dcslb

Have read extremely negative and extremely positive reviews about condition of hotel and island. Need advice on what to really expect. Also, anyone use Redsail Sports for snorkeling trips? How was it? Thanks.

joanie433

My understanding is that the part of the hotel that is next to the sea is just fine. The hotel portion that is across the road has not been in use since the hurricane. The island itself is in good shape - I just returned about a week ago. There is much new construction going on at present. The present condition of the island will not disappoint you. I'm sure Redsail is fine but our personal favorite for many years is Capt Clinton Ebanks - he can be reached at 949-1016.

Cvechko

We stay in the Hyatt for 1 week and on the North Side 1 week. When at the Hyatt, we use Red Sail Sports for activities. We really like them. Also always felt safe - Red Sail Sports is either owned by the Hyatt or has some kind of affiliation. I figured the Hyatt would not take chances with their guests. Have not tried any of the others.

From all reports, Hyatt on the beach is rebuilt but the older/main part of the Hyatt has not been rebuilt yet (the older part is across the street from the beach).

dcslb

Thanks so much for the advice. This is our first time to Cayman. Is there a place you like better than the Hyatt? I picked the Hyatt because they had suites ( we have a 10 year-old traveling). Also, how is driving? Was a little concerned about driving on the left. If we want to explore other parts of the island, should we have a car? Thanks for all your help!

Cvechko

I think you will be very happy with the Hyatt.

Our favorite place to stay is the Cayman Kai Sea Lodges - we like to be away from the crowds and the snorkeling right off the beach is the best we have ever found. The lodges are individually owned & rented and are reasonabbly priced. Goto http://www.caymanhaven.com/ or http://www.sealodgical.com/.

GC is one island I would definitely rent a car (or even better a jeep). It is a great little island to explore.
Seven Mile Beach is the more crowded, touristy area (but still nice - not real commercial like many other islands). Drive to the Cayman Kai/Rum Point area or the East End.

Don't worry about the driving - if I could do it anyone can. The worst problem I had was remembering that the wipers & blinkers were on the opposite side from what cars are at home. Every time I made a turn, I turned on the wipers instead of the blinkers. Just be alert about driving on the Left and you will be fine.

PS, you will also want to check out the Turtle Farm, Hell, and swim with the stingrays. The submarine is also fun.

dcslb

Thanks for your suggestions. Have heard that the beach gets busy from cruise ships. Someone recommended the Discovery Point Club at the north end of 7 mile. Are you familiar with those condos?

caribtraveler

dcslb: Click on my screen name and you will find my recent trip report with some pictures "Grand Cayman/Little Cayman Trip Report". We stayed at the Hyatt. You will see that we got a great deal but that does not mean we would overlook any hurricane damage to the hotel. We saw none. The Hyatt Suites is completely fixed up to us. Our suite was great.

The Hyatt building that houses the standard rooms doesn't appear to have been touched since the hurricane. It is fenced off. One thing I didn't mention in my trip report is that the standard room building isn't "really" across the street. By that I mean that there's a restaurant right across the street(Decker's - which serves great food by the way), then there's this huge empty space (including parking lot) behind Decker's. The Hyatt standard room building is after that, so set far off the main street. I'm saying all of this so you know that this damaged building is not right in your face. You'd have to walk to it to see what's left of it. My husband actually did and hopped the fence (bad man) and took lots of pics.

If you stay in the Georgetown area, you will not see a lot of damage. You will see some trees with brackets (to help their roots get stronger). You will see some construction (buildings being worked on, painted, etc...). We personally did not think it was terrible.

You really notice the remnants of hurricane Ivan when you travel out of Georgetown to the South and East. I mentioned that in my trip report.

We did not use Redsail Sports.

joanie433

7MB Road can get busy from the cruise ship people and their buses but not the beach. The cruisers - most of them - go to designated areas and those CAN get crowded. But the areas in front of your hotel, condo are just fine. Discovery Point seems to be popular and is far enough north that you'll miss the cruisers except for, possibly, a few hardy walkers passing thru.

Rest easy on the driving - the speed limits are slower and if you follow the car in front of you, that'll help you adjust. It's nice to have one if you want to get out and explore.

dcslb

I'm so glad I discovered this web site. All of your stories and advice are making me feel better about this vacation choice. My son will be having his 10th birthday while we are there. Any suggestions on something or some place special we should do/go? We will definitely be snorkeling and will go to singray. Anyone been on the Jolly Roger pirate ship or is this an expreme tourist trap?

TomCayman

Your 10 year old would likel love the Thriller... offshore power boat ride... fantastic fun (my kids are similar ages and love it)... also the wave pool at the Black Pearl surf and skate park... fantastic

dcslb

Tell me more about Thriller. I have not seen this in any of the research I've done. How do I contact them?

TomCayman

http://www.thrillercayman.ky/

Do use your resort concierge to book though, to make sure they get you the best possible deals and also (potentially) tailor the trip.

A popular birthday trip for local kids is to get on the Thriller (George Town harbour) and blast up and down for an hour or so. It then drops off the kids at SeaGrape Beach (on 7MB), a bar/grill where they can play around... and also (an option) work out in advance a deal for an hour of use of watersports equipment with the Red Sail sports booth located right there. After 60-90 mins on the beach, jump on the Thriller to ride back to GT.

A cool trip for a kids birthday !

dcslb

Thanks so much for all the info. All of you GC travelers have helped me so much. Thanks caribtraveler for your detailed trip description. It was a fun read and great pictures. Thanks.

Davelw

Not sure if this thread is already dead but I will add my 2 cents worth. We were at the Westin on Seven Mile Beach last week. Didn't see any evidence of the hurricane until we drove around the island. Even then, the evidence was minimal and limited to a few homes that were either beaten up and empty or under some state of repair. Can't comment on the Hyatt, though. If I hadn't already know part of it was closed I never would have noticed. But I can strongly recommend the Westin (pool, beach, hotel, staff, all excellent!)

We used Red Sail Sports for a half day snorkel trip to Stingray City and "the reef". The guys who worked on the boat were very fun and friendly and we had an excellent trip. The trip included lunch and we sailed on a fairly large catamaran for a very smooth ride.

Have Fun!
Dave

dcslb

Thanks Dave. Anyone that has any recent trip experiences in GC, please post. We are leaving in two weeks. Thanks for all the great info.

Ant

Hi dcslb,
A great site to explore the Cayman Islands before you get there is www.caymanactivityguide.com
Lots of info, coupons, pictures, trip reports and very friendly message board. I am returning to GC (after 12 years) the first week in July and I can't wait!

jspen

We were in GC in April, and I'm happy to offer my two cents. If you're interested, you can read my trip report--just click on my name. I also posted a few photos (GC photos- April'06). We did not stay on 7MB, so I can't comment about hotels in that area. We stayed in an apartment in Boddentown instead (at the Turtle Nest Inn), which we loved. But we travelled all over the island and took in a lot of the kid-friendly activities, so the report may be helpful to you. My kids are 8 and just 4. Driving was really no problem, and we were happy to have the rental car to get around and explore.

We did not use Redsail Sports. My 8-year-old son and I did the Stingray City trip with Capt. Dexter, which was great. My son also LOVED the Atlantis sub, which he did with my husband. Your 10-year-old would probably enjoy that. I took my daughter on the semi-sub (Seaworld Explorer), since she was younger, and that was just right for her age.

Any other questions, let me know.
Have a great trip!

RegStewart

We just returned from 10 days at the Hyatt suites, beach side. The hotel (across road from beach) is not open. The Hyatt (suites) is fine, as would be expected. Be sure to visit the roof for a cocktail and sunset. It is not advertised, but the view is excellent.

Gin

What condos are next to or very near the Westin? We need a condo for our little group, but would like easy access to a pool bar/restaurant. Thanks.

joanie433

Villas of the Galleon and Coralstone are next door to the Westin.