Cheap hotels on/near Seven Mile Beach?
 

My message/question is 2-fold:

(1) We will be traveling to Grand Cayman at the end of April/beginning of May. We know that's the off-season, but we're not sure how to secure the lowest possible rates. Since it is the off-season, are we better of waiting a while before booking to see if the rates drop between now and then (maybe do a "hotel watch" on one of the travel websites?)... or do we need to book ASAP?

(2) We've never been to Grand Cayman before... so if there are any repeat visitors who could give us insight on accommodations, that would be wonderful. We're a young couple looking for a cheap place (we're students) that's on/near SMB that we can stay at, assuming that that's where we want to stay on the island in the first place (any other suggestions)? We don't plan on spending much time in the room (we want to spend most of our time on the beach) and don't need a "resort" but would like decent accommodations that are clean/tidy (esp the bathroom!). We'd like to spend any extra money on great food or seeing the island, rather than on a room. That said, it looks like for the time frame we are looking at right now the cheapest thing we could find that is on the beach is the Marriott (120/night). Has anyone stayed there or heard much about it? Are there other places we should look into?

Thanks!

Hi. We just returned from GC and loved it. We stayed at Villas of the Galleon condos and while not "cheap," you can get good deals in the off season...we got a free night plus 10% off the other 6 nights. If you go oceanview as opposed to oceanfront that will save you too.

Also, Plantana offers 7 nights for the price of 5 may - oct. Their cheapest room is $210. Very nice complex.

If you want to go even cheaper, stay at Sunshine Suites, though it is across the street from the beach.

Contact the hotels/cpndos directly or go to www.caymanvacations.com

You might try the Comfort Suites. They are across the street from the beach, but they are new, so the rooms and property should be in good shape. They should be cheaper than Marriott.

kristen -- Thanks, that website is a really great resource. We're looking for something less than 150/night, esp since it's the off peak season (we're frugal students w/free tickets here)... so right now we are thinking maybe Discovery Point?

chesney -- Thanks, but the Comfort Suites is coming up as about 140/night and the Marriott is 120/night.



Right now the Marriott seems like a good deal but I'm also worried that it's not an ideal location. That's why we are also looking at Discovery Point, but then we'd probably have to rent a car for the entire stay instead of just for a day or two to explore like we originally planned.

FYI....Comfort Suites are NOT across the street from the beach...you do have to walk a path between Turtle Beach Villas and Marriott to the beach...Indies Suites are across the road from beach....

Hello Beach bum: GC is very nice, the water is clear and the island is very clean. Its also pretty pricey for food so be prepared for some steep bills. Not trying to discourage you, rather just informing. For example we (myself, my wife and our son) had dinner out and the bill for 2 dinners, one drink, 2 appetizers, 2 desserts and soft drinks was $100.00-in 1991! Recently a poster who had been to the same restaurant and had about the same order paid about $200.00.

Yeah, we've heard a lot about how expensive it can be there, that's why we're trying to save $$$ on the hotel so we can spend it on all the other great stuff! :) Speaking of which, I still haven't gotten any advice on when the best time to book accommodations would be, now or later?

Caymanvacations.com says that the Marriott's "beach has been badly eroded over the last few years. The beach varies from a thin strip of sand to no beach at all - depending on the weather and currents."

Is it really that bad? If so, couldn't we just meander down the strip to some nicer sand?

I would book asap. There are some cheaper restaurants like Champion House and Toma Romas. Have you considered the DR? More bang for your buck. Good luck, Larry

What's most disappointing about GC is not only the fact that restaurants are expensive, they are also quite mediocre in quality and service. I've been to GC numerous times--the easy swimming and snorkelling is great for the kids, and they actually like the fact that Pizza Hut is haute cuisine on Grand Cayman.

Also, I also found the Marriot beach front to be pretty skimpy in April of this year.

While not on the beach but a great cheap hotel...try seaview. They are located on the ocean and have a great little local bar and place to eat. Great snorekling and close to georgetown and sunset house.

Really do have to disagree with caf - the restaurants - both quality of food and serve are quite good. Not all, but most. And, yes, I AM used to both good quality and good service. Maybe he hasn't tried some of the good ones. Just a thought. You can also find good local places that are relatively inexpensive but are a good experience.

Larry - I must plead ignorance, but what does DR stand for? Once I know, maybe I can tell you if we've considered it! :)

cayman420 - Have you stayed there yourself? How long does it take to get to 7MB from there? The money we'd save by staying at the Seaview would practically pay for a week's car rental... do you know what parking's like on the island, i.e. where would we park when visiting 7MB and is it free?

Dee2 - mind sharing w/me some of the names of those restaurants? I can give you my email address if you'd like. I know I've seen others listed on this forum but I'm not sure how expensive they all are. We definitely love a great meal, esp if it's not over-priced. In general though, I think we wouldn't be racking up bills as large as others... we usually just order an entree each and one dessert, and rarely drinks. So we also wouldn't mind splurging at a few places here and there during our stay, just not on every meal!


Thanks to everyone for helping us plan this trip! The comments/tips are all very much appreciated.

Seaview is great value if you want to be close to 7MB, not to mention it has glorious sunsets.

They have a nice casual outdoor bar and restaurant (Naked Fish), I have often gone there with my wife and young boys for a dinner at sunset (and I live here).

Naked Fish is one of quite a few "value priced" fun restaurants that have sprung up in Cayman recently.

I'd also like to thank Dee for jumping in and standing up for the quality of our restaurants here.

Whilst they can be expensive, a lot of it depends on how much alcohol you drink, as we have huge amounts of duty on booze here.

Top high quality restaurants ? My personal favourites are : Calypso Grill and Papagallo, but there are numerous others.

Also, re parking, not a problem on 7MB, everywhere has parking :)

Dee2,
I've tried all the top restaurants (most more than once), including Papagallos and the Calypso Grill. Just my personal opinion, but on a good night they wouldn't compare to a lower tier restaurant on St. Martin or
St. Barts (and aren't even cheaper especially if you count the overpriced wine).

So it looks to me like we have several options:

-- We can stay at the Seaview and rent a car for the whole week and go to 7MB and other sights on the island as we please

-- We can stay at the Discovery Point Club for a little more than Seaview, be right on the beach but not so close to shops/restaurants. We'd probably still need to rent a car for a few days to see the island (or would we still need it for the week to get to good eats from the northern part of 7MB?)

-- We can stay at the Marriott, pay the 120/night, be more centrally located to shops/restaurants, but then we give up the nicer sand. We'd still get a rental car for just a few days to see the island.

Any further insights to help us narrow this down and make our decision? :)

If you are planning to stay at Discovery Point in a Studio Gardenview, I have been told they are no where near as nice as the pictures they show on caymanvactions.com. Friends of mine made reservations to stay in a studio there and said it was awful. They left there and stayed at the Holiday Inn instead. We just returned from GC on 12/3 and stayed at Plantana on SMB, it was a wonderful condo and great location.

Robin -- Thanks for the heads up. Do you know if they stayed in one of the "newly renovated" rooms or not? Or any details about what made it awful?

The DR is Dominican Republic. Cheers,Larry

beach bum ~

You can get rates of $130 at Sunshine Suites.

If a good beach is important to you, I would steer clear of Discovery Point. We waled past all the condos and DP's beach was very rocky and badly eroded. Try to stay on central 7MB if at all possible.

Good luck!

If Plantana's deal is going on at your type of travel, check into it because if you stay 7 nights in a $210 room and only pay for 5 nughts, that evrages out to be $150 a night. They have a great beach. And it's a very nice complex.

beach bum, did you check out Seagull condos on Seven Mile Beach? This place is in a great location and in walking distance of most restaurants and Fosters grocery store: www.caymanseagull.com/

I think the price for a one bedroom suite in off season is around $145, oceanview around $175. There are more pictures and information at Cayman Vacations web site, www.caymanvacations.com We made our reservations with them and had great success. My friends room was surly not newly renovated. If they can guarantee you a newly renovated room then I'm sure it would be nice. Discovery Point is on the north end of SMB and it may be best to rent a car if staying there. It may be cheaper to stay near the "The Strand" (this is where Fosters grocery store is and many restaurants and shops) and not rent the car. I guess you would have to price it out. They do charge a small fee ( I think it was $7.50 ) for a temp GC drivers license. Insurance is another added expense as most American Insurance companies do not cover you in Grand Cayman. Hope this helps!