Why don’t you go to Hell? This might seem like an abrasive statement anywhere other than the deck of a cruise ship headed for Grand Cayman. The largest of the Cayman island, Grand Cayman is home to beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters and banks. Yes, banks. Banking is the #1 economic driver in Grand Cayman with tourism coming in second. I’m guessing you aren’t here to learn about offshore banking so let’s stick with the latter and look more at what to do while visiting Grand Cayman.
Seven Mile Beach
Consistently rated one of the top beaches in the Caribbean by numerous sources Seven Mile Beach offers beautiful white sands, stunning blue waters and activities galore. All of Seven Mile Beach is public so you can stroll end to end enjoying any part you desire even though there are many many resorts littered along it’s shorelines. Even though you may not be staying at any of these resorts, this is a cruise blog after all, you are free to enjoy their restaurants and beach bars while soaking up the sun. Numerous vendors are available to provide anything from chair rentals and umbrellas to parasailing trips. If you are a beach lover this is definitely one place you don’t want to miss and the best part about it is you don’t need to book an excursion. Getting around Grand Cayman is both safe and easy, jump on the public bus. The yellow line departs from George Town bus terminal and stops at Seven Mile Beach, the turtle farm (more on this later) and various other places. It will only cost a couple of dollars per person so you can spend all that saved monies on buckets of beer or maybe a jet ski rental.
Stingray City
Stingray City is a sandbar located just off shore of Grand Cayman. Years ago when fishing was an economic driver for the area, boats would gather in this shallow water and clean their fish. The ample food source attracted sea life and they became accustomed to being around humans. Today the areas has become one of the most popular attractions on the island. I’ve been to Stingray City many times and have enjoyed it each and every one. After a short boat ride you will arrive at Stingray City and your tour operator will give you basic safety instructions. Upon entering the water you will be surrounded by the puppies of the sea. This can be intimidating at first but rest assured there is no need to panic or scream. At this point you can photograph, pet, hold and even feed these creatures as they glide through the water around you. During my last visit to Stingray City we were not provided snorkels and masks as we had been on previous trips, this was a little disappointing but overall you still get a great view of the animals. If you really want the full experience pickup a cheap mask at a store before you go but don’t bring the fins you risk hurting the stingrays and them responding in kind.
Hell
Located in West Bay, Hell is a black limestone formation about half the size of an American football field. I’m not a geologist or even an enthusiast so I won’t attempt to explain the process by which it formed and if I did what would you learn when you visit? These formations are said to represent what hell might look like, hence the name. The acoustics of the formations also give the perception of falling a great distance due the echos between the peaks and valleys. You are not permitted to walk on the formations but viewing platforms are provided for you to enjoy and take photos of this unique area. If you are exploring the island its worth stopping here, grab a souvenir and drop a post card in the mail so the next time someone tells you to go to hell you can quickly retort been there done that and move on without getting upset.
The Turtle Farm
The Cayman Turtle Centre aka The Turtle Farm is a popular tourist stop in Grand Cayman. A short trip from the cruise terminal in George Town makes this another excursion you can do on your own and save a few dollars. Here you will be able to interact with green sea turtles in a variety of ways. I’ve visited the Turtle Farm twice over the years; the first time was in 1998 on my first visit to the island and more recently in 2013. On that first trip I found the farm to have rustic charm. It felt like the people there only cared about the turtles and shared the experience with us tourists as a way to support this love. The experience was authenticate and wonderful. In 2013 when traveling with a large group of family members, many of them never having been to Grand Cayman before, we decided to do Stingray City and the Turtle Farm as a bundle. Unfortunately the weather didn’t permit us visiting Stingray City that trip but they offered to switch us to a Turtle Farm only excursion. Against my better judgement we all switched, even though I knew we could easily do this trip on our own, and headed off. Upon arriving you could instantly tell things were not the same. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan destroyed the Turtle Farm and it was rebuilt…and expanded. It now includes a restaurant, a salt water snorkeling pool, a shark tank and many other attractions. The authenticate love for the turtles and their clear mission seemed to have disappeared. You were now lead around by a guide to a couple of pools that you crowded around in hopes to seeing let and if you were really lucky maybe touching a turtle and then dropped off in a park like area to enjoy the snorkeling pool or water park. I could ramble on about my disappointment in the “new” Turtle Farm far longer than you will read so I will end simply with the statement of I do not recommend this excursions and encourage you to find other ways to view and enjoy green sea turtles in the wild.
Starfish Point
Starfish Point is a small beach on the north side of the island, although possible to get their by land I strongly suggest taking a boat. Here you will experience crystal blue waters much like the rest of the island. Upon entering the water you, or your guide, will be able to find many red cushion starfish that frequent these shallows in search of food. Please listen to your guides and do not bring the starfish above water, they will instantly die. The fact that many of the people on my excursion to Starfish Point had to be continually reminded this as they came closer and closer to pulling the animals above the water line probably contributed to my overall lackluster experience. On top of being surrounded by people that obviously couldn’t have cared less about preserving these natural wonders again the tour operators did not provide any snorkeling equipment. If you do visit this location make sure your tour includes it or bring your own. I believe that this beach would be an ideal place for a quiet picnic with family and friends, not really a great excursion destination in my opinion.
By no means is this all encompassing of what you can do while visiting this port but hopefully gives you an idea of what to expect. I have visited all of these places and tried to give you my opinion and experience. As I continue to visit this gem of Caribbean I will update this post with new excursions, the USS Kittiwake and the Cali snorkels are high on my list of things to try. Leave me a comment with your favorite place to visit in Grand Cayman or share you experience on one of the above.