The Cayman Islands are a nature lover’s oasis. The clear aqua waters and white sandy beaches are only the beginning. The Grand Cayman Islands offer a variety of experiences that are unique to their region. Caribbean destinations have their own specialties depending on their land and location. I’ve written about Turks and Caicos, which I absolutely loved, but our time in the Cayman Islands was every bit as special.
Planning a vacation for somewhere you haven’t been is always a challenge. Trying to figure out the lay of the land, reading through endless reviews, and hoping the pictures match reality is a starting point. I love helping people have a fantastic getaway, so I am publishing this information to help you do just that.
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What to Know Before You Go
We spent three nights on the Cayman Islands. It was a decent amount of time to tap into most of the island’s highlights. It was also enough time to confirm that we absolutely loved the island and that return visits will be in store.
We rented a car. Yes, they do drive on the left side of the road as the Cayman Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. There are A LOT of roundabouts, but the driving is courteous and having your own car makes getting around the island so much easier.
Happenstance. Serendipity. Travel Angels. Whatever you want to call it, it’s wonderful! Meeting the right people at the right time and having magical moments because of it makes for fantastic travel. That was in full force during our stay. I’ll elaborate on that further into the article.
Shopping List
Before you head to the airport, be sure to have these essentials. It will save you time and a lot of money to have them packed and ready. Trying to find them on the island isn’t as easy as you think.
- Travel size sunscreen
- Snorkeling gear
- Water shoes
- Beach towels
- Underwater disposable camera
- Cell phone water resistant case
Lodging
After transportation, lodging is the next most important element to travel. It also can be quite a large portion of your travel budget. Are you shocked to know that we only paid a total of $50 for our three nights in the Cayman Islands? No, we didn’t sleep in tents or in a hostel. We had very nice accommodations in clean, comfortable hotels.
Our first night was spent at Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman by IHG. We used our IHG credit card’s yearly Anniversary Reward to pay for the night. The hotel did charge a $50 resort fee that wasn’t included. Hotel Indigo has an outdoor pool, a hot tub, hammocks and a rooftop bar. There is an attached restaurant and a café on the entry level. The café conveniently displays tantalizing pastries for a quick grab-n-go breakfast. The hotel sits about 400m from the Seven Mile Beach. You can easily walk or catch a golf cart taxi to get there. The reserved beach area has lounge chairs, towels and service for drinks.
The next two nights we moved to the other side of the island. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman by IHG. This was a free stay by cashing in our IHG credit card points. When making the reservation, it gave us the option to add a full-service breakfast to our stay for additional points. It was well worth it! The menu had a nice variety of entrees with lattes and cappuccinos being included. Perks included a workout room, laundry facilities, a pool, an outdoor bar, hammocks, a small beach, and a pier. The pier is the perfect location to catch a sunrise and to snorkel. We saw several large starfish nestled in the sand nearby.
Points = Free Lodging
I’m a big fan of both the IHG credit card and the Chase Sapphire credit card. We are constantly building up our points through everyday spending. Booking a free stay through either of these accounts is super easy. Cancellation is typically free when you opt to use points instead of cash. I love keeping my travel plans open since we fly standby so often.
Things to Do on the Grand Cayman Islands
Remember how I told you we had a serendipitous moment that greatly improved our Cayman Island vacation? Well, it happened the very first day we arrived. Since we couldn’t check into our hotel yet, we went to the side hallway to change into our bathing suits in the public restrooms. While waiting on me, my husband and son struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was waiting on his wife. Eventually we all came together and the couple recommended a native Cayman who was an excellent personal guide. We got his WhatsApp number and thanked them for their list of island recommendations.
Later that evening
I got in touch with this Captain and arranged a personal excursion. What a day it ended up being! We could not have asked for a better experience. The day was stood out as a Cayman Island highlight. We hope you’ll be able to book such a special day as well.
Captain David’s company is Starliner Dream Tours. You get to be further away from all of the tourists and boats in Stingray City. Your personalized experience is so much more authentic.
What We Did on Our Boat Excursion
Kiss a Stingray
After a few minutes of cruising on the bay, you’ll come to what the locals call Stingray City. Several stingrays call this area home and have grown up being around humans. Note, the stingrays are still in their wild habitat. They still hold a potential threat, but with a knowledgeable guide, visitors can interact with these mysterious creatures.
A Wild Experience
As soon as we got in the waist high water with our guide, David, Freckles showed up. She stayed with us for almost an hour. Captain David patiently taught each one of us how to hold her so she felt secure. At one point during each of our turns, we were able to lift her up and kiss her! Local legend says it’ll give seven years good luck, so why not! The guide would put Freckles on our backs, and she would give lapping back rubs. During our visit, Freckles was noticeably pregnant. I had never really thought about what baby stingrays looked like until the topic came up. After a quick Google search, we were surprised to learn they look something along the lines of a ravioli alien. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself.
Snorkel with Schools of Fish
Captain David knows the lay of the ocean floor, and he took us to an amazing coral reef area. Colorful fish popped in and out of the reef as the sway of the tide ebbed and flowed around us. Often, we were surrounded by huge schools of fish gliding along as one larger body. We even had a young stingray gather in the action. Snorkel gear was provided, but if you’d like to have your own set of flippers, you’ll need to bring them with you. Be sure to bring sunscreen as it doesn’t take long to get burnt with the glistening water all around.
Have a Picnic on the Water
After our time with the stingray, we all got back in the boat and headed further out to sea. David dropped anchor in an area he knew and dove down in search of fresh conch. In just minutes he came back up to the surface with four large conch shells. While we snorkeled around the coral reefs, Captain David diced up the conch. Along with various fresh ingredients, he created the most delicious conch salad/salsa we’d ever tasted. Fresh juice, along with fruit and cheese, were also part of the ocean picnic spread. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable outing.
Order a Literary Themed Drink
Since I’m always seeking out literary destinations, heading to the Library by the Sea for an evening drink was a must. I knew the drinks had literary connections, but it wasn’t until we bellied up to the bar that the entire literary experience started to unfold. To start, the menu is a book! Each featured drink has been crafted based on a particular novel.
Literary Insight
This is what is written by the owner inside the menu. “This menu was born from the desire to unite two forms of storytelling: the written word and flavor. Like a well-crafted novel, each step of this experience was designed to evoke emotions, stir memories, and open the door to new worlds.”
What we didn’t realize was that when your drink is served, the bar tender then goes into an elaborate storytelling mode to give you the ins and outs of how your specialty drink came to be. It’s quite entertaining and it gives you a whole new appreciation for the beverage. Many of the featured books can be purchased from the bar’s vintage collection.
Pick your drink based on your favorite book
Because my daughter’s trail name is Paddington, I opted for the drink named ‘Please look after this drink’. It is probably the only time I’ll get served a porcelain mug in a bar. Inside the cup was barsol pisco, passion fruit vermouth, tropical marmalade, and brioche cream. You can come up with your own version of why those particular ingredients were used to represent Paddington, but I’ll leave the original story for you to find out during your visit. Cheers!
Explore Down Under
Being on a relatively small island, it’s hard to believe there is an extensive underground cave system so close to the surface of the land. We visited the Cayman Crystal Caves and found them to include a labyrinth we weren’t expecting. The tour lasted about an hour with a great guide giving us history and fun facts along the way. The path was relatively flat. Note that there are bats in the caves. My personal favorite was seeing the banyan tree trunks that emerge through the surface via years of determination.
Eating at the caves
Afterwards, we opted to take advantage of the cool tiki style restaurant at the end of the tour. The food and drinks were delicious and the ambiance was great. Be sure to look up and try to find the green birds. They nest in the area but their camouflage is top notch.
Wish Upon a Star(fish)
You may have seen the pictures on Instagram that show masses of starfish in the Cayman Islands. I heard mixed messages from the locals as to their legitimacy. Some claim it used to look like that but not in the past few years. Others say, yes, you can still come across all of those starfish depending on the tide. Regardless, nature will always do its thing and there are never guarantees. We did come across 10-15 large starfish just off of the shore in different areas of the island. Starfish Point had the most. The water is very shallow here and the beach is more rustic. Parking is extremely limited so be prepared to walk.
Visit Hell
Yep, you read that correctly. It’s odd to say it and mean it. That even felt weird typing it! Oddly enough, there’s a desolate area on the island that has super funky rock formations. I guess it’s been named Hell and they’ve inevitably made some money off of the reference. It is cool to see but a fence keeps you from walking up close. There’s a fake ‘devil’ standing out in the middle. If you have time to check it out, go, but if you don’t, no biggie.
Experiment with Local Foods
Tortuga Rum
It’s hard to come to the island and not stop in the famed Tortuga Rum store. Free samples of rum are given out in a variety of flavors. You might want rum for your vacation but hold off if you just want it to take back home. It is MUCH cheaper in the duty free section of the airport.
While you are in the store, I recommend trying a local favorite if you like a bit of spice. Coco Bread sandwiches are only $2-4 and they make for a super cheap afternoon meal. I didn’t know what I was ordering so I asked for a bun. Upon opening up my wrapping, I realized I now had double the bread. Oh well, live and learn.
Morgans
This restaurant was recommended to us by the hotel staff. The setting is beautiful with an outdoor patio right along the shore. Inside, you’ll find funky nautical decor that really sets the space apart. The food’s presentation was stylishly arranged and was full of freshness.
Eat, Snorkel and Catch a Sunset
The water is every bit a part of everyday life on the Cayman Islands. You can completely embrace the notion by going swimming/snorkeling/scuba diving right off of the deck of the Cracked Conch Restaurant & Macubuca Tiki Bar. It sits right on the water for a fresh cool breeze and amazing views. It’s a hot spot for island flavors. If you time it right, soaking up an epic sunset while gazing out over the horizon is a phenomenal way to end a day on the island.
The Cayman Islands Recap
As with all destinations, there will always be additional places to discover and new experiences to try. We got a taste of the island, and I hope it will help you with your future travels. It’s always nice when you get ‘real’ recommendations instead of paid advertising.
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list! Until then, scour my website for more travel information. Be sure to check out my Etsy shop for Literary Itineraries all around the United States.
Happy Travels!
