lovessports

My wife and I are visiting the Cayman Islands for the first time in two weeks staying at the Marriott on SMB on points and I have some questions for anyone who has stayed there.. I have a courtyard view room, does it pay to upgrade for a better view. I think it's either an additional $25 or $50 a night. My wife can't be in the sun all day, do they have cabanas or umbrellas we can rent? Is there a super market near by to get stuff for breakfasts, snacks and liquor for the room? I've been reading the restaurant suggestions but any additional input is welcome. We are renting a car for one day, any must see sites? Thanks for your help

dordorpep

You will love Grand Cayman. Did not want to intially visit the island. My husband is a diver and he convinced me. I have returned 3 more times. Don't know about the Marriott as I have never stayed there. There is a great supermarket in the Strand shopping center. Everything you could want. Large and clean. Also, some great restaurants: try Edoardos (great traditional Italian ... eat there every time - best Calamari), Copper Falls Steakhouse, Deckers, Hemingways and Ragazzi. There are some less expenisve good places ... Coconut Joes, Lone Star, Aqua Beach. Some great places but further away are Cracked Conch (great tikki bar Macabuca downstairs to watch sunset), Papagallo, and Calypso Grill. There are a ton of great restaurants with different prices and the hotel can certainly help. GC is expensive since the US dollar is set at 80 cents. Sting Ray city is fun if you want to experience them up close and personal. We did it with a snorkeling trip combo. Also a sunset cruise is fun. Rum Point is at the opposite end of the island with a local beach and just fun. Georgetown is great ... just be aware of when cruise ships are coming in. You can "google" the cruise ship schedules as you get close to your trip. One or two are fine. More than that and it's way too crowded. Hope you enjoy yourself. I know I did.

beachdreams3

I stayed at the Marriott GC in December 2008. The question about the upgrade for a view is a personal choice. The courtyard is very lush, but I never spent any time on my balcony beacuse 1) there are some really loud (annoying IMO) birds in the courtyard, and the balcony was just not appealing (I think my balcony door was not particularly clean, and that there was kind of cheap plastic furniture there). I usually don't care too much about a view from my room because I'm on the beach all day. The umbrellas were free when I was there. I'm not sure about cabanas.

Location-wise, the supermarket mentioned above is fairly close (I think less than a mile but may be a little far if walking with lots of groceries). There is a convenience store at a gas station that is very close to the Marriott, and I liquor stores are pretty prevalent in the shopping plazas (I think there is one in the plaza right near the Marriott near the gas station). There is a pretty good but more casual restaurant, Cimbaco, there too, and a coffee shop with free wifi and I believe some computers to use if you don't bring a laptop. Internet charges at the Marriott were very high for the little I needed to use my computer, so I just went to the coffee shop a couple of mornings.

I did a one day car rental too, and the day I had the car, I drove to Rum Point during the day and to Cracked Conch/Macuba (sunset drink/appetizer) and Calypso Grill (dinner). I also, stopped at a couple of shops on the farther part of Georgetown from SMB. From the Marriott, I walked into Georgetown one afternoon. I agree with the previous poster about planning around the cruise ship schedule, and also be aware that there is rush hour traffic into/out of Georgetown on weekdays. I rented the car on a Saturday with only one cruise ship in port, and that worked fine.

originalkk

We have been visiting Cayman for almost 20 years. We always rent a car for the entire time as it makes it so much easier getting around in the heat.

If you are arriving by air and intend on getting a taxi to the Marriott, that will cost US$25-30 (so US$50-60 both ways). On top of this you will have the cost of taxis or buses to get to restaurants such as Pappagallos and Cracked Conch, snd I wouldn't want to walk to and from Foster's or Kirk's supermarkets with bags of shopping either.

A sub-compact rental car from (for example) Andy's would cost US$201 in summer 2010, plus US$7.50 driver's license, and from zero up to US$105 for insurance.

I think I would spend the money on renting a car from the airport, rather than upgrading the room.

With a car you can drive round to East End and visit Rum Point/Cayman Kai (I recommend Over The Edge on the North Side for a simple lunch on the water), plus explore other beaches and snorkelling sites.