We will be going to a conference on Grand Cayman in December, our first trip there. Since we will only be there for a few days and won't have a car, I'm interested in finding things to do in the afternoons that are either in walking distance (we're staying at the Sunshine Suites near Seven Mile Beach), include hotel pick-up, or are easy to reach on public transportation. (We've already found a Stingray City tour we're interested in.) A few specific questions:

1. How far is the turtle farm from the northern end of Seven Mile Beach? (it's really hard to determine distances from the maps I have in my guidebook) Is this within walking distance (we don't mind walking 5-7 miles RT), or would we have to find a bus or taxi to get there?

2. Any recommendations for horseback riding?

3. Has anyone done the Atlantis submarine tours? How did you like it?

Thanks for any advice! There seem to be a lot of interesting things to do there, and unfortunately our trip will be pretty rushed, but we'd love to hit a few highlights.

MyDog,
The Turtle Farm is probably too far to walk.It is about 10-13 miles from Northern 7 mile beach.

If you want to explore..I would rent a car for atleast 1 day and go to the Turtle Farm that day.

Who are you doing the Stingray City tour with? We used Captain Marvin's and went on a Friday when no cruise ships are in.It was wonderful.Book your trip on a day that cruise ships are not in as it can be crowded there.Usually Fridays,Saturdays and Sundays are good.

Have fun!

Christie

If you have the time, try doing a 1/2 or full day Island tour with Tropicana Tours. http://www.tropicana-tours.com They will take you to all the touristy spots. They also do trips to Sting Ray City. We used Soto Cruises and loved that they provided a video of our trip. The main reason we went with them. I still watch it when I need a "getaway".

We didn't do the submarine due to expense, but we did go on the Nautilus. It was great since we were the only passengers. We got to snorkle with the crew also.

Also go to www.caymanislands.ky and order a vacation booklet to be mailed to you. It has great info on things to see and tour with names, address and phone numbers of tour operators.

http://www.caymanislands.ky/tour_guide/request.asp

Thanks for the replies! Very helpful -- we will definitely look into renting a car. And, yes, Captain Marvin's has been recommended very highly to us, so that's who we were planning to book with (we already asked them and they told us which day will have no cruise ships.) I appreciate the tips!

We went horseback riding on the beach with Nikki's, but it was the winter before Ivan so I'm not sure if they are still in business. It was wonderful, and everyone in our family of 5 enjoyed it. They picked us up where we were staying on 7MB.