Grand Cayman Trip Report May 10-16th Part 1
May 17th, 2006, 04:54 PM
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Grand Cayman Trip Report May 10-16th Part 1
I just wanted to start by saying we had an absolute blast at Grand Cayman.It is a wonderful place to go if you have kids who need to be entertained.
Day 1
Arrived at 1:00 pm,got a car from Thrifty at the airport and headed to Discovery Point Club condos on West Bay.We dropped off our bags and headed to Lonestar Bar and Grill for lunch/dinner.It was just OK to us but we were later told that the steaks are awesome.I had Buffaloe Chicken fingers,mom had Buffaloe Shrimp,my husband had Ribs and kids had Chicken fingers.
We then got groceries at Foster's which is right near Discovery Point Club.
We then went to the pool where we were staying which is right on the beach along with a hot tub!!Stayed for a few hours and took showers and kids and my mom stayed in for the night.
My husband and I headed out for a few drinks at Coconut Joe's.There was a group of people from NY who were in GC for a wedding.We had the best time at the bar goofing off with them.The bar is really neat..it has swings as the seats on one side...so I had fun swinging and drinking!
It also has a DJ who was from NC so my husband chatted with him a while.He played mainly rock-n-roll from the 80's (my teenage years)
We went back to the room around 12:00 to get some sleep and be ready for the next day.
I will finish some more of the report later..I need to get the kids to bed.Thanks to everyone who helped me with all of my questions in planning this trip!
Christie
Day 1
Arrived at 1:00 pm,got a car from Thrifty at the airport and headed to Discovery Point Club condos on West Bay.We dropped off our bags and headed to Lonestar Bar and Grill for lunch/dinner.It was just OK to us but we were later told that the steaks are awesome.I had Buffaloe Chicken fingers,mom had Buffaloe Shrimp,my husband had Ribs and kids had Chicken fingers.
We then got groceries at Foster's which is right near Discovery Point Club.
We then went to the pool where we were staying which is right on the beach along with a hot tub!!Stayed for a few hours and took showers and kids and my mom stayed in for the night.
My husband and I headed out for a few drinks at Coconut Joe's.There was a group of people from NY who were in GC for a wedding.We had the best time at the bar goofing off with them.The bar is really neat..it has swings as the seats on one side...so I had fun swinging and drinking!
It also has a DJ who was from NC so my husband chatted with him a while.He played mainly rock-n-roll from the 80's (my teenage years)We went back to the room around 12:00 to get some sleep and be ready for the next day.
I will finish some more of the report later..I need to get the kids to bed.Thanks to everyone who helped me with all of my questions in planning this trip!
Christie
May 18th, 2006, 03:23 AM
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Christie, so glad you finally got to go and had a great time. Grand Cayman is one of our favorite destinations.
We are leaving in 2 days for T & C, and will look for the rest of your report and pictures when we return.
We are leaving in 2 days for T & C, and will look for the rest of your report and pictures when we return.
May 18th, 2006, 05:11 AM
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Christie, welcome back! There have been quite a few recent GC trip reports, and each time I clicked on one to read I expected yours, so I'm glad to see it. I had forgotten that your mother was joining you on this trip. Looking forward to reading the rest when I'm back from my own quick trip down to Vieques.
May 18th, 2006, 04:37 PM
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Emily,
I will post a link to our pictures as soon as I download them.The snorkeling was great there.
caribtraveler,
Thanks!It was a great trip and the food was great as well.
Now I have added a Part 2 to my report.
Christie
I will post a link to our pictures as soon as I download them.The snorkeling was great there.
caribtraveler,
Thanks!It was a great trip and the food was great as well.
Now I have added a Part 2 to my report.
Christie
May 19th, 2006, 07:34 AM
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Day 2-
We all got up around 9:00 and snorkeled the beach in front of the condo.We saw some Angel fish,Blue Tang,Doctorfish,Small mouth Grunts,Stoplight Parrot fish,Barracuda and 2 squid that were all hanging around some rocks right off shore.
Around 11:00 we headed to RUMPOINT on the North Shore.It is the absolute best place to go if you have small children.The water is knee deep for 100 yards or so and very calm.The beach is also lined with Austrailian Pines for shade.My 3 yr old Ryan had a blast playing in the sand with another boy.My mom sat and relaxed on a chair while the rest of us went out snorkeling.We saw some fish under the pier their.My son Taylor saw Stingrays and Tarpon.
It also has a nice bar on the beach for food and drinks.We took snacks and Red Stripe and no one said anything to us.My husband had a few drinks at the bar.
We left around 4:00 and headed back to take a shower and go out for dinner.
Dinner was at THE WHARF..they are right on the water and have nightly Tarpon feedings.It was very entertaining to the kids who gave most of their food to the Tarpon .
I had Seafood Pasta which was really good with Shrimp,Lobster,Scallops and Calamari mixed in the sauce.Mom had a steak..she said was the best that she ever had.My husband had an upset stomach so he only had a salad.The kids and Tarpon ate Chicken fingers.
We dropped mom and kids off at the room and headed back to Coconut Joe's for a few drinks and hung out with some of the wedding crew again.We called it an early night around 11:00 to get sleep for Stingray City the next day.(so we thought).
When we got back to the condo we went on the beach and met a security guard from Jamaica who was such a nice guy.I went in around 1:00 am to get some sleep.My husband stayed and talked to him for a few more hours.
The good news is that now my husband will go to Jamaica!!Hooray...finally!! He said that the people seem like real people and that he thinks that he would enjoy it.
I will finish more tomorrow about Stingray City!!
Christie
We all got up around 9:00 and snorkeled the beach in front of the condo.We saw some Angel fish,Blue Tang,Doctorfish,Small mouth Grunts,Stoplight Parrot fish,Barracuda and 2 squid that were all hanging around some rocks right off shore.
Around 11:00 we headed to RUMPOINT on the North Shore.It is the absolute best place to go if you have small children.The water is knee deep for 100 yards or so and very calm.The beach is also lined with Austrailian Pines for shade.My 3 yr old Ryan had a blast playing in the sand with another boy.My mom sat and relaxed on a chair while the rest of us went out snorkeling.We saw some fish under the pier their.My son Taylor saw Stingrays and Tarpon.
It also has a nice bar on the beach for food and drinks.We took snacks and Red Stripe and no one said anything to us.My husband had a few drinks at the bar.
We left around 4:00 and headed back to take a shower and go out for dinner.
Dinner was at THE WHARF..they are right on the water and have nightly Tarpon feedings.It was very entertaining to the kids who gave most of their food to the Tarpon .
I had Seafood Pasta which was really good with Shrimp,Lobster,Scallops and Calamari mixed in the sauce.Mom had a steak..she said was the best that she ever had.My husband had an upset stomach so he only had a salad.The kids and Tarpon ate Chicken fingers.
We dropped mom and kids off at the room and headed back to Coconut Joe's for a few drinks and hung out with some of the wedding crew again.We called it an early night around 11:00 to get sleep for Stingray City the next day.(so we thought).
When we got back to the condo we went on the beach and met a security guard from Jamaica who was such a nice guy.I went in around 1:00 am to get some sleep.My husband stayed and talked to him for a few more hours.
The good news is that now my husband will go to Jamaica!!Hooray...finally!! He said that the people seem like real people and that he thinks that he would enjoy it.
I will finish more tomorrow about Stingray City!!
Christie
May 19th, 2006, 07:35 AM
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I forgot to mention that we went to the Botanic Gardens on the way to Rumpoint.It was beautiful but too hot by the time that we got there so we only stayed for about 45 minutes.
Here is a link to my pictures and I will be adding more as I get them developed.These are just from the digital camera,I also have 3 underwater cameras to develope.
http://community.webshots.com/user/christiegriffin71
Christie
Here is a link to my pictures and I will be adding more as I get them developed.These are just from the digital camera,I also have 3 underwater cameras to develope.
http://community.webshots.com/user/christiegriffin71
Christie
May 19th, 2006, 07:36 AM
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Day 3
We had reservations with Captain Marvin's for stingray City at 1:30.We were giving a message that the reserv. had been cancelled.I called them and they did not have enough people to do our tour.They made us a new reserv. for the 3 hour snorkeling tour for 2:30 (we originally had the 2 hour tour)but we still paid the price of the 2 hour tour and had to be at the office for pickup at 1:15 for pickup.
That worked out great because we got to go to Coral Gardens,The Barrier Reef and Stingray City.
I highly recommend Capt. Marvin's the crew was wonderful and very informative.A guy named Paul scuba dived the whole trip and video taped our experience.He played the tape back on the way back so we could see it.A couple with a little girl and us bought a copy of the DVD for $60 USD and it was delivered to our room on Saturday.
The stingrays were awesome and seemed so tame and loved the attention from all of us.My 3 yr old kept asking to go to Stingray City the rest of our trip.It was the highlight of our trip.
On our trip we saw Flamingo Tongues,Christmas Tree worms,a giant anemone,all kinds of coral,a Green Moray eel that the guys were feeding and it swam around so we could get some good pictures.We also saw a Trumpetfish,a Reef Squirrel Fish and tons of other fish.
Dinner was at Pappagallo's.It was very good and very expensive $300 USD for the 6 of us.We had 2 Apps,a few drinks and Entrees.
Me and my husband went out to Coconut Joe's again.We also went to a club called the O Bar we went dancing at.We called it a night around 2:00 am.I went to bed.My husband hung out on the beach for a few hours with our Jamaican friend.
Christie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: christiegr
Date: 05/19/2006, 07:45 am
Here is a link to some of the Stingray City pictures http://photo.walmart.com/photo/share/share_album.aspx
We had reservations with Captain Marvin's for stingray City at 1:30.We were giving a message that the reserv. had been cancelled.I called them and they did not have enough people to do our tour.They made us a new reserv. for the 3 hour snorkeling tour for 2:30 (we originally had the 2 hour tour)but we still paid the price of the 2 hour tour and had to be at the office for pickup at 1:15 for pickup.
That worked out great because we got to go to Coral Gardens,The Barrier Reef and Stingray City.
I highly recommend Capt. Marvin's the crew was wonderful and very informative.A guy named Paul scuba dived the whole trip and video taped our experience.He played the tape back on the way back so we could see it.A couple with a little girl and us bought a copy of the DVD for $60 USD and it was delivered to our room on Saturday.
The stingrays were awesome and seemed so tame and loved the attention from all of us.My 3 yr old kept asking to go to Stingray City the rest of our trip.It was the highlight of our trip.
On our trip we saw Flamingo Tongues,Christmas Tree worms,a giant anemone,all kinds of coral,a Green Moray eel that the guys were feeding and it swam around so we could get some good pictures.We also saw a Trumpetfish,a Reef Squirrel Fish and tons of other fish.
Dinner was at Pappagallo's.It was very good and very expensive $300 USD for the 6 of us.We had 2 Apps,a few drinks and Entrees.
Me and my husband went out to Coconut Joe's again.We also went to a club called the O Bar we went dancing at.We called it a night around 2:00 am.I went to bed.My husband hung out on the beach for a few hours with our Jamaican friend.
Christie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: christiegr
Date: 05/19/2006, 07:45 am
Here is a link to some of the Stingray City pictures http://photo.walmart.com/photo/share/share_album.aspx
May 19th, 2006, 01:08 PM
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christiegr: I was not able to access your Walmart link. Is it me or your link?
I enjoyed the other pics although I don't think I really needed to see the butterflies mating.
I'm so jealous that you got to eat at Pappagallo!
You're very lucky to have had your mother with you, so you and your husband could have fun at night.
I enjoyed the other pics although I don't think I really needed to see the butterflies mating.
I'm so jealous that you got to eat at Pappagallo!
You're very lucky to have had your mother with you, so you and your husband could have fun at night.
May 19th, 2006, 02:31 PM
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caribtraveler,
Try the link below to access the Walmart pictures.
Yes we were very lucky to have my mom along so we could go out some.My favorite meal was at Decker's.IMO they had an awesome Basil Chicken and Lobster pasta and their prices are a lot cheaper than Pappagallos.But I did enjoy the atmosphere and apps at Pappagallo's.
I will talk more about our other meals later.
I have to go for now.
Christie
http://photo.walmart.com/photo/album/album.aspx
Try the link below to access the Walmart pictures.
Yes we were very lucky to have my mom along so we could go out some.My favorite meal was at Decker's.IMO they had an awesome Basil Chicken and Lobster pasta and their prices are a lot cheaper than Pappagallos.But I did enjoy the atmosphere and apps at Pappagallo's.
I will talk more about our other meals later.
I have to go for now.
Christie
http://photo.walmart.com/photo/album/album.aspx
May 19th, 2006, 03:44 PM
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I also could not access the Walmart photos, at either address. Is that just me?? I'm looking forward to seeing all your pics, as we did hit some of the same spots. I'm jealous of your built-in babysitter--sounds like a great way to go on vacation!
I'm still trying to figure out how to post my photos--I'm definitely a novice when it comes to this stuff. Will hopefully get some photos of our trip posted soon.
Glad to hear you had a great trip to GC!
JS
I'm still trying to figure out how to post my photos--I'm definitely a novice when it comes to this stuff. Will hopefully get some photos of our trip posted soon.
Glad to hear you had a great trip to GC!
JS
May 20th, 2006, 04:22 AM
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Jspen,
You can get a free membership at www.webshots.com . I use that for my digital camera.I had to get CD's for the underwater cameras.I am going to see if I can add those pictures to my webshots since people are having problems with the Walmart website.
My mom has a regular 35mm camera and took 19 rolls of film
so when I get the CD's from her..I will have ALOT more pictures to share.
Christie
You can get a free membership at www.webshots.com . I use that for my digital camera.I had to get CD's for the underwater cameras.I am going to see if I can add those pictures to my webshots since people are having problems with the Walmart website.
My mom has a regular 35mm camera and took 19 rolls of film
so when I get the CD's from her..I will have ALOT more pictures to share.Christie
May 20th, 2006, 04:47 AM
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Day 4 Saturday May 13th
The kids,my mom and me went to the Butterfly Farm.It was a wonderful experience for the kids.
Our guide was really detailed about all of the stages of a Butterflies life.My older sons were so into everything she had to say and learned so much.I caught some of it but mainly had to walk around with my younger son and show him stuff to keep him happy so the other 2 could listen and learn.
At the end of the tour..our guide could not compliment enough on how interested my sons were on what she was teaching them.She said that most kids are not as interested in everything and that they were a joy.She also told us that we could come back as much as we like while we were there and get in for free with the paid ticket that I had.
The gift shop at the Butterfly Farm has some really neat gifts at very reasonable prices.
Next we went to the Blow Holes and watched them for a little bit.My 8 year old got up a little to close to one and got soaked when the water came up.(think god that it was not a big one..like in Hawaii :0 ) he would have been blown up in the sky.
We stopped at a beach on the way from the Blowholes somewhere near BoddenTown and went looking for shells and found some really pretty shells.
We got back to the condo around 5:00pm and the kids wanted to go to the pool so my mom went to the pool with them.They did not want to go back out so I ordered food for them from Coconut Joe's and Dine In delivered it.
My husband and I went to Decker's and had a couple of Red Stripe's and I ordered Basil Chicken and Lobster Fetticini.It was my favorite dinner..full of flavor and there prices were cheaper than some of the other places.
We went back to the room around 12:00 and I went in and read for a little bit while my husband sat on the beach and talked with our little friend from Jamaica.
Christie
The kids,my mom and me went to the Butterfly Farm.It was a wonderful experience for the kids.
Our guide was really detailed about all of the stages of a Butterflies life.My older sons were so into everything she had to say and learned so much.I caught some of it but mainly had to walk around with my younger son and show him stuff to keep him happy so the other 2 could listen and learn
. At the end of the tour..our guide could not compliment enough on how interested my sons were on what she was teaching them.She said that most kids are not as interested in everything and that they were a joy.She also told us that we could come back as much as we like while we were there and get in for free with the paid ticket that I had.
The gift shop at the Butterfly Farm has some really neat gifts at very reasonable prices.
Next we went to the Blow Holes and watched them for a little bit.My 8 year old got up a little to close to one and got soaked when the water came up.(think god that it was not a big one..like in Hawaii :0 ) he would have been blown up in the sky.
We stopped at a beach on the way from the Blowholes somewhere near BoddenTown and went looking for shells and found some really pretty shells.
We got back to the condo around 5:00pm and the kids wanted to go to the pool so my mom went to the pool with them.They did not want to go back out so I ordered food for them from Coconut Joe's and Dine In delivered it.
My husband and I went to Decker's and had a couple of Red Stripe's and I ordered Basil Chicken and Lobster Fetticini.It was my favorite dinner..full of flavor and there prices were cheaper than some of the other places.
We went back to the room around 12:00 and I went in and read for a little bit while my husband sat on the beach and talked with our little friend from Jamaica.
Christie
May 20th, 2006, 07:27 AM
#18
Christie, Very detailed and great trip report. I don't have time to read all of it, but stingray city sounds like a definite stop.
We are considering GC for a trip with another family early next summer. We both collect marriott pts. Did you ever see the marriott? I know they have a small beach.
We are considering GC for a trip with another family early next summer. We both collect marriott pts. Did you ever see the marriott? I know they have a small beach.
May 20th, 2006, 06:33 PM
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Girlonthego,
Yes I saw the Marriott from the road and it looked nice.It's on the busy 7 Mile Beach which gets crowded when the cruise ships come in.
We stayed just North of 7MB at West Bay which was more quiet and great.
I am still not through with the trip report...I have 2 more days to report.
Christie
Yes I saw the Marriott from the road and it looked nice.It's on the busy 7 Mile Beach which gets crowded when the cruise ships come in.
We stayed just North of 7MB at West Bay which was more quiet and great.
I am still not through with the trip report...I have 2 more days to report.
Christie
