Before you head out to your airport, have your birth cert or passport ready. Cayman Airways prefers, as do most airlines, the passport.

Cayman customs is a cinch to pass through, they very much appreciate everyone in the group together and paying full attention to them thru the process.
out of order here:
Flew Cayman Airways out of Boston: 4 hrs to and from Georgetown. No frills airline with excellent service. Nonstop from Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston and Chicago.
Rental Car Company's: You walk across the road to a small minimall of rental co's. We chose dollar rent a car. The Woman working the counter was very quick to mock me guarding my bags, reminding me "this is cayman lady"; that said, the operation was less than user friendly and felt like a cheap operation the way she conducted the process. The car we later learned was low on brake pads and instead of washer fluid, had water...good for the eco conscious but crap for the frequent road dust and humidity which frequently accumulate on your windshield.
I would strongly urge you to rent from other than dollar rent a car. Why not spend it and get service and product in return if you have the choice....
Unless you are traveling with more than four people there is no need to rent a larger vehicle. A larger vehicle on the island IS a taurus, or jeep, which are plenty available. The gas is currently about 4.00 US per gallon.
We drove back and forth on the island many times and used maybe 1.5 tanks with a Corolla.

Currency is in C.I. Whatever is quoted in C.I. add aout 18% to equate to US. There is no need to exchange your cash as US currency is plentiful everywhere. Be mindful b/c change was not always given correctly and I truly believe it was becasue unless they had a computer showing them US change/exchange exactly they had to figure out VERSUS dishonesty...

We stayed at the Royal Reef resort, the director of Which, Tom McCallum, monitors these sites for comments and will reply with corrections, facts, etc......The resort was a timeshare property, not exclusively, we rented a one BR suite with a full kitchen. Very roomy, very clean, upscale operation.....The only dislikes are that full maid service was twice weekly and I found the concierge less than stellar in general island knowledge....lots of "i don't know" "I'm not sure" answers, which brings me to my next point, research areas yourself and arm yourself with the facts as much as you can beforehand........
The Morritts resort nextdoor was very similar in amenities..pools/full beach access but was still constructing postIvan.

Cayman can be divided into four areas. The west end which houses Georgetown (think tourist whirlpool) commercial, home to seven mile beach which stretches northward, dotted with hotels, condo's, minimalls. ON the northern most end of the west coast you will find the not to miss turtle farm...do not bother with HEll, it's a trashy tourist trap..stupid if you ask me.
If tourists in straw hats and flipflops annoy by all means avoid Georgetown on a Thursday, it's when most ships come to port there and they come flooding up on shore like a tidal wave.........that said, do not book major attractions which I will get to on thursdays as the reservationists recommend this for those STAYING on the island.....any other day but thursday..so they plead.
Georgetown is where you will find the jewelry, the banks, souvenir shops, liquor and parfumeries.....All good prices except the perfumes, short of the tax, not bargains...
As you head east along the southern coast it b/c commercial-less..dotted with a few stores..one of which is the supermarket Hurleys' which IMO is superior to the much advertised Fosters Fair Supermarket.....there are huts to lavish homes....the further east you go the more isolated you feel....it takes about 45 minutes at about 45 mph to get to the east end....this is where the serious divers go....not many to-see spots here...continue northwest and you will end at RumPoint/Cayman Kai...home to very very lavish homes..some huts....RumPoint IMO has the safest swimming for children and is all in all a nice melting pot of travelers....the beach is lined with free for the taking beach chairs and some hammocks....there is a shop, bar and snack hut on the property too...all of which shut down at five, but you are free to stay on the beach....This is one site from which Red Sail tours leaves, providing access to Stingray City and glass bottom boat tours....
Rum Point is wonderful for snorkling, novice to intermediate in experience....

Here are the attractions that we experienced:

Turtle Farm, good even if you don't have kids; 6 dollars CI admission per person...

Atlantis Submarine: as said, a sub, leaves out of Georgetown on Harbor Drive...no one under the age of four allowed. Don't know prices but more than 35 US per person
Reservations required
Seaworld Explorer: A boat with a basement, wonderful for kids and adults: about 24 US dollars per person, Reservations Required..
Jolly Roger: Pirate ship/pirate experience, sail boat/tours to coves along the shoreline with swimming stops. sunset dinner/drinks..reservations required.
Stingray city: Several tour ops provide....Moby Dick is the hands down most enjoyed.....reservations required...
Smiths Cove: On south shoreline, at Thompson Rd and Queens highway, not marked well, beautiful cove to swim and snorkel...
Rum Point: we covered

There are so many natural sights to see, be sure to get a GOOD map, and find someone where you are to provide supplemental info for you.

If you plan on snorkeling, pick up a mask and snorkel before you leave, the cost will kill you there...

We also purchased a CheapER underwater camera and it was well worth it for the clearer areas where we snorkeled...we saw tang fish, trigger fish, corals, anemones, etc....

Food: Coconut Joe's on seven mile
Portofino's: Hands down, best food, best service East End
LIghthouse: I wasn't impressed all the way around; others will painstakingly disagree.
Over the Edge Cafe, extreme east end, looks like a dive, but go in and you'll be happy you did....

Do not buy liquor to bring home anywhere BUT the airport on your way home. Prices are double on the island.....

Best souvenir shop, is PURE ART, near smith's cove, hand made, upscale, nothing that you will see in Georgetown area, if you have the time to browse and you want to take home something "nice" go to PURE ART, they discount your purchase price if you pay cash....

If you like rum, Tortuga Rum Cakes,,,,yum, yum, yum......

Weather, East End, I ASKED SEVERAL ISLANDERS TO VERIFY THIS IN CASE THE RESORT MANAGERS CONTEST ME: the east end is windier and the water choppier.... it is quieter, no doubt about it, very quiet actually, but I like to sit out on the beach and not get windswept, I will book a south shore home next time and as a very last resort a west shore hotel...I personally don't like crowds....BUT, EAST END IS WINDY! Just be aware....

If I left anything out ask me...I hope you find this helpful.....

Have a great time!!!!!

.

Thx for the trip report

You knew I'd come back... first of all re the wind.. I'm not going to contradict you, East End IS a little windier than the rest of the island, but we have had a weirdly high number of cold fronts this winter, which have made the whole island quite windy whenever they blew through... and the few extra knots of wind speed in East End has made it less pleasant.

Of course, on the flip side, from April onwards as it gets hotter and stiller elsewhere, you'd love those extra 5 knots of breeze when lying on the beach.

Re the other specifics on The Reef :
- We've just added another concierge and refocussed on this area, so our standards will be raised once more.
- We do full housekeeping twice a week, but partial housekeeping daily. We actually changed to this a few years back when guests asked for it... our units are all beachfront so guests do spent a lot of time in their suites, and they felt the housekeepers being there daily was an interruption.

Thx

Great to hear your trip report. We're leaving for GC in just over 2 weeks and can't wait!

I'm interested in your comments regarding Stingray City and the Atlantis sub. What made Moby Dick so enjoyable? We're considering going with Capt. Dexter, as others on this forum have said the boats are smaller than other outfits, and we thought that would be a plus. Also, we're thinking of doing the sub, but now I'm concerned about the "no kids under 4 rule"--I hadn't been aware of that. My daughter will be a month shy of her 4th birthday when we go--do you know if this is a hard-and-fast rule? Are younger kids allowed on the semi-sub? We were thinking we might just take my 8-year-old son on the Stingray City tour, but I wanted my daughter to join us for some of the other activities.

Last question... We're staying in a condo, so we'll need to do food shopping. Can you say why you preferred Hurley's to Foster's Food Fair?
Thanks for your thoughts! Your trip sounded wonderful!

Because the water conditions (rough/choppy) cannot be predicted and the depth is just under two feet in most places AND the stingrays are numerous I was glad I opted not to take my three and a half yr old with me to Stingray. Moby Dick Tours...Great attitude, like everyone was there on their opening day, snacks, equipment, all was great....
Hurley's market: I liked this market because of the quality and selection: You feel like you are in a good quality store with many and more familiar selections than Fosters with excellent fruits and veggies too.
Younger children are allowed on the seaworld explorer.....
Re: sub: tell them she IS four, which she essentially is and they won't have a problem...you will be so happy to do either of these tours.

enjoy! you will be so happy about your choice to visit there as was I.
Jen

ONE more very important point: Do not underestimate regardless of clouds or wind or temperature the power of the sun in that area...I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to slather yourself and your little ones with SPF and bring it with you everywhere..hats are also very helpful.....if you can get them to keep them on.

desert,
Thanks for the trip report.We are going to GC in May.We are staying at Discovery Point on the Northern part of 7 mile beach.

I am taking note of the places that you mentioned to go.We are scheduled to go to Stingray City on a Friday..so hopefully it will be a good day to avoid cruise ship crowds.

Do you happen to have any pictures that you could share with us?

Thanks,
Christie

desertbound--thanks so much for your reply. I was wavering about whether to bring my younger child on the Stingray City trip, but I think based on what you (and a few others) have said, we'll leave her behind and just plan to take her on the sub or semi-sub. I do think she'll love that! Thanks, too, for the tip on Hurley's, as I think that's closer to where we're staying (at the Turtle Nest Inn). We can't wait to go!
JS

Re Hurleys, apart from it being on the road East (to Turtle Nest Inn, The Reef, Cayman Kai etc), it is much less crowded than Fosters at the airport on a Saturday, so more relaxing to shop at... why ? Well, I think prices are perceived to be slightly higher at Hurleys, hence more locals shop at Fosters.

For the East End, note that Fosters are opening their new supermarket opposite The Reef in mid April, so that will make things a lot more convenient for visitors to this area.

TomCayman--Thanks for the info on the grocery stores. Sounds like we'll have a few more choices when we're there, with the new Foster's opening up. Regarding wind and weather, in mid-to-late April, does it cool down much at night? Do you ever need a jacket or sweaters/long pants? This is our first trip to the Caribbean, so we're novices. Thanks!

Northsider here.

We love Hurley's. Not as crowded and has a lot of variety. We have shopped both places [miss L'il Hurleys ] and always go back to Hurley's.

Tip on the sub. When entering we have found those that sit on the left [when facing the front of the sub] tend to get a better view of the shipwreck, etc, due to the course the sub takes.

I would think they would take your one month shy of 4 year old on the sub.

We've used Dexters and Capt Marvin's in the past with no complaints.

We also rent from McCurleys and you'll not get nicer, more personalized service at a great price. BA and McCurley are great folks.

Desertbound, got a bit tickled at your description of Over the Edge. We always stop in too.

Try the Driftwood next time if you are that side of the island. The Sunday buffet is a good value

Enjoyed the trip report, very much.