My girlfriends and I are leaving for the Cayman Islands in 9 days. Does anyone out there have any last minute advice? Other then bring lots of money. We knew going in it was going to be pricey but we wanted the beaches, snorkeling and safety of the country since we are traveling alone. I have only been able to find a few restaurants that arent overly expensive. We dont need 5 star just some good food and a fun, tropical atmosphere..is most important. <BR>Any suggestions would be great. <BR>Also suggestions of nightlife would be appreciated too. <BR>We are 3 local girls from New Jersey who are used to sitting outside and enjoying the sunset with a nice big drink in hand, but need to escape from all the crowds at home <BR> <BR>Any advice is appreciated!!!!

Hi Juli. Where are you staying? Are you renting a car?

Juli, <BR>Rent a car and tour the island! Make sure you go up to Rum Point when you do, you'll love it! Great snorkeling and laid back. There's a little bar and restaurant there to have lunch. Great spot to just hang out for the afternoon. Cheap restaurants and great food in town is Cimbico, Hard Rock Cafe, and Eats!! A must do is the Stingray Sandbar trip!! It's a once in a lifetime experience. Best tours to go with is either Capt. Marvin or Capt. Dexter. You actually swim with, feed and can hold the stingrays!! As far as nightlife, the Royal Palms is great! If you rent a car and head to Rum Point, there's a neat local bar on the way there called the Driftwood. Bartenders are Frank and Donovan. Great guys!! Have a great trip!! <BR>Sandy

MY RESPONSE TO LEE <BR>We are staying at the Hyatt and havent decided to rent a car yet. We actually only have 3 full days so we are going to take the ferry to Rum Point on FRI. and then have a 1/2 day snorkel trip planned for Sat. So we arent really sure if we will have alot of time for driving around, mostly because we want to be as lazy as possible. Might rent a car just for Sunday and drive around, but since we are right hand drivers, we might stick to taxis. <BR> <BR>THANKS FOR EVERYONES SUGGESTIONS..... <BR>KEEP THEM COMING

Try the Calypso Grill for dinner. Its on the water in the west end. We ate there our last night and wished we had gone earlier in the week so we could've gone back. Have fun!! GC is my favorite place in the world.

Juli, I asked about the car because a taxi to Rum Point would be outrageous--since you're taking the ferry, no problem. Driving in GC is not bad at all--the other drivers are very tourist cautious and are quite courteous when the see you. Since you're staying in the 7MB area, the car is less of an issue though. Swim with the rays if you can! Also, the Lone Star (near your hotel) has great, inexpensive food & a bar--diver clientel. Enjoy.

I disagree - the drivers are pretty insane, coming at us from all directions, yield not in their vocab (and our cab drivers confirmed this, they found it funny, however). <BR> <BR>If you plan on being lazy, dont rent a car. In fact, we were very active going somewhere every day and we still spent LESS on cabs than a rental car for the week would have cost us. <BR> <BR>Definitely do the Wharf for dinner, and tree house is neat too. See my trip report at www.traveltalk.com, june 4-11.

I always rent a car when I am there. I rent from Thrifty and it is about $234 a week for a jeep. I have always found the locals to be tolerant of us drivers who have to "remember" to drive on the left!! Then if you want to go to Hell or to Georgetown to shop, you do not have to depend on finding a taxi or having the taxi wait for you. <BR>

Juli, one thing not mentioned is bring ALOT of sunscreen or sun block, whatever your skin needs. The sun is VERY direct in that part of the world now and you can get crispy pretty quickly. One thing you don't want to do is ruin a vacation. Also when you snorkle you might want to wear a tee shirt and put LOTS of sunblock on your neck and areas exposed to the sun, the water tends to intensify the rays. <BR> <BR>Have a great time. <BR>

Tweety: <BR>Thank you for the tip. I heard it was quite strong and since we havent seen the sun at home in almost 4 weekends now I am sure we will need it. My friends do not like to wear sunscreen so I am going to send your tip to them right now. <BR>Thanks for the tip <BR>

Don't go on the beaches after sunset w.out mucho mosquito repellent!!!

DO NOT FORGET to put the sunscreen on the tops of your feet too. Make sure your friends wear it too or your vacation could be ruined. I start out with at least spf 25, but it depends on your skin type. I still get a great tan. I have a friend that thought she could skip the sunscreen just one day. For the next 2 days of the vacation she could not do anything because of the burn... have fun but be smart...Sun