I visited Grand Cayman from May 6-13, 2003 and stayed at the Treasure Island Resort on 7-Mile Beach (SMB). Got a good deal on an economy rental car from Avis for about $125US per week.
I was looking for inexpensive, centrally located accomodations for a single person when I made reservations at Treasure Island (TI), and I was not disappointed. I paid about $100 per night for a standard room (parking lot view) which was spacious and clean. Maid service was daily and of high quality. All the resort staff were friendly and courteous, depsite some comments I've read previously on the web. All rooms have small refrigerators, air conditioning, satellite TV, phone, and in-room safes. No coffee makers though.
The beach at the TI was small with an ironshore entry into the ocean. Supposedly there's good snorkeling here, but the one time I snorkeled, visibility was terrible due to the surge. There are sandier parts of the beach within walking distance of TI.
The TI pools though were great - very large and clean with waterfalls surrounded by rocks and flora. I didn't try the jacuzzi, but it looked very clean.
The swim up bar at the TI pool, "Billy Bones", had good drinks and food, but tended to get crowded. For quieter environs, I usually used the other pool located closer to the lobby.
TI offers a "managers reception" Monday evenings with free rum punches and live entertainment. When I attended, the band was Earl LaPierre's Steel Pan Band, and they were amazing! The TI also offers live entertainment 2 or 3 other nights of the week. I also saw a band called "Heat" there which featured two female vocalists and they were good, too. (Be sure to pick up a "Cayman Activity Guide" booklet at the airport or at various stores on GC. It has a section that lists daily live music events and food specials around the island.)
TI has a number of shops on the premises including 24K-Mon Jewelry and Bob Soto's Diving Supplies and Instruction. The on-site restaurant, alternately called "Hook's" or "Athena's Greek Tavern", offers a wide range of appetizers and entrees, all quite reasonably priced (comparatively speaking). I ate there twice, and was pleased with the huge appetizer-priced portion of Caesar salad topped with grilled shrimp, and with the Double Skewers of Grilled Shrimp entree. The full bar offered generous cocktails.
Other Restaurants
Vivine's Kitchen - Located way over on the east side, it's worth the drive to get some of Vivine's homecooked Caymanian food at low prices. I had Caribbean-style lobster, rice & beans, plantains, coleslaw, potato salad and bottled water for $10CI. Vivine's backyard is located on the ocean and has several tables and hammocks. It was a wonderful place to enjoy my lunch.
Mezza - Located next door to Big Daddy's Liquor Store on West Bay, this place is air-conditioned and boasts a very sleek, mahogany filled dining room with full bar and imaginative lighting. Prices are typical for Cayman (about $17-27 per entree). I had the chicken stuffed with a cranberry/cream cheese mixture which was pretty tasty. The cheesecake tasted old, and was very dry and crumbly.
PD's Pub - West Shore Center on West Bay Rd. This dark, air-conditioned pub is a great place for cheap eats and internet access. Breakfast entrees range from $5-8, and internet access is $.10CI per minute. I ate dinner there once and had the fresh mahi-mahi for $12. It came with steamed vegetables and potatoes, and it was delicious and simply prepared. Their breakfast omelets are good ($7CI), but the best deal is either the American or English full breakfast for $5CI. PD's also features a trivia-type online game that you can play for free while you're waiting for your meal. Just ask one of the servers for a controller.
Smuggler's Cove - Downtown George Town. High-quality food with a great oceanfront ambience, but portions are small. Typical expensive Cayman prices with entrees ranging from $17-27. Great service.
Cracked Conch - near the Turtle Farm in West Bay. Although I didn't have a proper "meal" here, I did attend their Friday night Happy Hour which included a buffet of "appetizers". I put quotes around the word appetizers because the buffet included one entree - a wonderful pasta dish with large pieces of fresh fish in a creamy sauce - as well as delicious corn fritters and garlic bread. Had dinner for the price of a $4CI cocktail at the seaside bar. Recommended.
Myrtle's - in the Queen's Court Shopping Center on West Bay Rd. In my never-ending quest for tasty, inexpensive Caymanian food, I tried the offerings at Myrtle's and was pleasantly surprised. The ambience (strip mall) is nothing to write home about, but the food is both reasonably priced ($6-10 entrees with beans & rice, plantains, etc) and very good. The jerk chicken was yummy, and the jerk sauce (served on the side) was fiery hot but addictive. The fried chicken was prepared Caymanian style (in a red sauce with peppers & onions), and was excellent, too. Quite a few locals eat here, which is always a good sign!
John's BBQ - on the roadside near the north edge of George Town. (Look for the sign on the side of the road.) I ordered the barbecued ribs, and was I ever glad I did. They were tender with a savory/spicy/sweet sauce and were accompanied by two mounds of mashed potatoes and of course, rice and beans. All this for $10CI.
Foster's Supermarket - in the Strand Center on West Bay Rd. Unlike the prepared supermarket to-go food here in the US, Foster's offers hot food that's very tasty and inexpensive. They provide styrofoam food containers for you to load up whatever local favorites they're offering that day. These can include Caymanian Fried Chicken, Stew Beef, Stew Pork, Fried Fish, etc., along with the typical sides: rice & beans, plantains, and breadfruit. I always arrive in Cayman during the evening, and always pick up dinner from Foster's on my way from the airport to the hotel, along with basics like soda and breakfast items.
Shopping
I did little shopping on this trip, but here's some info....
Pure Art - located on South Church St. Pure Art continues to offer a wide variety of local arts and crafts in the little house south of George Town. Everything from paintings to ceramics to metal sculpture to rum cakes - it's all here.
Cathy Church's Photography - located on South Church St. Beautiful underwater photos by Cathy Church, as well as underwater cameras and accessories.
The Kennedy Galley in West Shore Center. This upscale art gallery had some beautiful bronze sculptures as well as original paintings and lithographs. They also offer framing services.
Esteban Gallery in downtown George Town - features Caymanite sculptures by Horacio Esteban. Caymanite is the rare stone found only in Cayman.
Puro Rey Cigars has two locations, one near Treasure Island in the "7 Mile Shops" center, and one right next to Lone Star cafe on West Bay. Has all the brand names Cuba's famous for - Monte Christo, Partagas, Cohiba, Romeo y Julietta, etc. Prices are OK.
Snorkeling
Eden Rock - Best shore snorkeling on the island. Great visibility with lots of reef fish. Cool underwater tunnels (Devil's Grotto) where you can watch the divers do their thing. Good for underwater photography because of the 150 ft viz.
Cemetery Reef - located near the cemetery in West Bay. I snorkeled here last year and it was great - viz was excellent, and saw tons of fish. This year visibility was poor (about 3-4 ft), although I snorkeled there several times). The beach area was lovely though with shade trees.
Coral Gardens, Barrier Reef & Stingray Sandbar - I took this North Sound snorkel trip with two different operators. The first was with Bob Soto, and the second was with Frank's Watersports. I used coupons for both and paid Soto's $15CI and Frank's $22.50US. Both require cash for the discount, and both only take about 6-12 people out at a time. I preferred Soto's because the boat is easier to get in and out of. Frank's boat had a nice landing area, but was very slippery, and a couple of us slipped on the way out of the water. I liked Soto's better also because they had 3 guides on the boat instead of just one, so they're able to spend more time telling you about each area and what to look for, in addition to conscienciously helping each person into the boat from the water.
Having said that, I'd say that the North Sound snorkel is a must for those of us who snorkel. Visibility is great, and the opportunities for photo ops are everywhere - even a disposable underwater camera will get you some nice shots. Coral Gardens - the reef is in about 10 ft of water, and there are some cool fish to be seen: parrotfish, bar jacks, grunts, and tangs. The Barrier Reef is in 10-12 ft of water and has very good visibility, but not as good as Coral Gardens (when I was there). Saw some barracudas, gar fish, and the ubiquitous sargent majors, as well as a stingray that was born with no tail. The Soto guide told us that this ray, born in this location about 7 years ago, is a female. I felt kind of sorry for her because the a stingray's only defense is its tail, but I guess she's managed pretty well so far, avoiding the stingray's main predator, the hammerhead shark. The guide also teased a green moray eel and a nurse shark out of their hiding places for us to see, which was very cool. Stingray Sandbar is very shallow (about 4 ft) and is a must do for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of interacting with stingrays. Despite their reputation, the stingrays at the Sandbar and at Stingray City are used to human contact, and will not sting you with their tail unless you step on them (shuffle your feet while in the water). The larger (4 ft or so diameter) rays are the females, and the smaller ones are the males. They are eager to be fed, and tend to bump and rub against you like friendly puppies to make you aware of that fact. And yes, they feel kind of like big portobello mushrooms.
Smith's Cove - There was a lot of wave action and surge here, so the viz was about 1 foot for snorkeling. However, the cute little beach and sandy swimming area makes this a nice spot for swimming and/or a picnic.
Turtle Farm - There is some fairly good snorkeling between the Turtle Farm and the Cracked Conch up in West Bay. I snorkeled there twice and the viz was great both times, but not as many fish as at Eden Rock.
Public Beach next to Governor's Residence on West Bay Road. This is one of my favorite places to hang out because it's got just about everything - nice shaded beach, sandy swimming area, and decent snorkeling out about 50 yards. Visibility was about 50-75 ft when I was there.
Collier's/Morritt's Tortuga on the East End - I'd read that snorkeling around the pier at Morritt's Tortuga Club was pretty great, so I gave it a go. However, visibility was only fair. The upside was that I did find some large tarpon under the pier to photograph.
Other Stuff
All in all, a nice, relaxing trip!
