Lodging

Grand Cayman offers a wide range of lodgings in all price categories (though it ranks as one of the more expensive Caribbean destinations). You'll find luxury resorts, hotels both large and intimate, fully equipped condos, stylish individual villas, B&Bs, and more affordable locally run guesthouses. Quality, professionalism, high-tech conveniences, and service all rank among the region's best. With a few notable exceptions, condo resorts rule Seven Mile Beach (some hotels lie across the coastal "highway"). These are particularly attractive family options, as they include kitchen facilities. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman accommodations emphasize function above glitz and glamour (though most lack neither character nor characters), befitting the Sister Islands' status as top-notch scuba-diving destinations. Both have villas, condo resorts, and small hotels that often run on an all-inclusive or meal-plan basis and simple, family-run inns.

Lodging Options

Hotels and Resorts

Grand Cayman offers something for every traveler, with well-known chain properties in every price range and style. Accommodations run the gamut from outrageously deluxe to all-suites to glorified motor lodges. Add to that locally run hostelries that often offer better bang for the buck. Still, in a Caymanian quirk, condo resorts take up most of the prime beach real estate. And, with a couple of exceptions, hotels along Seven Mile Beach actually sit across the road from the beach.

B&Bs, Inns, and Guesthouses

They may be some distance from the beach and short on style and facilities, or they may be surprisingly elegant, but all these lodgings offer a friendly atmosphere, equally friendly prices, and your best shot at getting to know the locals. Rooms are clean and simple at the very least, and most have private baths.

Condominiums and Private Villas

On Grand Cayman the number of available condos and villas greatly outnumbers hotel rooms. Most condos are very similar, with telephones, satellite TV, air-conditioning, living and dining areas, patios, and parking. Differences are the quality of in-condo amenities, facilities within their individual complexes (though pools, hot tubs, and barbecue grills are usually standard), proximity to town and the beach, and views. Some condos are privately owned and rented out directly by the owners; other complexes are made up solely of short-term rentals.

Grand Cayman's private villa rentals range from cozy one-bedroom bungalows to grand five-bedroom manses. Some stand completely independent; others may be located in a larger complex or enclave. Although at first glance rental fees for villas may seem high, larger units can offer significant savings over hotels for families or couples traveling together. Few hotels on Grand Cayman are so moderately priced. And, as in a condo, a full kitchen helps reduce the stratospheric price of dining out; a laundry room helps with cleanup, especially for families. Unless otherwise noted, all villas have landline phones, and local calls are usually free; phones are generally locked for international calls, though Internet phone service could be included. Villa agents can usually help you rent a cell phone.

Rates are highest during the winter season from mid-December through mid-April. Most condo and villa rentals require a minimum stay, often five to seven nights in high season (during the Christmas holiday season the minimum will be at least one week and is sometimes two weeks, plus there are exorbitant fees). Off-season minimums are usually three to five nights.

Several of the condo- and villa-rental companies have websites where you can see pictures of the privately owned units and villas they represent; many properties are represented exclusively, others handled by several agents. In general, the farther north you go on Seven Mile Beach, the older and more affordable the property. Note also that many offices close on Sunday; if that's your date of arrival, they'll usually make arrangements for your arrival. There's often no maid service on Sunday either, as the island practically shuts down.

We no longer recommend individual private villas, especially since they frequently change agents. Nevertheless, among the properties we’ve inspected worth looking for are Coral Reef, Venezia, Villa Habana, Great Escapes, Fishbones, and Pease Bay House.

Villa and Condo Rental Agents

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (www.caymanislands.ky) provides a list of condominiums and small rental apartments. There are several condo and villa enclaves available on the beach, especially on the North Side near Cayman Kai, away from bustling Seven Mile Beach.

Quoted prices for villa and private condo rentals usually include government tax and often service fees (be sure to verify this). As a general rule of thumb, Seven Mile Beach properties receive daily maid service except on Sunday, but at villas and condos elsewhere on the island, extra services such as cleaning must be prearranged for an extra charge.

Where Should You Stay?

Seven Mile Beach is Boardwalk and Park Place for most vacationers. In a quirk of development, however, most of the hotels sit across the street from the beach (though they usually have beach clubs, bars, water-sports concessions, and other facilities directly on the sand). Most of Grand Cayman's condo resorts offer direct access to Grand Cayman's prime sandy real estate. Snorkelers should note that only the northern and southern ends of SMB feature spectacular reef development; the northern end is much quieter, so if you're looking for action, stay anywhere from the Westin Grand Cayman south, where all manner of restaurants and bars are walkable.

Tranquil West Bay retains the feel of an old-time fishing village; diving is magnificent in this area, but lodging options are limited, especially now that the long-promised Mandarin Oriental remains on indefinite hold.

Those who want to get away from it all should head to the bucolic East End and North Side, dotted with condo resorts and villas. The dive sites here are particularly pristine.

The Cayman Kai/Rum Point, starting at West Bay across the North Sound, offers the single largest concentration of villas and condo resorts, stressing barefoot elegance.

Lodging Prices

Brace yourself for resort prices—there are few accommodations in the lower-cost ranges in Grand Cayman. You'll also find no big all-inclusive resorts on Grand Cayman, and very few offer a meal plan of any kind. Happily, parking is always free at island hotels and resorts.