Ever though what is paradise?
Well let me tell you about the Cayman Islands. They are 3 beautiful little islands (or splashes of colour as we call them) situated in the middle of the Caribbean in between Jamaica and Cuba. Originally discovered by Christopher Columbus after seeing Turtles ... Read review
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Advantages: Great People, Great Place Disadvantages: Hurricane Season
...me tell you about the Cayman Islands. They are 3 beautiful little islands (or splashes of colour as we call them) situated in the middle of the Caribbean in between Jamaica and Cuba. Originally discovered by Christopher Columbus after seeing Turtles nearby. The island is a British Overseas Territory so many things operate similar to Britain including driving on the left.
The Main Island and home to the Capital George Town is Grand ... ...plane takes you from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman or Cayman Brac. There is not a lot to do on these island other than relax and dive.
Grand Cayman is a fantastic place to be. The island town centre George Town harbours the huge Cruise ship that visit the island. The moment you set foot on the dock you are faced with countless Duty free shops selling mainly, Booze, Jewellery and Perfume. In Town you will find some fantastic places ... more
Ever though what is paradise?
Well let me tell you about the Cayman Islands. They are 3 beautiful little islands (or splashes of colour as we call them) situated in the middle of the Caribbean in between Jamaica and Cuba. Originally discovered by Christopher Columbus after seeing Turtles nearby. The island is a British Overseas Territory so many things operate similar to Britain including driving on the left.
The Main Island and home to the Capital George Town is Grand Cayman. This is where most people visiting the Cayman Islands will come to weather it be by plane or cruise ship. The smaller sister island have very few residents and even less tourism. However are very beautiful and great for that unspoilt feel. A small shuttle plane takes you from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman or Cayman Brac. There is not a lot to do on these island other than relax and dive.
Grand Cayman is a fantastic place to be. The island town centre George Town harbours the huge Cruise ship that visit the island. The moment you set foot on the dock you are faced with countless Duty free shops selling mainly, Booze, Jewellery and Perfume. In Town you will find some fantastic places to Drink and eat. One of the most popular is Breezes which over looks the Bay. Then Hammer Heads situated on the ocean front with decking, sit relax enjoy a mudslide and watch the boats sail past.
Further out of town but not to far is the beautiful Seven Mile Beach. Many rich Condo and Hotels are situated here. The beach is beautiful and you ca see it stretch right down the side of the island. The white sand mixed with the turquoise blue ocean is so inviting. You will find plenty of restaurants here selling the finest quality seafood.
The district of Westbay is home to the Sea Turtle farm where you can see hundreds of turtles from babies to 80 year old giants. Also in Westbay you will find a place called Hell named after it unusual land rock formation. You can even send a postcard from the Hell post office there.
In the more local part of Grand Cayman you will find Bodden Town home to the pirate caves. Where they claim buried treasure was once hidden by The Pirates of the Caribbean .
East end is very local but a nice pleasant area purely for relaxing. Bars tend to be local and local restaurants serving Conch and Turtle Stew. Not quite in East End is Queen Elizabeth botanical Park where you can enjoy a walk round beautiful gardens and see the endangered Blue Iguana roaming wild
My favourite spot on the island is a beautiful spot of peace and tranquillity called Rum Point. A small beautiful beach with a great wreck bar and grill. Sit on a sun lounger sipping an ice cold beer looking out onto the ocean. Here you may see small stingrays dotted around the jetty.
Further out from rum point you will find Sting Ray City. A home to wild sting rays. Situated on a sand bar you can stand in waist deep water and feed these beautiful creatures and give them a hug. An experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry.
The Cayman Islands are sat on top of an inactive volcano which means diving is great. Not a diver? No need to worry you can snorkel and se some of the most beautiful fish.
The climate is tropical so it's warm all year round. The summer months also mean the start of hurricane season when the island can be subject to high waves and winds. Rainy season means it will rain for 30 mins to 1 hour before stopping and the sun reappearing. Best time to visit is December to May.
The people are friendly and there are a lot of expats here due to it being a major offshore financial centre. Everyone is courteous and helpful.
The standard of living is high and therefore this island is not cheap to visit like other Caribbean islands. A beer will cost anything from £2 - £3.50. Bar food is around £5 - £15 and a restaurant meal with wine will cost around £50 upwards for 3 courses. The food in the restaurants is some of the best you will ever sample with chef from all over the world. A 15% gratuity is added to most bar and restaurant bills as standard.
The local currency is Cayman Island Dollars but US dollars are widely accepted.
Tour the island via boat, rental car or public bus. You can walk to most places if you can stand the sun. Everywhere is safe to walk round.
A great place to experience high class dining, luxury hotels, friendly people in a beautiful safe environment. Enjoy snorkling a diving in the warm waters and sea an vast array of sealife.
I love the island and the way of life, I actually now live and work here too.
Advantages: The memory will stay with you for ever Disadvantages: Expensive
Grand Cayman is the only place in the world where members of the general public can descend to 800 feet in a research submersible. They have two submersibles in operation, each carries two passengers and the pilot, and operates five times per day, seven days a week. Its been about five years or so since I was there, and it was 269 US dollars per person then (about £180 at that time). Expensive, yes, but the one hour journey was worth every penny ... ...on the globe, and the Cayman Wall, just a few hundred metres from shore, is reputed to drop almost vertically for 25000 feet. I can vouch for the first 800 at least.
Having booked the trip several days earlier, I turned up at the harbour for weigh-in armed with my video camera and accompanied by my wife. The submersibles are moored about half a mile from shore so they had to take us out in an inflatable to board it. The trip out there took ten minutes ...
petehall 05.01.2001 (08.01.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cayman Islands
Advantages: Warm Waters and Warm people on shores; Aquamarine, deep waters; Lots of fish to keep you stimulated! Disadvantages: None encountered
...the calm waters of the Cayman Islands! The nearest boat to yours is at least 1 mile away. In the distance, you can see the lights of the nearest city. Your kids or friends are busy watching a football, rugby or any game for that matter via satellite. No this is not a dream. This can be pure reality. If you are a boat owner, you can make this trip to one of the Caribbean jewels. If you are seriously thinking about a great getaway, you can make a good ... ...locals. Most of the Cayman Islands residents can speak at least these three languages.
Back in 1989, my family and some family friends headed out to the Cayman Islands for a week. We had no problems at all. When we docked our boats at the local harbour visit the city, we did have to pay the fees. We made a point to tip the workers. We walked all over the town and never had any trouble with criminal types. Many say that various groups of people commit ...
digitalshare 18.09.2000
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Review of Cayman Islands
Advantages: Clean, beautiful, friendly Disadvantages: more expensive than other areas
...a cruise that included Grand Cayman as one of the ports of call. In a word, it was AWESOME. The snorkeling was fantastic at Eden Rock, part of the Seven Mile Beach. Don't miss the Stingray Adventure. You will board a boat and travel four miles out to sea. Your boat will anchor on a sandbar ranging in depth from around 3 - 6 feet. Once you enter the warm water, you will be surrounded by stingrays. It is an incredible sight to see these wild creatures ... ...offer use of snorkeling equipment. Take advantage of it.
Shopping was good, but not as inexpensive as other islands in the area. Prices were firm, no bartering. Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe on the beach was pricey, about $40.00 US for 2 hamburgers and cokes, but very good.
Locals were very friendly. However, several people working in shops along the beach, had recently moved to the Caymans. They were not very knowledgeable about the area - could ...
Advantages: Beautiful clean beaches, clear water and nice weather. Disadvantages: Can be expensive and over run from people from cruise liners.
I went to Grand Cayman last October and found it to be everything I'd imagined it to be. The beaches have lovely light coloured soft sand, beautiful clear waters and the snorkelling is fantastic. So many brightly coloured fish to see and reefs to explore.
In October it is very hot there but there is the occasional downpour which tends to be very heavy. However, the rain does not last long and within half an hour everything is dry again.
We stayed ... ...excellent and is situatied at the north end of the island. The food was really good and they also laid on barbecues in the evenings on the beach. I would recommend avoiding staying at any of the hotels along seven mile beach. These hotels also cater for passengers visiting from the huge cruise liners that moor just off the island about 3 times a week. The hotels along here are literally swamped with tourists from the liners and we found this out ...
tazzii 23.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Cayman Islands
About the Cayman Islands. They are 3 beautiful little islands, situated in the middle of the Caribbean in between Jamaica and Cuba. Originally discovered by Christopher Columbus after seeing Turtles nearby. The Main Island and home to the Capital George Town is Grand Cayman. This is where most people visiting the Cayman Islands will come to weather it be by plane or cruise ship.Further out of town but not to far is the beautiful Seven Mile Beach. ... ...volcano which means diving is great. The climate is tropical so it's warm all year round. The summer months also mean the start of hurricane season when the island can be subject to high waves and winds. Best time to visit is December to May.I have too see this place ageinin January time ...
anna712 22.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Cayman Islands
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Advantages: size of ship, destinations, entertainment, food........ Disadvantages: none
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gemrocks1 21.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Carnival
