mstaud

Since I received so much helpful information from this site I just wanted to share my Grand Cayman experience with others.

We stayed at Lacovia. It came as one of the recommendations from a friend and also from the Department of Tourism. I called the Department of Tourism and provided several criteria and the woman mentioned a few condos she thought would meet all our needs.

I have a family of five including a 15, 12 and 3 year old (Opps!). The beach in front of Lacovia was without doubt the nicest stretch of beach we saw. The condo fit all our needs including a washer and dryer in the room. There were a few small things that needed to be done but they were addressed quickly and the daily service was excellent and everyone very friendly. The pool and the landscaping was perfect. We did find out that the unit we were in was up for sale.
Without a doubt, we will return to Lacovia.

Restaurants:
Deckers (near the Hyatt): overpriced, average food and average service. I had lobster (the alleged speciality) and it was very bland. I would skip it.

Reef Grill:My wife and I went here for a dinner alone. We ate outside. The food was excellent and the service was very good and all things considered it was very fairly priced. I highly recommend it.

Cafe Mediterraneo (Cafe Med): Run by the same people who own Casanova. The food and the service was excelllent. We went here twice. Once for dinner and once for lunch. Everything was great both times. I would highly recommend.

Lone Star Bar & Grill:Good Burgers and sandwiches and very good service.

Cracked Conch (near the Turtle Farm): Nice view and friendly service. I would not go completely out of my way to eat there.

Havana Vieja: Very good cuban food and very reasonably priced. Right across the street from Lacovia. We brought the meal back to condo.

Turtle Farm: Skip it. Really!

Several people told us to go to the Botanical garden but unfortunately we did not get there.

Stingray City:My wife and two older kids went and said it was good although the kids seemed to enjoy snorkeling off the beach more. We used Red Sail Sports near the Hyatt. They were a little pricey and initially charged me too much until I went back and had them correct it.

Just Fishin: Half day fishing trip. If interested in my opinion please e-mail me ([email protected])

I do wish we had rented a car for a least a few days so that we could see the whole island at our pace.

This is the best Island we have visited. We were to Aruba, Bermuda and Barbados.

Mary1

Thanks for the good report.I have never been to Grand Cayman but would like to sometime. My main concern is the cost of living. As you have been to Barbados, how do they compare cost wise?

sunvalley

We are looking for a condo and your report was great. Can you tell me how much the condo was? How did you book it?

mstaud

In answer to the couple of questions.

I went to Barbados many years ago but be assured Grand Cayman is more expensive. Figure on the cost of food being between 20-25% more than eating out at a restaurant in the US.

I booked my condo at Lacovia directly by contacting Lacovia. The rates vary of course based on time of year, number of bedrooms and view. Check out caymanvacations.com for a good list of condos and rates. You can also book through them.

We used frequent flyer miles to help reduce out overll cost.

We will definitely go back. It was well worth it.

Good luck.

SoSoSo

Hi Mary,
It's easier to find reasonable air to Cayman, so that takes some of the sting out of prices. There are some very reasonable places to stay & eat on both islands without sacrificing quality.

islandmama

My family is looking to take a fishing trip while we're in GC next month. I'd love to hear about your experiences... can you please post about it here? Maybe at least which company/captain you used and what your overall experience was?

Thanks!