Just returned from GC - any questions?
Nov 17th, 2001, 07:46 AM
#1
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Just returned from GC - any questions?
Hi! Just returned from 6 days in Grand Cayman. Had been there before and stayed at the Westin, but tried a different place this time.
Stayed at Turtle Nest Inn - and will only stay there from now on. Beach was lovely, rooms were spacious (we stayed in 2 different rooms, and saw a third), and really enjoyed Alain and Marleine's (the owners) company and advice.
Took a snorkle with Tortuga off of Kaibo Yacht Club - was great! Highly recommend.
Dined at the Edge (3 times) and Crows Nest (twice) - would recommend both places, esp if you are staying east of SMB.
Didn't make it once to SMB, and loved the peace and quiet!
I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks!
Stayed at Turtle Nest Inn - and will only stay there from now on. Beach was lovely, rooms were spacious (we stayed in 2 different rooms, and saw a third), and really enjoyed Alain and Marleine's (the owners) company and advice.
Took a snorkle with Tortuga off of Kaibo Yacht Club - was great! Highly recommend.
Dined at the Edge (3 times) and Crows Nest (twice) - would recommend both places, esp if you are staying east of SMB.
Didn't make it once to SMB, and loved the peace and quiet!
I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks!
Nov 18th, 2001, 06:20 AM
#4
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Jen,
We've been staying at The Retreat for the past 11 years. I love those condos!! They are beautifully furnished, fully equipped with everything you would need, and the setting there at Rum Point can't be beat. Surrounded by water, very nice beach, and gorgeous sunsets. You can snorkel right in front of the condos, and you also have a bar and restaurant right next door! They have a great pool area, and the manager there, Robert will go out of his way to make your stay perfect!! The 1 bedroom condos start at $250 low season. We always go in April and Oct, so I'm not sure of high season rates. They have a web site, retreatcondos.com if you would like to check them out. I highly recommend them. If you want any more info, please feel free to e-mail me.
Sandy
We've been staying at The Retreat for the past 11 years. I love those condos!! They are beautifully furnished, fully equipped with everything you would need, and the setting there at Rum Point can't be beat. Surrounded by water, very nice beach, and gorgeous sunsets. You can snorkel right in front of the condos, and you also have a bar and restaurant right next door! They have a great pool area, and the manager there, Robert will go out of his way to make your stay perfect!! The 1 bedroom condos start at $250 low season. We always go in April and Oct, so I'm not sure of high season rates. They have a web site, retreatcondos.com if you would like to check them out. I highly recommend them. If you want any more info, please feel free to e-mail me.
Sandy
Nov 18th, 2001, 05:24 PM
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I can't agree with Sandy that Rum Point and the Retreat are about "seclusion" and "no tourists". Rum Point is a bit of a "tourist trap" in my opinion. It is very small so that even with the staff from the bar & restaurant & shop it seems fairly full before the crowds arrive via car and ferry. And Barefoot Man used to play there regularly which brought crowds, hopefully that will change now that he's gone. As for the Retreat condo complex, right next to Rum Point, don't tourists stay there? So how is that "no tourists"?
Nov 19th, 2001, 03:52 AM
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Carlos,
Next door to The Retreat, you have The Wreck Bar and Rum Point restaurant, and the dock where the ferry boat drops off visitors. And that small area can get crowded. But at the Retreat property, it is very secluded! If you sit on the leeward side of the beach, you can see people next door, and you will see people snorkeling out in front of the condos, because of the small reef there, but the Retreat beach has maybe 2 to 4 people on it at any given time. I have laid on the beach myself, and been by myself for days at a time, not seeing anyone. If you go to the windward side beach at the Retreat very seldom will you see anyone. I go down every 6 months and stay for 10 days, and it's always like that. And the people who stay at the Retreat really aren't tourists!! Most own a condo there, and are major repeat visitors!! This will be my 24th trip in April! You do get some first timers at the Retreat, but not that often. Since that area is mostly residential, the people in that area are locals.
Sandy
Next door to The Retreat, you have The Wreck Bar and Rum Point restaurant, and the dock where the ferry boat drops off visitors. And that small area can get crowded. But at the Retreat property, it is very secluded! If you sit on the leeward side of the beach, you can see people next door, and you will see people snorkeling out in front of the condos, because of the small reef there, but the Retreat beach has maybe 2 to 4 people on it at any given time. I have laid on the beach myself, and been by myself for days at a time, not seeing anyone. If you go to the windward side beach at the Retreat very seldom will you see anyone. I go down every 6 months and stay for 10 days, and it's always like that. And the people who stay at the Retreat really aren't tourists!! Most own a condo there, and are major repeat visitors!! This will be my 24th trip in April! You do get some first timers at the Retreat, but not that often. Since that area is mostly residential, the people in that area are locals.
Sandy
Nov 19th, 2001, 05:42 AM
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Hey Jen,
Found your article on Grand Cayman and I was wondering whether you'd be able to give me any advice on where to say and when to go.
I'm thinking of taking my partner over sometime in February- Do you know what the weather is like this time of year? Also we're really keen in doing a fair bit of diving while we're there. Are there any areas you'd recommend?
Any other advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Austen.
[email protected] or [email protected] (childish I know!).
Found your article on Grand Cayman and I was wondering whether you'd be able to give me any advice on where to say and when to go.
I'm thinking of taking my partner over sometime in February- Do you know what the weather is like this time of year? Also we're really keen in doing a fair bit of diving while we're there. Are there any areas you'd recommend?
Any other advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Austen.
[email protected] or [email protected] (childish I know!).
Nov 19th, 2001, 08:58 AM
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Austen,
February is prime time to go - weather should be great. January 1 through mid-April is high season.
As for where to stay - that's up to you...if you want to be in the middle of the action, Seven Mile Beach is where you should go...there are many hotels, Westin, Hyatt, etc. on that side.
The other side of the island is quiet, and there are several hotels that cater to divers...I can't recall the names of them, but you might want to look on a Cayman web site for that.
February is prime time to go - weather should be great. January 1 through mid-April is high season.
As for where to stay - that's up to you...if you want to be in the middle of the action, Seven Mile Beach is where you should go...there are many hotels, Westin, Hyatt, etc. on that side.
The other side of the island is quiet, and there are several hotels that cater to divers...I can't recall the names of them, but you might want to look on a Cayman web site for that.
Nov 20th, 2001, 09:56 AM
#10
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Michelle hit SMB and West End, and we did not venture over there, so I cannot comment on what I saw. The other parts of the island were just fine.
We did hear these things: The Turtle Farm may still be closed - apparently they lost 20-30% of the turtles. You cannot get turtle meat in restaurants due to this (not that we wanted any). On the radio - the Burger King on SMB is closed due to the storm - that made us laugh.
The weather was great - enjoy!
We did hear these things: The Turtle Farm may still be closed - apparently they lost 20-30% of the turtles. You cannot get turtle meat in restaurants due to this (not that we wanted any). On the radio - the Burger King on SMB is closed due to the storm - that made us laugh.
The weather was great - enjoy!
Nov 20th, 2001, 10:50 AM
#11
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Carole,
Visit http://www.cayman27.com.ky/ and scroll down a little for a report on the hurricane damage.
Visit http://www.cayman27.com.ky/ and scroll down a little for a report on the hurricane damage.
Nov 20th, 2001, 01:15 PM
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I would like to add my opinion of Rum Point. Although this is the quiet side of the island, the small beach area that is open to the public was packed when we went last year. I believe that timing is everything, and we must of hit it on the wrong day. It did look like a nice spot to spend the day, but there was way too many people jammed into too small of a beach area for us. We will try it again, when we go back, but we will be careful about the day we choose to visit.
Also, one thing we did not like about Rum Point is having to leave our cooler in the car, so that we were forced to pay for the over-priced drinks offered there. Sorry, that is ridiculous, as we simply wanted some cold water to drink, but were not allowed to do so w/o paying. SMB may have it's somewhat crowded spots in front of the bigger hotels, but you can easily find VERY secluded spots further north as this beach is quite long. We found it very easy to avoid the crowds even with 3 cruise ships in town.
Like I said, Rum Point does look nice, but it does has it downsides as does SMB. JMHO.
Also, one thing we did not like about Rum Point is having to leave our cooler in the car, so that we were forced to pay for the over-priced drinks offered there. Sorry, that is ridiculous, as we simply wanted some cold water to drink, but were not allowed to do so w/o paying. SMB may have it's somewhat crowded spots in front of the bigger hotels, but you can easily find VERY secluded spots further north as this beach is quite long. We found it very easy to avoid the crowds even with 3 cruise ships in town.
Like I said, Rum Point does look nice, but it does has it downsides as does SMB. JMHO.
Nov 20th, 2001, 03:08 PM
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To Scott,
When I was telling Jen about Rum Point, I was referring to staying up there, not necessarilly visiting the public beach. I totally agree that it can be very crowded, especially when the ferry boat comes in!! But if you rent one of the villas there, or stay at the Retreat, it's like having that beach all to yourself. If someone wants total privacy, you can't beat renting on that part of the island!! And if you want to mingle and talk to people, then you just venture over to the public beach. I agree that their policy of not bringing coolers on the beach is ridiculous, but when your staying up there, you can just walk over with a drink and they don't say a word. When your staying there, you get a different perspective than if your just stopping for the afternoon. Weekends are the busiest days at Rum Point, so try through the week next visit!
Sandy
When I was telling Jen about Rum Point, I was referring to staying up there, not necessarilly visiting the public beach. I totally agree that it can be very crowded, especially when the ferry boat comes in!! But if you rent one of the villas there, or stay at the Retreat, it's like having that beach all to yourself. If someone wants total privacy, you can't beat renting on that part of the island!! And if you want to mingle and talk to people, then you just venture over to the public beach. I agree that their policy of not bringing coolers on the beach is ridiculous, but when your staying up there, you can just walk over with a drink and they don't say a word. When your staying there, you get a different perspective than if your just stopping for the afternoon. Weekends are the busiest days at Rum Point, so try through the week next visit!
Sandy
Nov 20th, 2001, 07:24 PM
#15
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Jen,
When exactly were you there? A friend of mine down there said they had a big storm earlier this week, which seems to conflict with your saying the weather was great. Also, are you sure you heard that the Burger King was closed on SMB, or did you mean the one in Georgetown that was damaged? Why did that make you laugh??
When exactly were you there? A friend of mine down there said they had a big storm earlier this week, which seems to conflict with your saying the weather was great. Also, are you sure you heard that the Burger King was closed on SMB, or did you mean the one in Georgetown that was damaged? Why did that make you laugh??
Nov 21st, 2001, 11:48 AM
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Steve - I was there from 11/11 to 11/16. It did rain on Monday the 12th, and that was it. We did drive around the island that day 'chasing the sun', and found some success in the morning to mid-day in the East End. Apparently SMB got way more rain than the rest of the island...we could see that it was really dark over there most of the day.
As far as Burger King goes, I'm pretty sure it was the SMB one, and it was funny b/c it was an advertisement from Burger King that we heard on the radio - 'come stop by, great burgers, blah, blah, blah...' and then after all that, 'oh, by the way, we're closed on SMB'.
As far as Burger King goes, I'm pretty sure it was the SMB one, and it was funny b/c it was an advertisement from Burger King that we heard on the radio - 'come stop by, great burgers, blah, blah, blah...' and then after all that, 'oh, by the way, we're closed on SMB'.
Nov 21st, 2001, 03:33 PM
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Jen, my friend was also there that week, says he got trapped in Cayman Kai for a few hours during that big storm because the roads there flood really bad. He also said he thought BK on 7MB was open the whole week, he noticed because Royal Palms and Reef Grill are across the street and he goes to them a lot. The beach bar at Royal Palms lost some of its palm trees, and Casanovas and Cracked Conch were completely wiped out, but of course neither is on 7MB. There are 2 BKs in GT, maybe one of them had some storm damage. He said water temp was the coldest he has ever felt it there, he was told it was due to cloudy and windy weather in early November. He said you can now walk out further into the water on 7MB because it is shallower now since the waves from the hurricane brought in a lot of sand. Some reef damage but the sea life was as plentiful as ever.
