Sparky24

We are planning a trip to Grand Cayman in late Nov and I would like some feed back on best places to stay. We will be taking our son (2.5) and want somewhere not too touristy(hoping there is such a thing!) and relaxing. We'd like 2 rooms or a suite.
Thanks.

christiegr

Sparky,
We are going to GC in May for the first time.We have boys ages 3,8 and 11.

After some reseach we choose to stay at Discovery Point Club condos.They are on the Northern Part of 7 mile beach.(supposed to be the quieter part of the beach)We reserved an oceanfront 2 bedroom condo.It was only $280 a night for the 6 of us.

I will do a trip report when we return to let you know how we liked the place.

In the meanwhile you can check out this website which has some specials for places in Grand Cayman.

www.caymanvacations.com

Good luck with the planning!

Christie

desertbound

Sparky24,

Be warned, there IS NO quiet part of seven mile from a tourist perspective, to get anywhere else on the island, you MUST drive, walk, bus down the main road and venture through georgetown, you can be savvy with side street but not all are mapped. I would NOT stay on seven mile given your specific "Not too touristy" request...east end of the island fits your bill, it is a 45 minute drive from the airport but is in proximity to good restaurants and RUM POINT which IMO will suit you well with your young child. The Reef Resort also meets your requirements, HUGE suites. Read my Trip Report for March '06. It is windier out east though.The Turtle Nest Inn is mid-way unsure if they have a pool...the sunset house is on the southwest corner of the island, nice place, many families stay there.
Stay away from seven mile if you want quieter, that's my take home message here.

Have a great time, it's guaranteed...

Jen

jspen

We're heading to GC in less than 2 weeks with our two kids (nearly 4 and 8) and were looking for similar things in a place to stay. We ended up booking at the Turtle Nest Inn, mentioned by desertbound. It's small, with 8 1-bedroom apartments, all with kitchens. It does have a pool and is right on the beach. They have some good deals on their website, so you may want to check that out: www.turtlenestinn.com. We were able to get a package that included a rental car, which we figure we'll need, since we're not staying right at 7MB.

Good luck!

anonxx

I second the suggestion for the Reef Resort on the East End. It meets your requirements and there is a nice restaurant and beach bar on site so it's very convenient if you want to eat a few meals out with you son. They have beach toys, etc. available for use in the Dive Shop.

Samsaf

And I third the suggestion of the Reef Resort. We stayed there a year and a half ago, and we'd love to return again. I was looking at our pictures the other day, and there is no one else on the beach except us most of the time! I do want to let you know, though, that most of the beach in front of the resort is rocky, not sandy. You probably need to consider that with your son.

lkemerson

You could also consider a condo on the Northside.

We stay on the Northside and love the quiet of it. We walk the beach every day of our two week stay each year, and rarely see another soul.

http://www.caymanvacation.com/

All the other places listed are very nice as well. And the suggestion that if you want quiet and no congestion to skip the 7MB area, good advice too.

You are going to have so much fun.

Sparky if you have not bought your airfare yet, be sure to get yourself on Spirit Airs email list [they occasionslly have awesome air fare deals] or try flycheapabroad.com which has saved us $1000's over the last few years [family of 5].

flycheap will not tell you the name of the carrier until you purchase...BUT, if you have up travelocity while looking you can discern which airline it will be by departure and arrival times.

Good luck

Karen

Sparky24

Thanks everyone, I have read about all the places suggested. The Reef resort is looking very good, Samsaf you mentioned that the beach is rocky not sandy, it looks sandy on their web site pics? Anyone else know if their fibbing on the sandy beach??LOL We have no problem renting a car, we like to be out and about some, but like the thought of relaxing on the beach/pool with the little guy!
Sparky24

RandyK

I disagree with desertbound's comments on the northerly portion of 7 MB in one respect. It's correct that this part of the island is busy, but once you are at your condo (have stayed at Discovery Point three times, Aqua Bay in January of this year and back again in March along with once at Anchorage before Ivan), the beach is almost always wide open. You just need to plan your day trips in a way that keeps you from getting wrapped up in the local rush hour.

This part of 7MB doesn't get the cruise ship day folks except for those folks who are traveling to the turtle farm or Hell. The traffic getting to the condos on this part of 7MB does seem to be getting worse each year---a few years ago it seemed that only Fridays were tough. Now, during what I guess must be the morning and evening rush hours it's not uncommon to see bumper to bumper traffic that stretches from the last rotary on West Bay Road to the Discovery Point/Aqua Bay area. The solution to this is pretty simple, just plan your trips around the commute time.

We were back to Cayman in March and our rental car driver told us that the island has more cars since Ivan. Apparently lots of folks got their cars totaled by the storm damage, but many of these cars were recycled. In fact I think the rental car we had in January was one of those recycled. I noticed rust on the seat posts (where the seat is bolted to the floor of the car) and there was rust in the trunk which couldn't be attributed to just high humidity.

Sparky24---we would stay at either Aqua Bay or Discovery Point again. Both have identical layouts, Discovery is just bigger. Both had their rooms totally remodeled after Ivan. The staff at both places are great. Have fun!

anonxx

I can confirm that the Reef Resort does have a nice big sandy beach. The only "rocky" parts are to the left of the dock when you are in the water, but it's a small area. I think a 2 year old would mainly be playing in the sand and on the edge of the water and it wouldn't be a problem.

Samsaf

The "rocky" parts are when getting into the water at parts of the beach. There are areas that are more sandy, but sometimes we had problems getting out of the water because of the rocks in the area. Walk down to the far pier and snorkel back up -- lots of fish, lots of fun.

If you'll e-mail me, I'll send you some pictures of the resort/beach ([email protected]).

Sherry

TomCayman

Hi, thanks for all the recommendations of The Reef

Actually this week we have Carol (beachluvr) and her family here... she absolutely loves it (and I have asked her to do a trip report), but although she loves the snorkelling, she is not a big fan of the fact that we have a rocky bottom along much of our beach (although we have multiple clear sandy areas to go in the water).. so if you want a pure sandy bottom you can walk out a distance, 7MB is definitely better for you (I'm a fan of full disclosure!)

joanie433

I'm a fan of 7 Mile Beach. It CAN be busy when you are on the road in this area but when you are on the beach, it is rather peaceful and quiet. We've walked long distances and have seen few people - especially at the time of year you want to go. It has the advantage of being near more restaurants and shops. AND the beach is lovely sand there. Driving up and down the road at busy times can be a challenge but, if most of your time is spent on the beach, I'd say that would be your best choice.

ScottB

I totally agree with RandyK. If you want to get away from the crowds, and also be on the BEST beach, then the northern end of 7MB is the deal. I think you need to ask yourself how important a good beach is. There is a very logical reason so many resorts are located on 7MB!!

christiegr

RandyK,
Thanks for the comments on Discovery Point..we are staying there in a few weeks and it is good to hear about it..in a good way since it's our first visit to Grand Cayman.

Do you know around what times of the day "rush hour" is the worst (morning and afternoon)??

Thanks,
Christie

joanie433

In the mornings it's bad going south into Georgetown - probably about 730 to 830 or 9. In the late afternoons, it's busy going north into the West Bay area around 430-530. Going from East End into Georgetown and back again, the same hours would apply. It really is stop and go. But if you drive other than those times, you'll do just fine.

RandyK

Christiegr-
We were in Cayman twice this year. In mid January it seemed that the traffic was busiest from about 7:30-9 inbound to Georgetown and again from about 4-5:30. We just planned our days around this rush hour time and didn't let it bother us a bit. (Our bedroom faced the street at Aqua Bay so we could hear the traffic creeping by in the morning. We usually were coming in from the beach at afternoon rush hour.)
Cayman is hands down my favorite place in the Caribbean----beats Aruba, Grenada, Anitgua, St. Johns, Barbados, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Barts, St. Thomas, Dominica, Jamaica and Dominican Republic. There may be nicer places, but for me it's Cayman!

By the way, if getting into the water at Discovery Point is rocky (I can't remember if Ivan changed this!), just walk up or down the beach a bit to find an easier spot to enter. When we were at Aqua Bay in January we walked a bit north toward Cemetery Reef--it was just a bit rocky at Aqua Bay. Have fun!

christiegr

Randy,
Thanks!I bought water shoes for the whole family just in case.

I feel that we are going to love Grand Cayman!

Christie

ariela111

We went to GC for our honeymoon 2 years ago and stayed at the Westin -- it was THE WORST hotel I've ever stayed in. It was a dump, service was horrendous, and it was expensive. We were so disappointed, it's kept us from staying at ANY Westin ever since ... a chain that we had previously always loved.

Cvechko

Check out the Cayman Kai area of Grand Cayman. Then if you want a busy area & don't want to drive - you can always hop the ferry from Run Point to Seven Mile Beach.