Top Reasons to Go to Cayman Islands

Dive Bloody Bay Wall

Little Cayman features an amazing array of different sites for divers and snorkelers alike, but both Jacques and Philippe Cousteau considered the Bloody Bay Wall (part of a remarkable marine park) one of the top three dive sites anywhere, plunging from 18 feet more than a mile down into the Cayman Trench.

Swim with stingrays

Swimming at Grand Cayman's Stingray City, even wading at the adjacent sandbar, you can interact with gracefully balletic, silken stingrays, so "tame" you can feed them as they nuzzle you, practically begging pet-like for handouts. Numerous boats take you out for the unforgettable experience in North Sound.

Take in a sculpture exhibit—underwater

Cayman Brac features majestic drop-offs and swim-throughs (as well as the deliberately sunk 330-foot Russian frigate MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts) patrolled by riotously colored marine life, but nature's artistry is matched by the world's largest (and still growing) underwater installation, the sculptor Foots's gorgeously imagined, impressively engineered Lost City of Atlantis.

Explore the fourth Cayman island

Easily accessible by kayak from the Little Cayman's "mainland," Owen Island appeals to snorkelers and romantics, who have their choice of captivating coves (hint: those facing away from Little Cayman are rougher but invisible to prying eyes).

Try some home cooking

Sample island fare at fair prices, such as mouth- and eye-watering jerk chicken from a roadside stall or George Town shack. And aside from jerk and fish-fry stands, a few chefs serve meals in their homes—a perfect intro to Cayman culture and cuisine.

Splurge on a fabulous meal with great wines

The wine-pairing menu at Blue by Eric Ripert (the celebrity toque and occasional Top Chef judge, whose NYC eatery, Le Bernardin, annually ranks in world's-best lists) is the kind of epicurean experience that comes along once in a blue moon.

Have a bubbly brunch

The Westin Casuarina's Casa Havana hosts a spectacular smorgasbord on the sand at its Sunday Champagne Brunch, which lures locals and even guests from neighboring competitors. You'll be sitting heavily in the lap of luxury after trips to the raw sushi-ceviche bar, cheese tray, and charcuterie, pasta, carving, and dim sum stations.

Eat smaller and cheaper

Several creative kitchens like Mezze, ICOA Cafe, and the Brasserie offer delectable dishes from the dinner menu at discounted lunch prices; an array of fabulous bar snacks is also on tap.

Hang out with blue iguanas

These fierce-looking yet beautiful, critically endangered reptiles found a home at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. You can take a special "safari" to visit their captive breeding enclave; learning about their life cycles, mating habits, and more; then stroll the peaceful, gorgeously laid-out gardens.

Stroll and swim at Seven Mile Beach

Okay, it's really closer to 5½ miles, but those who love long, broad, uninterrupted sweeps of champagne-hued sand lined with restaurants, bars, and water-sports operators yet free of litter and pesky peddlers should roll the dice on Seven Mile Beach. Snorkeling rocks (almost literally on the ironshore) at either end.

Dine with Gladys at Pirates Point

Little Cayman has its own Cordon Bleu-trained chef in the sweet and salty Gladys Howard, owner of Pirates Point. She still supervises dinners at her intimate retreat; they aren't quite as elegant or complex as what you might find at one of Grand Cayman's top spots, but they take the (mocha-chocolate) cake for inventiveness on this tiny remote island, and the bon mots and bonhomie are unmatched.

Get crafty on the Brac

Many old-time craft traditions remain alive on Cayman Brac, and while there are many noteworthy attempts to preserve that heritage on Grand Cayman such as Cayman Traditional Arts, there's nothing like sitting in a shop (often the home) of a true practitioner like Annalee Ebanks (thatch-weaving) and Tenson Scott (carving caymanite).

Bird-watch on the Sister Islands

You don't have to be a dedicated bird-watcher to appreciate the profusion of avian life throughout the Cayman Islands, including several endangered species whom the ecocentric locals protect as ferociously as nesting mothers. The Booby Pond on Little Cayman and the Brac's Parrot Preserve (including scenic Lighthouse Walk on the bluff's wild, windswept edge) are just two of the gorgeous areas set aside to commune with nature.

Listen to Barefoot Man at the Reef Resort

Can you imagine Jimmy Buffett going even more native? No? Then head to Pelican's Reef at this East End enclave to hear the blond Calypsonian, Barefoot Man (née George Nowak), a beloved island institution for his witty ditties and fascinating anecdotes of Caribbean life.