honeymooner14

Hi,
My fiance and I are still deciding between a condo and a hotel (Hyatt or Westin) for our wedding next summer on Grand Cayman. Regardless of where we stay, my family will most likely rent a condo. They are thinking of the Central area of 7 mile beach so it will be easier to walk to things. What 2 BR condos are the best here -- nicest, modern furnishings, best stretch of beach, pool, etc..And what sort of shops/restaurants are within walking distance on Central 7 Mile beach?

honeymooner14

Can anyone help me with this?

Kristen

Not sure if you got my response about this on your other post, but the nicest 2 BR condos on central 7 MB are Plantana and Casa Caribe (I know VOG is out because you want a pool). If you don't mind spending some serious money, you can get a nice 3 BR at Coralstone Club.

Lobuzz

We have been to Grand Cayman many times and always stay at a beautiful condo on 7 mile beach called "The Beachcomber". Run by a very nice couple, extremely clean, well-stocked kitchens, on a lovely stretch of beach, right across the road from big grocery store/shopping complex.
Their web site is www.beachcomber1.com
We highly recommend it - you should stay there too - the Hyatt & Westin are highly overrated (in my opinion)

Irene1

We just got back from Grand Cayman on Saturday. It was probably our 10th trip there; we love the place. As far as hotels go, we have stayed at both the Hyatt and Westin and prefer the Westin because it's on the beach (the new beachside room at the Hyatt are quite expensive). That being said, it's not a very good value and this year we stayed in a 2 bedroom condo at Beachcomber (even though we left the kids home) because it seemed like a better value. My husband missed the "action" around the pool but I much prefered the condo. I liked having more space. We didn't need the second bedroom but it's so nie ot have a living room and kitchen (and two bathrooms!) On the negative side, there is a lot of construction going on nearby although the Meridian, which is derectly next door, is moving along fairly quickly by GC standards. We loved the location of the Beachcomber; very walkable. I don't recommend any of the condos south of there but it kind of depends what you are looking for. We like having the pool face the beach which eliminates many of the properties. Villas of the Galleon looks nice but it has no pool so we didn't consider it. Plantana looked very nice and has quite reasonable rates. The Avalon looked good too. Casa Caribe's pool is tiny and not in a good location.

I went on a lot of walks on the beach checking out condos so let me know which ones you are considering and I'll give you my feedback.

When we go back, we will probably stay at Beachcomber again unless there is too much construction going on next door.

One last thing, make sure no one stays on southern 7 Mile Beach. The beach has been badly damaged and many properties (including Regal Beach)don't even have a beach anymore. There were some unhappy people at the Marrriott, that's for sure.

Good luck planning.

Kristen

Hi Irene. I am torn between staying at Villas of the Galleon and Casa Caribe for my wedding/honeymoon. We want a condo since there will be family and friends down and we'd like to have a patio, living area and kitchen for when people stop by.

Pool isn't a big concern to us. I just want a nice condo on a great beach in a good location with good snorkeling close by.

Can you offer any advice?

Thanks

Robin

Hi Irene, sounds like you had another wonderful trip! We will be staying at Plantana the last week in November. How was the beach there? I reserved a 2 bedroom oceanfront and we rented a car. We will be taking our two teen sons, first trip to GC. I would love to hear anymore you can tell me about Plantana. Thanks!!

Filter14

Regarding Beachcomber--I can't place this particular condo. We've stayed at the Westin for the past 5 yrs and made a point to check out various condos this last time. I guess since we were set on Avalone or Coralstone, we overlooked some other places.

Is Casa Caribe on the other side of it? I keep picturing CC next to The Meridian but I must be wrong. Is the Beachcomber a small place? And by 'stocked kitchens' was it meant to mean there are appliances or actually food(if you order it ahead)? Thanks for any input.

Lobuzz

The Beachcomber is a rather small condo. I can't pinpoint the exact location on 7M beach, but it is directly across the road from the huge Fosters grocery store (it's North of the Hyatt if that helps). The kitchens are not stocked with food, just appliances, dinner ware. I don't think you can order food ahead, but the grocery store is so handy you wouldn't need to.

bkcangel

Just recently spent 10 days at the Beachcomber and will absolutely never stay anywhere else. It's just south of the Coralstone Club and just to the north of the Meridian (where there is construction going on). The Beachcomber is on the small size--only 24 units. For your ocassion I would recommend the 2BR + Den on the ocean. There are only four units like this and actually we stayed one. The condos are huge and they even have a screened in porch that is also huge! You can actually see pictures of the rooms on their website. You have your living room, den, master bedroom and porch overlooking the ocean. They have all the conveniences of home. They do have a pool but I must admit I only went in once because I forced myself to...and I was the one so concerned with having a pool!The Beachcomber is right between the Westin and the Hyatt.The grocery store is right behind it.It's a perfect location.You may want to stay on the side closest to the Coralstone to avoid any construction noises. The pool sits on the beach and has lots of tables and chairs and they even have bar-b-ques. It would be a great setting for a family gathering. Hope this helps.

Irene1

Kristen - If I were choosing between Villas of the Galleon and Casa Caribe, I would certainly chose the Villas. The beach is much nicer and the units seem better. Of course, there is no pool which doesn't work for us.

Robin - Plantana looked great to me. I was a little nervous about booking there because it was so much less expensive but when I looked at the property, I realized we would have been fine. The only drawback from my perspective is that it is north of the Westin, which may not be a drawback for you at all. I didn't have a car and walked daily to the World Gym by the movie theater and it would have been quite a hike. My husband rents a scooter which we used at night to get places. The beach at Plantana is lovely and wider than it is a little further south. I think you'll be fine there assuming you have a car.

I do agree with bkcangel's posts about the Beachcomber, which is where we stayed. I must have been there at the same time as bkcangel. The website is great for giving you a sense of what the property looks like, including a current view of the beach.

Robin

"Thanks" Irene. I guess I decided on Plantana because of it's location and the nice sandy beach there. We didn't want to be to far north but wanted to be away from the construction going on. At $340 a night for the 2 bedroom oceanfront I didn't think this was much less than many other condos on SMB. Avalon was booked for our dates, that was around $450 a night plus tax. All the condos on the north end were less $$ than Plantana. I think the one advantage to staying on the south end of SMB is being able to walk to the food store and restaurants. It seems like the beach is narrow on the south end compared to the central and north end. We rented a car, my husband can't be without one anywhere he travels! Did you see many people walking the beach who may have come off a cruise ship?

Irene1

Robin - I guess that shows the difference between summer and winter rates. Right now (off-season), Plantana's least expensive unit is $205 (plus the ever present taxes). The least expensive other condo I could find was at $250-275 per night. We almost always go in summer when it's a little less expensive but it is quite hot. I envy you going in winter.

Many days there were four cruise ships in the harbor but we didn't see anyone on the beach who looked like they were from the ships. I think most cruise passengers either get on a bus to go on an outing (Stingray City, Turtle Farm, etc..), shop in Georgetown (which is not very impressive unless you are into expensive jewelry), or go to a designated beach, which I believe is far south of Plantana. The beach is lovely at Plantana and it is less than a mile from the Foster's grocery store. I don't think you will be disappointed with Plantana, especially since you will have a car.

I don't know if any of you are golfers but this trip I did play golf several times and had a lot of fun, although it was really expensive.