We spent time in Grand Cayman in July 2017 and absolutely LOVED it! It is probably our new favorite Caribbean island! Grand Cayman is the largest of the 3 islands that make up the Cayman Islands. By “largest” I mean really only 22 miles long, but still larger than the other two – Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. The Cayman Islands are British islands whose main source of income is banking, so everyone speaks English and accepts US dollars, which makes it a super easy vacation destination! One thing I would definitely recommend is to rent a car. Car rentals are pretty cheap (we paid $24/day, plus a one-time fee of $15 for a Cayman driving permit) and it gave us so much freedom, especially since the attractions of the island are pretty spread out! Keep reading to find out more about our favorite spots on the island!
1.) 7 Mile Beach
This one is obvious, and you’ve probably already heard about this one if you’re even 
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 here) right at 7 Mile Beach, which is located further away from other resorts which allowed us to have a pretty quiet stretch of beach that was amazing! By far our favorite beach and an absolute must-see! Not to mention the sunsets…..be sure to check out 7 Mile sunsets too! Options like jet skiing, scuba diving, paddleboarding, and other attractions are also available for those interested! We would highly recommend 7 Mile! For more reviews check it out here.
- Luca: Luca is the on-site restaurant at Caribbean Club, but is open to the public as well and is an island favorite. We went once for a quick snack after we first arrived and had a spectacular lobster bisque-type soup that had a wonderful lobster flavor. We went to Luca again a few days later for dinner and had some of the best Red Snapper and Mahi Mahi of our life! The fish is caught local, cooked to perfection, and paired wonderfully with sides of asparagus, lemon risotto, and fingerling potatoes. The atmosphere is perfect and if you sit outside you get a wonderful view of the perfectly manicured courtyard and beautiful infinity pool that leads right to 7 Mile Beach. If you plan your dinner right, you can even catch the sunset at the beach which makes for a perfect night! Lunch is pretty casual and we came in right off the beach, but dinner is a classier affair for which everyone dressed up a bit. We didn’t get alcohol and our total bill was still around $70 I believe….but so worth it! We would highly recommend this restaurant for it’s outstanding food, service, and views, and would absolutely return! Check it out here
Lobster Bisque
Mahi Mahi
Red Snapper - Royal Palms: We took a 10 minute stroll down the beach to have dinner at Royal Palms and we were not disappointed! The location is absolutely perfect, you literally walk in right off the beach onto a deck that is built over the sand, so we got to have dinner on the beach as the sun went down! My husband had a wonderful seafood linguine and I had some fabulous fish tacos. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the linguine was loaded up with healthy portions of fresh seafood, and every bite had seafood in it. The tacos also had healthy portions of fish, which was complimented with a wonderful mango salsa. The service was great and we even received a complimentary dessert of some type of delicious raspberry chocolate truffle! We enjoyed our experience here so much so that we came back the next day for a take-out lunch of mahi burgers which were absolutely delicious! We loved the casual laid-back vibe of this restaurant/bar that offered delicious food and spectacular views! Read more here.
Seafood Linguine
Fish Tacos
Beach View
Mahi Burger
2.) Rum Point
Known for their famous mudslides, this super cute little spot is a popular tourist stop. 
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 here.
3.) Starfish Point
We almost didn’t do this trip because we didn’t have a ton of time and we aren’t really big starfish people….but we were so glad we did! We didn’t stay that long, but it was definitely worth going! It’s a free little state park-type “beach” where the woods back all the way up to the water.
Dotting the water are all kinds of starfish that you can pick up and touch. Now, you aren’t supposed to pick them up out of the water, but you can hold them in your hand under the water. There isn’t anyone monitoring, but it’s important that visitors are respectful of wild life in their natural habitat. We waded around and collected different sizes and types of starfish and had a great time! Fair warning, this is not a beach that you’d lay out at, and there are no chairs or anything around, you literally only go to wade around and play with starfish, but what more do you need?! Again, this was a Sunday morning trip for us, so there was no one else around when we visited, but I would imagine that it can get busy during peak hours of high season. This spot is a short 3 minute drive from Rum Point, so if you’re headed that way make sure you stop and check out both spots! Read more here.
4.) Smith Cove (Barcadere)
Having done research ahead of time, we knew we definitely wanted to be sure to fit in a 
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 here.
5.) Camana Bay
We almost missed this spot but we made it there on our last night on Grand Cayman and we were so glad we did! We went on a Sunday night for some amazing gelato at Gelato & Co. Cremeria Italiana (check it out here). My husband had hazelnut and chocolate gelato, and I had a Nutella and Ferrero Rocher gelato…needless to say, I won (obviously) 😀 We got our gelato and walked around the cute little bay, which had an amazing fountain, docks, and a bridge that went to a tiny little island that had rocking chairs where we rocked and ate. It was a perfect low-key ending to our night! There is lots of shopping and dining in Camana Bay as it really is more of an outdoor mall, however everything was closed when we went on Sunday night except for the bars and restaurants. But if you’re a shopper then you’d probably love this location for the shopping as well! To see more about Camana Bay you can read additional info here.
Other areas that we didn’t get to explore but would have liked to try are listed below…if you try them out you’ll have to shoot us a message and let us know how they are! We’d love to hear from you!
- Mastic Trail
- Cemetery Beach
- Bioluminescent Bay (Bio Bay)
- Georgetown (duty free shopping)
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!
breathtaking! Clean white buildings, royal blue domes and doors, and beautiful flowers overlooking a perfect view of the caldera and Aegean Sea. Side note – being that everything is white, you better have good sunglasses otherwise you won’t see anything since the sun reflects off them all pretty harshly. Most people go to Oia for sunset, however, in our opinion (which we adopted from the locals), the sunset is just as gorgeous from Fira, and I’m sure many other places in Santorini. Oia DOES get extremely crowded however. It’s often the first stop that tourists coming off the cruises make a beeline for….sometimes there can be 3-5 cruise liners anchored a day, which means up to 80,000 visitors a day, making the Santorini port one of the busiest in the world. We aren’t much for crowds, and Oia turned out to be super expensive, so we opted to do a morning trip and spent a few hours walking around, taking in the sights, and snapping photos before we moved on to Amoudi Bay. Be sure to check out the Castle of Oia,
which was a Byzantine castle back in the day. Today it’s ruins offer a magnificent view. If you’re looking to spend money, Oia has LOTS of shopping, and I’m sure it has great food too, we just didn’t partake in either of those activities at Oia. To be honest with you, Oia was amazing to see, but now that we’ve done it we probably wouldn’t return…nothing wrong with it, crowds, cities, and shopping just isn’t our thing. But if you’re in Santorini, Oia is definitely something you have to do once!
beaches are made up of dark volcanic sand, rocks, and pebbles. We visited two of these famous black beaches during our stay….Kamari and Perissa. Both were very similar, beautiful clear blue water that met the hot sand just like any other beach, the sand was just black. (Note – you absolutely will need flip flops or some kind of shoes to avoid scalding your feet!). Both beaches offered plenty of lounge chairs, palm tree umbrellas, and restaurant options. Typically if you buy drinks at one of the beachside restaurants you can use a lounge chair and umbrella for free all day – a GREAT deal at any time but especially at Happy Hour! You definitely need to check out at least one black beach during your stay in order to get the full Santorini experience!
Santorini has several unique features. One of which, are the red beaches! We ATV’d to the one titled “Red Beach”, but I believe there are several others on the island as well. While we didn’t have time to stay, it was definitely a sight to see – and one you can’t miss! This was probably the most unique beach I’ve ever seen in my life!
Pilot Life for Me 