Back from month long Caribbean trip
 

I've been pondering over my trip report so will just dive in. We left for the Cayman Islands the last week of January & spent 2 wks there. This was one of those bucket list items that we had wanted to check off & that we did. After spending the 2wks there I would have to ask the question "So what is so grand about the Grand Caymans?" We have traveled all over the world & have to admit this is one place that is so over rated. First the positives: the weather was great (85-88) with nice tradewinds, the water was a beautiful turquiose & the beaches were fine. But that is where it ends. There is little of interest to do there. We love adventure & history & this isn't the place. We are Baby Boomers so the Seven Mile beach scene didn't appeal to us. Georgetown has terrible traffic, roundabouts & drive on the wrong side. The beach there was beautiful & very few people there. We stayed out at Cayman Kai near Rum Point & enjoyed the solitude. One of our favorite spots was Rum Point. We walked there each morning & were the only ones there. The colorful tables & the painted iguana & direction signs were fun. One of the reasons we picked the Caymans was for snorkeling & diving. It was a huge surprise to us to find the coral is terrible shape & very little color. We went to the top 5 snorkel sites & were so disappointed. There was nothing to see at Smith's Cove, Cemetary Reef was aptly named (no color, fish or coral), very poor at 7 mile beach, across from Botswain Farm area was too rough, nothing except Tarpoon to see near the Reef resort, Eden's Rock was the best of the lot with good entry & some nice fish & turtles. We spent most of our time snorkeling from our condo up to Rum Point. There is a reef nearby with lots of fish, rays, eels & even a shark but the coral isn't much to look at. Our favorite trip was out to Stingray Sandbar. It's a 3 ft deep sandbar out in the middle of the ocean with lots of friendly rays. We fed them & played with them & had a great time. Our boat took us over to the Coral Gardens to snorkel which was a bit more colorful.
The island is very flat with little dirt or lush tropical trees that you would expect. There is a great deal of dolamite & scrubby trees. The most dismal places was Hell--don't waste your time. Botswain Farm is near by so we stopped in. Other posts mentioned that you could go in free after 4pm. They informed us they had changed that policy. The snorkeling lagoon was not functioning so we didn't go in. Instead we went to the Rum Cake Factory & tasted their rums & cake. Very tasty!! We also went to the Botanical Gardens which have the blue iguanas & some lovely plants. We were disappointed that there weren't more birds--never saw a single parrot. One evening we went to the Reef to hear the Barefoot Man. He is great fun & very entertaining.
We ate most of our meals at the condo. Groceries are a lot more so be prepared. It's a good place to go for rehab. A case of Red Stripe was around $42. Our favorite restaurant was Over the Edge. It was reasonable & good. Bought wahoo from a fisherman from the dock next to the restaurant which was a great find. Had a good hamburger at Rum Point. There's a fun Farmers Market not far from the airport on Saturdays.
If your idea of a vacation is to lay on a beach all day, the Caymans could be for you. We found it boring & very overpriced.
Next stop: Anguilla (new post)

Idahospud,

Can you share where you found better snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean? I found the coral at Rum Point and Queen's Monument/Babylon to be among the largest healthy corals reachable from shore and would love to find something even better. A local took me out one day to show me the good spots and here is a link to his photo's from our tour:

http://picasaweb.google.com/testudo9...at=directlink#

If you were bored in Cayman, you'll be really bored in Anguilla. Anguilla is my favorite island but it is very laid back with not much to except for the beach and restaurants. Snorkeling in Cayman is way better than Anguilla.

We've been to St John & had a great snorkeling time on Trunk Bay. One of the most interesting spots was Virgin Gorda. The granite spires there & the baths were awesome. Last time we were in Cancun/Cozumel area the snorkeling was great. We spent last year in Honduras & found the coral to be much more colorful. That's a great place to dive. Not only is it one of the cheapest dive destinations but with all of the people getting their dive masters training there are usually more dive masters to divers than anywhere I've been.

Maybe it depends on when you go too. We have found the best snorkeling in Cayman (on two diofferent trips) but didn't see much of anything in St. John. Though I love that island too!

Thanks. I'll need to add Honduras to my list along with Bonaire.

I do like the beaches and snorkeling in St. John, probably the third best snorkeling I've done behind Cayman and the Tobago Cays, but found the corals and abundance of larger animals to be both bigger and better in Cayman.

The Indians in Virgin Gorda were good (but need a boat to get there and pray the seas are not rough) and the Baths were neat (not much if any corals though), but the from shore snorkeling I found fair. Anegada was not much better.

Cozumel was very good snorkeling about 10 years ago, prior to the hurricane damage, but again the Planacar and Columbia reefs are only reachable by boat. Was there again 3 years ago and was shocked at the conditions of the reefs. From shore, Chankanaab has been loved to death.

Second the comment on AXA, great beaches, dining and digs, but that is really it. A snorkeling destination it is not.

idahospud,
You don't have anything nice to say about anywhere you have been. Perhaps the Caribbean is not a place for you to go. Anguilla and Grand Cayman are my two favorite places. It's all about the beach and eating out at nice places. I think you should look into other destinations.

wow, I am in shock that you didn't enjoy the 3 islands you've visited this trip. I wouldn't think it gets much better than Grand Cayman & Anguilla. Everyone is different tho. I'm curious if you didn't do any research as to the type of islands they are? I hope your next trip is everything you were hoping for. Maybe go back to one of the places you've been to & liked.

Well, my two week trip to Grand Cayman in January was about as opposite an experience as you can get. We had a blast, and hated to leave after two weeks. We enjoyed snorkeling (your favorite snorkeling spot, by Rum Point, was our least favorite place to snorkel), diving, deep sea fishing, parasailing, Atlantis submarine, etc., in addition to Stingray City and Botanical Gardens that you also enjoyed. Different tastes for different folks.

As far expensive goes... We went to Florida for a week in February (Orlando and Sarasota) and thought the value was much better in Grand Cayman, but we love ocean front views and empty beaches and snorkeling from shore. We just returned from spring break in downtown Chicago, and while we enjoyed ourselves, the prices were in line with Grand Cayman and even higher. (paid almost $50/night just to park our car at the hotel!) Yikes! While the Shedd Aquarium was nice, we enjoyed the real thing in Grand Cayman much more, where we swam with the dolphins and stingrays, instead of watching them in tanks. While we enjoyed all 3 vacations this winter, but would still rank Grand Cayman as the tops for us, expensive yes, but I think you get what you pay for. Again, everyone enjoys different things.

What is Grand about Grand Cayman is its size relative to Little Cayman and C. Brac. I know that there are places just off the Cayman Kai sea lodges (if that's what you meant by Cayman Kai) where the coral is a work in process, but many other places are beautiful and surrounded with colorful fish. Little by little, people get themselves sorted out. Idahospud probably won't be back, and I hope hasn't scared many people away from something they might enjoy. We had a grand time and look forward to more visits.

I can definitely understand your disappointment with Cayman -- unless you are a diver, there is little to recommend the island, imho. We spent a week there and the only thing that wasn't disappointing was the diving -- definitely some of the best in the world, but the best reef dives (off the east end) routinely require 100 - 130 foot dives, which drastically limits your diving time. There are other locations in the Caribbean where you can find beautiful reef dives in much shallower water. The other thing that probably influenced our opinion of the islands was that the Christmas winds were up and in full force when we were there -- you could barely walk outside on the north or east side of the island for several days in a row, and the seas were so rough that they even had to "close" Stingray City for the week. If you limited yourself to Seven Mile Beach the weather was okay because you were more protected, but if you were doing any exploring at all it felt like you were on the receiving end of a sandblaster. We often travel in the Caribbean in December and January so we have encountered Christmas winds many times, but never like this (where they impacted even your land-based activities). I know there are people that love Cayman, but I have had a much better time in other locations.

Tejan...I think you impression definitely was affected by the winds. I think if you have full access to the island, there is no way one could be bored/disappointed in what the island has to offer. Aside from being one of the tidiest/neatest/upscale islands (e.g. good roads, nice homes, landscaping/little poverty/little trash)there are many earea to explore include the East End, North side, uUm Point. You have the Botanic Garden, hiking trails, Pirate Caves, Blow Holes, Turtle Farm etc. I have found better snorkeling there than in Cozumel, St. John, Turks & Caicos. Rum Point wasn't great for snorkeling (IMO) though we didn't make it to the reef due to conditions but Governor's Reef and Eden Rock were amazing. As much as people say weather shouldn't affect your impression or you trip, it really does.

Hey Tejana, thanks for the understanding. I have always used Fodors column for information as well as thoroughly study the books. Pictures & posting of the Caymans are wonderful. In fact we have some wonderful photos. And Kristin, I would say your raving reviews also made me believe that Caymans & Anguilla were heaven on earth. I also know that travels are different for people. We love adventure & love places like Costa Rica where there is so much diversity & things to do. Hopefully there is a place on Fodors for various opinions and less critisism for those who want to share their experiences.

Idahospud...you are right, to each his own. My experiences on both islands were very good and that is what I shared. Obviously you were looking for something other than what these islands have to to offer. The interior of Anguilla is very scrubby and not attrctive but that is not why I liked it. Based on what I have read, Costa Rica and the like do not appeal to me so I would not choose to spend my vacation there. A little research goes a long way.