and turquoise! We visited in early July 2017 and the water was warm enough to not be chilly, but cool enough to be refreshing – a perfect blend! It’s also great for snorkeling….we saw a variety of fish at 7 Mile Beach, and even a few wild sea 
turtles! There are plenty of restaurants and bars on the beach (our favorites were Luca and Royal Palms) within walking distance. We stayed in Caribbean Club (read more 
Complete with a pier, lounge chairs, shops, and dining, you could spend all day here! We went on a Sunday morning (during the rainy season) and had the whole place practically to ourselves, which is how we were able to get photos without other people in it, although I’ve heard that it can get pretty crowded. However, the downfall of a Sunday morning trip was that we couldn’t get mudslides unless we were willing to wait until the bar opened at noon, and we weren’t since we had other things to do that day. But we would definitely recommend a stop-in! We walked along the 
boardwalk area, along the beach, and up and down the pier before finding some chairs to lounge in and eventually snorkel a bit. Since we didn’t end up getting mudslides, this ended up being a free activity for us, so for those on a budget this is a great option! This was about a 45 minute drive from our hotel in 7 Mile Beach, so we were glad to have a car. Rum Point is also situated right next to Starfish Point…so if you make the trip over here I highly recommend making a stop at both locations! Check it out 
trip to Smith Cove. One of our favorite things to do is explore un-commercialized coves and areas of natural beauty, so we knew this would be a highlight. From what I’ve read, this spot can be 
crowded when cruise ships are in town, but there were only 3 people there when we got there….then again, we went around 8:00am in order to avoid any crowds 😉 We were a bit disappointed to find that the rocks were not as high as we had thought they would be, we had read about cliff jumping, but these were definitely not cliffs. Still super fun though, we were still glad we went! This is definitely not a commercialized spot as there is nothing around it, and no bars or restaurants to rent beach chairs from. There is a little beach area, but you’ll have to bring your own chair or just use a towel. The cove is perfect for snorkeling 
though, and we had a great time jumping of the rocks and exploring all the nooks and crannies under water and meeting all kinds of fish! This would also be a great area to kayak or paddle board to. This is definitely a great place on the island to visit, especially if you’re on a budget since it’s free! Just be sure you have some kind of shoes on… those rocks are super sharp 🙂 Also, it’s kind of hard to find, so downloading Grand Cayman on Google Maps ahead of time and searching for “Smith Barcadere” helps! Find it 
selling any product, and the user experience at Caribbean Club is top notch! Caribbean Club did not miss a beat, starting from the week before our stay, when we got an email from the hotel asking if we had anything in particular we would like our room stocked with, to the welcome package that greeted us when we arrived. Full disclosure, there is a stocking fee, so we didn’t take advantage of that perk, but definitely a great option to have! You can easily walk to the grocery/ABC store too if you’d like. Every detail of your stay is thought out by the hotel ahead of time so that all you have to do is focus on relaxing…not that that will require much concentration 🙂
bags for us and provided towels so that we could change and hit the beach right away. The walk from the lobby to the beach is absolutely breathtaking. The patio lends itself to the hotel restaurant, Luca, which is both super convenient and also absolutely delicious. Read more about Luca 
and is unlike any other we’ve been to. The water was absolutely perfect….cool enough to be refreshing, yet warm enough to not be chilly, and clear enough to see 50 feet in all directions. So perfect, in fact, that you could almost think that you were in a pool with how clear it was! It is perfect for snorkeling and offers a wide variety of fish to discover…in fact, on the last morning of our stay we found ourselves swimming with wild sea turtles, which was super cool! Arguably, the other best feature of this particular area of 7 Mile Beach is how private it is! Caribbean Club, in my opinion, is situated on the best stretch of 7 Mile Beach in that it is close enough to little beach bars that is easy to stroll down and find something to eat or drink, but it is private enough that you pretty much get your own stretch of beach! Caribbean Club only has 37 rooms, so their beach isn’t crowded like many other hotel beaches are. They offer lounge chairs, mats, and umbrellas for every guest, and you don’t even have to get up early to make sure that you get a seat. Literally the most perfect beach, and we even visited during the rainy season! The other major perk of this location is that it also offers prime sunset views 🙂
about $75/night, check it out 
rooms ocean front. The room included a full kitchen, so if you are trying to save money and cook your own meals that is definitely an option! The rooms themselves were very clean and included a King size bed in the bedroom, a foyer area, kitchen with table and chairs, living room area with TV and futon, shower room, bathroom, and an outside porch area. To be honest, it is really more of a small condo than a hotel room! Another plus is that it is only a few miles from the airport on the Dutch side ($10 for a taxi), which was big plus for us since we had very limited time on the island. Being right next to the airport and Maho Beach, you do hear planes a good bit, but they don’t generally start until 8am and they don’t usually fly past 7:00ish, so they don’t fly throughout the night, although if you’re in your room, the sound is pretty blocked out anyway. The room includes a wireless phone as well with the taxi number programmed into it so you can call your own cab if you need one (also a plus if you’re like us and don’t have an international phone plan). Azure also has free wifi that is great in your room and on the beach right outside the hotel, which is super convenient! Check in is generally at 3 and check out is at 11am, however, we were able to get into our room upon arrival at 1:30, and we asked for a late check out since our flight didn’t leave until 4:00 the next day, so Mike graciously allowed us to stay until 2:00 at no additional charge! HUGE plus for us since we literally only had 27 hours on the island and we were trying to make the most of it and fit as much as we could in!
family friendly beach that is also used by some locals, but is not crowded like the beaches of Maho or Orient. As a head’s up for those with kids – we did see a few topless sunbathers, but that was not the norm as most beachgoers were fully clothed, which is not the norm for some of the other beaches on the island 🙂 Our first day there the water was calm and warm, our second day there were some great waves to play in, so I think the water itself gives you a little variety as well. Azure provides beach towels, lounge chairs, and umbrellas right on the beach for their guests as well, so you really don’t need to leave the hotel. If you’re looking for bars and food there are several along the beach that only require a short walk of a quarter mile or so (we loved Karakters, although it is a little pricey for entrees), or you can go into the town of Simpson Bay and find restaurants, bars, and supermarkets there. Mike and his wife are very friendly and will recommend places to you if you ask! The views are spectacular, as the hotel itself is flourishing with beautiful greens, flowers, and palm trees. They even have coconuts growing on the trees and an outdoor passion fruit canopy. As a bay, Simpson Bay is home to a variety of yachts, catamarans, sailboats, and other vessels that dot the water. Our one day there we could see as many as 40+ boats! We would absolutely recommend Azure Hotel and would definitely return! Plus, it is probably the absolute best bang for your buck if you’re working with a budget!
Pilot Life for Me 