Hello Fellow Fodorites,
My wife and I are planning a trip to Grand Cayman during January, and were thinking of the following itinerary:
Spend a day snorkeling at Stingray City, the Sandbar and perhaps Coral Gardens - on a North Sound Snorkel and Lunch Tour. Visit George Town and see the Cayman Island National Museum and the Art Gallery in town. Rent a car for the day and visit Pedro St. James Castle, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and take the Blue Iguana Safari tour there. Rent bicycles and ride up along the north coast to visit the Cayman Turtle Farm (aka: Boatswain's Beach). I would also do a few dives (USS Kittiwake, Cali and Oro Verde wrecks, as well as Eden's Rock and Devil's Grotto), and perhaps take a Jetski Snorkel Safari. How does this sound? We'll have about 6 full days. And now, a few questions:
1. To visit the sites out east (Pedro St. James and the Botanic Gardnes/Blue Iguana) - is it easier and more economical to rent a car for the day, take public buses out of George Town, or take a guided tour? How is the driving on the island (on the left!)?
2. Is Grand Cayman a good/safe place to bike ride? Where do most folks bike? (I've heard the traffic around 7-mile beach and Georgetown can by pretty intense.)
3. Is the Turtle Farm/Boatswain's Beach worth the rather hefty price tag? I understand the "dry" tour of the turtle tanks only - is $30pp, while a full park "wet" tour is $45pp.
4. Has anybody taken the guided motorcycle tour with Cayman Custom Cycle? How was it?
Any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Grand Cayman Itinerary
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1- yes rent a car. the botanical gardens are wonderful. you might spend 90 mins to 2 hrs there. i actually like driving on the "wrong" side better - east/north end is very quiet - no problem driving.
we stayed on the north side near rum point & you could ride safely in that area. def not along 7 mile beach or near georgetown.
2- we spent 3 weeks on gc and i saw no one on a bike, although we did see a guy striping the road with a reconfigured lawnmower
3- NO. it wasn't awful but it's a farm. their main function is to raise turtles for food. yes - they do have a good release program which you can call ahead (now) to participate in. it's good for kids who haven't seen turtles in the sea but as a diver i think you'll be disappointed.
when you're in georgetown don't miss guy harvey's store/art gallery & his restaurant across the street. the food is really good & their deck has a nice view of the cruise ship "parking lot". his art is quite good & he is often on island working so you might meet him.
My wife and I were able to get around with the bus system. They were more affordable than taxis. Here is a guide on using it. http://www.funtravelandfood.com/2011/11/getting-around-in-grand-cayman.html
One note on the dive sights. There is a first-come-first served rule at the mooring balls for the dive operators. There is usually no guarantee on a specific dive site. Some exceptions being the Kittiwake (special permits required by the operator and it has several mooring balls available.I reccomend watching this episode of Another Shade of Blue before doing the Kittiwake http://www.koldcast.tv/video/grand_cayman_ep_7. They filmed it the day after we dove there so I did not approach it the same way.
Other exceptions to the mooring ball situation are if you do Shore dives to Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto (no boat required).
We stayed at the Sunset House and were very pleased with the dive operation.
Good luck.
Thank you for your feedback and Kittiwake video/Bus link.
Do many folks rent scooters to get around - or should we just stick with renting a car or the buses?
Did anyone do the Blue Iguana Safari Tour?
I understand that Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto are shore dives, (we might actually snorkel there as well)easy to walk to while touring George Town. Is the Cali Wreck also within walking distance, if we wanted to do some snorkeling there - after Eden Rock?
Has anyone done the Mangrove Tour with Cayman Kayaks? As an alternative, we were thinking of renting a kayak and just cruising along the 7-mile beach area on our own.
Finally - do most places take US dollars or credit cards?
Thanks again.
i would not be comfortable riding a scooter in georgetown unless you ride a motorcycle all the time. very crowded - to many cars on narrow road.
everyone takes US$ & cards. you will often get change in cayman$. be sure to spend cayman$'s before you get home.
I did not do anything with the scooters. The Georgetown and West Bay Blvd area are pretty busy. i also drive on the right side of the road and did not want to get in an accident.
The Cali is on the other side of the harbor from Eden Rock.
A wreck that is probably the closest is the LC Nicholson. It is a comfortable shore dive from the Sunset House Dive Resort. The Sunset House is about a 5 minute walk from the Eden Rock Dive Center. A quick summary of the dive:
1. Start in the "sea pool". It is ~ 10-15 ft
2. Submerge
3. Swim out of the pool (underwater) and follow the sand chute to a buoy line.
4. Look ahead on the same azmuth as the sand chute. you will see a reef patch. Go to the reef patch.
5. After reaching the reef, you should see a pretty large valley opening towards your left.
6. At this point, you should be able to see the back of the Mermaid statue. i believe she is in ~ 40 ft of water.
7. Go to the Mermaid.
8. on a very clear day, you can almost see the Nicholson from the mermaid. It is ~ 200 ft away. The mermaid statue is looking towards it.
9. If there is a little haze in the water, line yourself up with the marmaid's right hand and start swimming. Initially, it will look like a reef patch but the shape and buoy line will let you know you are there.
The wreck itself is small. It is an old landing craft from WW2. I believe it is in ~ 50-60 ft of water. The dive profile is good. your safety stop time is basically the return trip to the sea pool.
once done, I recommend relaxing for a bit at My Bar http://www.funtravelandfood.com/2011/12/my-bar-georgetown-grand-cayman.html. Just rinse off, turn in the gear and find a table. The view is really nice and the food is pretty good.
Enjoy.