Help- we want to go to the Caribbean and have narrowed it down to either Aruba or Grand Cayman. Can anyone who has been to both respond with their thoughts on which was better and why, and also which hotel to stay in? <BR>Thanks!

Diane, <BR>Without a doubt, Grand Cayman!! The island itself is much prettier than Aruba. Both are flat, with no mountains or rainforests, but Aruba is much more arid and desert like! Grand Cayman is much safer than Aruba, and the water in GC is better! Aruba doesn't have Stingray City!! Also, I would opt for a condo on GC, rather than a hotel, You'll save tons of money. I've been going to GC for 10 years, and you'll never see me in Aruba. GC is a much better island!! <BR>Sandy <BR>

Sandy, Do you work for some sort of Grand cayman place? Your all over the internet telling people to go there!

Aruba <BR>Eagle Beach, Casinos, Moderate Pricing, Natural Bridge, Great moped ride on (deserted) but scenic Atlantic coast, out of hurricane belt, arrid, little rain, cheap Amstel Light, friendly people that speak multiple languages, long plane ride <BR> <BR>Grand Caymen <BR>7-mile beach,expensive, stingray cay (tame stirgrays),lush, rainy, constant billboards that tourism is SO important, timeshare hecklers, better economy but more indifferent people, did i say expensive?

I've only been to Aruba and enjoyed the trip. My husband and I rented a jeep and circled the island in one day. Orangestad is full of activity. We visited the caves and the beaches. The terrain is unique and interesting. I'd like to go again someday. We left with many good memories.

Sandy, there's no need to trash Aruba while expressing your preference for Grand Cayman. Both islands have their strengths and weaknesses. The same applies to your other posts where you trash Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach area while expressing your preference for the Rum Point area, over and over.

I have been to both islands and love both. You did not say when you are planning your trip. That would have some bearing on where I decided to go. I prefer Grand Cayman in the winter as it does not have as much rain in the winter and you don't have to worry about the hurricanes. Whereas, November is Aruba's rainy month (all other months are mostly dry) and you don't have to worry so much about hurricanes in Aruba during the summer months. <BR> <BR>In response to some of the above posts, I have never been heckled in Grand Cayman by timeshare people and I was approached in Aruba about that. I feel that both islands are quite safe (to the above poster you might want to read the Cayman News this week about the 2 Afgans they are questioning there about the recent tragedy in NY). It is possible to run into unscrupulous people on any island. After all, people are coming there from all over. <BR> <BR>Aruba has just as pretty beaches as Grand Cayman. The downside to Aruba's beaches is that it is quite windy there sometimes and you will have the sand blowing on those days. Grand Cayman does have sea urchins to watch out for and I don't remember seeing them in Aruba. Both islands have wonderful, warm people and good restaurants. Aruba does have casinos if you like that sort of thing and Grand Cayman has practically no night life at all. <BR> <BR>Bottom line --- I don't think you can make a bad choice with either one. <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

<BR>Timeshare hecklers in Cayman???? I can't imagine, unless you were there on a freebie & they requested you tour the property & sit through a presentation in exchange for room & board. Haven't heard of timeshare freebies on GC, but maybe so. <BR> <BR>Are you sure you aren't confusing Cayman with Cancun? Everybody & his brother in the airport, in the mall, etc "has a friend" & can get you free dinner or use of a property's facilities for the day --- thinly disguised timeshare hawkers. <BR> <BR>Please share more about your comment & do tell, where the heck is "stingray cay"??

I've been going to Cayman for many years, so I know what Timeshare Hecklers are. Hecklers is really a tongue-in-cheek way to describe them. They usually have a table setup at a strip mall like Galleria or evenings along West Bay Rd somewhere, where they use high pressure techniques to get passersby to stop and consider their timeshare info. Easiest way to get rid of em is to say "We leave tomorrow", they drop you like a hot potato! <BR> <BR>Pretty obvious the person meant Stingray City or Sandbar, not Stingray Cay. Quit being such a confused drama queen. Take a deep breath.

I have never been to Aruba so here is my two cents. I have heard stories from friends that Aruba can be quite windy. So windy in fact that they were sand blasted -- making the beach uninhabitable. <BR> <BR>A have been to Grand Caymans and it was one of the cleanest islands in the Carribean that I have ever visited. However, as others have stated, it is rather barren.

To Observer, <BR>If your so observant you would see that I didn't "trash" Aruba, I just stated things I thought was better in Grand Cayman. And I have never "trashed" 7MB. I simply try to tell people that there's a whole different world on other parts of GC. There are people like myself, the 40 year old plus group, that looks for a more quiet laid back part of the island. <BR>I have been going to GC for years also, and many people don't know about the Rum Point area. If you book through a travel agent, or if you just go to 7MB and don't explore the rest of the island, you don't realize what a great area Rum Point is. I have many friends in that area that run bars and restaurants, and I like to have people visiting GC to check them out. I don't work for any where on GC, I just found a piece of paradise that I don't mind sharing with other people. <BR>I don't play this game of jumping on posters on this message board!! I just answer questions and give opinions!! <BR>And in my opinion, Grand Cayman is one of the best islands in the caribbean!!! <BR>Sandy

I like the Cayman Islands for the sanitized atmosphere, and no worry of having to interact with the local culture. Imported hotel staff, imported food, and all the American fast food places makes Cayman ideal for the suburbia-type experience that I demand. Aruba on the other hand has a sewer-like stench in the air, the natives are covered in sores, the food is infested with maggots, and filthy beggars mob and rob you every inch of the way. That's why you'll never see me in Aruba. GC is a much better island!!

Sandy, in my opinion, you tend to (inadvertantly?) disparage other islands and Cayman's Seven Mile Beach area. For example, here's one of your posts on this board: <BR> <BR>"The difference between Rum Point and 7MB is day and night!! Staying on the northside, we have made friends with a lot of the locals and you feel like your part of the community. To me 7MB is for tourists!! If you want to get to know the island and the people, you have to go off the tourist track, and go somewhere like Rum Point." <BR> <BR>My family has been coming to GC since mid 70s and owns property in 7MB and Kai. Many people we know live in the 7MB area and love it, and have their community of friends and family in 7MB and the adjoining West Bay and Georgetown. For you to say the 7MB area is just for tourists, and that you have to get away from there to get to know the people is supremely arrogant and ignorant! I love all of GC, so I don't play that game of pitting one area against another. In your posts on many boards you (inadvertantly?) try to scare people away from 7MB by insinuating it's overly crowded, which is such a distortion. Someone could just as easily make the claim that Rum Point and Stingray City are tourist traps, but I'll bet you'd be quick to defend against that.

Some of you people make it seem like 7 Mile Beach is the equivalent of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu which I find VERY HARD to believe!! However, on another note, at the time I went to Aruba I found the beach area in front of the Hyatt Regency so disgustingly crowded and unimpressive that I left the very next day and headed towards the brand new Marriott which was quite superior at that time! I do hope that Palm Beach, Aruba and 7 Mile Beach are NOT equivalent!!!

We liked Aruba and found the beaches where we stayed, a couple miles south of the high-rise places, to be uncrowded and gorgeous. <BR> <BR>We too are considering a trip to Grand Cayman, but here's a concern: <BR> <BR>I recently saw a list of all cruise ship itineraries for "high season," and the number of ships stopping in G.C. was astounding. Doesn't that make "Seven Mile Beach" (I understand only about a 3-mile stretch is actually nice) awfully crowded? <BR>

I came to this site hoping to find some intelligent information from people who have done more traveling than myself. I am appalled by the sarcastic and rude comments I am seeing. Instead of getting valuable information, I am getting nothing but arguments tossed around about the comments others are making. I am so surprised that people have nothing better to do but find old quotes from others to show them how stupid they are. Is that what this site is for? I'm wondering if the person who started this message has received any valuable information. I too am interested in Aruba.

I'm getting a lot of info from discussion. As with any forum, you have to filter out the whiners. Sounds to me like Amazed and Confused both need to take a deep breath. Or maybe they're the same person?

IMHO, Aruba and Cayman are both great islands, neither is really better than the other, but I prefer Cayman. Here's my two cents about the question from chazz regarding crowds. <BR> <BR>Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach is on many top 10 beach lists, so it attracts a lot of visitors. It can get crowded in front of some of the big resorts like Marriott, Hyatt, and Westin, especially in high season and when cruise ships are in town. But about 90% of the beach is made up of fairly low density condos and residences, so there are vast uncrowded and even empty areas. <BR> <BR>Here are some reasons I think the debate about whether it's crowded goes on: <BR> <BR>- First, it all depends on how you define crowded. Some people think 3 people on a beach is a crowd. Others like a lot of action, they're willing to stay at busy resorts and sit on a beach chair a few feet from a stranger. Most of us probably fall somewhere in between those two. <BR> <BR>- Second, is the other side of that coin, where people chase others away from their piece of paradise, so they yell "Crowds!" <BR> <BR>- Third, some of those with a stake (owners, mangers, employees) in properties on other parts of the island try to compete by attacking Seven Mile Beach as crowded. <BR> <BR>I think it's all just a matter of your preferences and perceptions. I like Seven Mile Beach because it has great sand and water, is safe, clean, and closeby to the US. I don't go to as many islands in the south of the Caribbean because for me it's a hassle to travel so far. What Cayman and Aruba don't have is beautiful scenery like mountains, rainforests, etc, or lots of locally grown produce, but the water and beaches are Great!

I have been to Aruba and loved the special atmosphere of Dutch/Caribbean culture. Also, I liked that people are quite well-off, so no guilty feelings if you blow one native family's annual income on your nightly hotel stay.