Saturday, 4/27 ---
The TNI folks reserved a rental car for me with Budget. I ended up with an economy Hyundai Atos with A/C and automatic transmission for about $220 for the entire 10-day stay. Although I was traveling alone, the Atos was big enough to fit a family of four in a pinch. Definitely a good deal.
Stopped at Foster's for groceries on the way from the airport and stocked up on soda, breakfast& lunch foods, snacks, and some jerk chicken and pork for dinner that night. I arrived at the TNI in Bodden Town around 3pm and was greeted by Alain, one of the owners of the inn, and shown to my room. Mostly the TNI has one-bedroom apartments which are very spacious and clean. I wanted to save money though, and had reserved their single "hotel room", which was clean and not-so-spacious. In fact, it was almost claustrophobic. However, when Alain showed me the room, I noticed that it had it's own coffee maker with coffee, mini-fridge, plastic plates and silverware, cable TV, VCR, and a full bathroom. More than that, it had some special little touches like french-milled soaps, whimsical bathroom accessories and a copy of the Caymanian Compass newspaper delivered to your door each morning. And the ice machine and laundry facilities were right outside. And lest I forget, the TNI also has folding beach chairs, coolers and ice packs for when you want to go somewhere for a picnic on the beach. Not bad for $95/night.
After depositing my luggage in the room, I met Madeline, Alain's partner. Madeline was gracious and friendly, offering me a glass of wine to enjoy on the terrace overlooking the sea. It was a wonderful way to relax after the long trip. I spent the rest of the day and evening settling in. I took my jerk chicken and pork dinner I'd bought at Foster's out to the terrace and enjoyed my first meal in Grand Cayman.
Sunday, 4/28 ---
Slept in and lazed around the whole morning, enjoying breakfast in my room before donning a swimsuit and venturing out to the small, but pristine pool fronting the ocean. Did a few laps, and proceeded down to the beach. Ensconced myself comfortably beneath one of the two palm trees and donned my snorkel gear.
Note that the beach at the TNI is small, and the water is full of turtle grass. This is *not* 7-Mile Beach. If you're looking for a place with a wide, sandy area to swim in, this is not for you.
The water was very shallow, and the turtle grass obscured everything, so I headed out toward the reef. I saw a lobster and a turtle, and oddly, a bunch of fish inside an underwater cage. The visiblity wasn't too good, so I didn't get any pictures. After removing my gear, I went to my room and prepared lunch which I enjoyed under "my" palm tree on the beach. I was in heaven, and promptly fell asleep to the sound of waves gently lapping the shore.
For dinner, I went to The Edge, an ocean-front restaurant about 1/2 mile away. I'd read differing opinions on this place, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. I had fresh snapper, plainly grilled, with a light dill sauce accompanied by steamed vegetables, and the traditional Caymanian rice and beans, fried plantains, and delicious fried bread. My size large Rum Runner was excellent, as was the snapper, which had a delicious flavor, despite the simple preparation. I had more than enough food, and the service was courteous and prompt. I even got a 10% discount after presenting the waitress with a Turtle Nest Inn business card. Total was approximately $32US.
Monday, 4/29 ---
I made a massage appointment with Healing Hands in West Bay for noon today. I was eager to drive around, explore and do some snorkeling. I left the TNI at around 9:30am, intending to drive directly to West Bay, but I ended up on South Sound Road instead. I had plenty of time, so I enjoyed taking the scenic route. I stopped at Pure Art, a wonderful arts and crafts shop on South Church St. This is a great place to shop for island souveniers, and I ended up with a colorful Cayman Islands coffee mug, a stingray mosaic, and a package of 6 miniature rum cakes (best price on the island for this item at $20CI).
Repeating my mantra - Drive on the left! - I got back into the car and continued up Church St. and promptly ran into a traffic jam in George Town. I'd forgotten to check my cruise ship schedule, and there were a total of 4 huge ships which disgorged scads of tourists in George Town. But hey, I had plenty of time, so I just enjoyed the A/C while scoping out the tourists.
I arrived at the Regency Center in West Bay at around 11:30, so I had lunch at Vesuvio, which was next door to Healing Hands. I enjoyed a very tasty Italian sausage sandwich and again, received a 10% discount when I presented the TNI's business card. This is a great place for Italian food and has VERY reasonable prices.
Following a relaxing massage by Ru at Healing Hands, I changed into my suit and headed north to the cemetery to do some snorkelling at Cemetery Reef. Alongside the cemetery, I followed the path to the beach. Here was a place that I could both swim and snorkel - heaven! I did a little swimming, and then donned snorkel and mask and swam out and to the right a bit to get to the reef. Visibility was great, and there were tons of fish, all hoping to be fed. I had a school of sargent majors follow me everywhere (even though I didn't feed them). I also saw parrotfish, blue chromis, grunts, snappers, and even a scrawled filefish, which I'd not seen before. Truly a spectacular snorkel.
On the way back to the TNI, I picked up a hot Caymanian meal at Fosters, and enjoyed a quiet evening before turning in. What a perfect day.
Tuesday, 4/30 ---
Today I made a reservation with Ocean Frontiers for an "off-the-beaten-path" snorkel trip on Wednesday. After breakfast, I packed up a cooler with lunch and drinks, grabbed my snorkel gear, and headed to the SMB area. I ended up at the public beach park that's north of the Westin. The park offers shaded areas, rest rooms and picnic tables, and the beach was not crowded, unlike many of the hotel beaches. I set up at a picnic table - swam - enjoyed my lunch - swam some more - laid in the sun - and swam some more.
I had reservations at the TNI for the Indian dinner that night on the terrace. Alain played waiter while Madeline cooked her heart out. The delicious and authentic Indian meal included papadum, nan, chicken tikka marsala, an unusual but tasty vegetable cutlet, and various sauces. A nice glass of port finished off the day. $26CI - recommended if you like Indian food.
Wednesday, 5/1 ---
Made a reservation for a Stingray City snorkel trip Saturday with Soto's on Palm Heights Drive in West Bay since I had a coupon for $15CI. (I got the coupon from the airport when I first arrived.) Then I prepared for the snorkel trip this afternoon with Ocean Frontiers, and a drive around the East and North sides of the island.
I began with a leisurely oceanfront breakfast at The Edge My Denver omelette with toast and coffee cost about $8.00US including tip.
Traveling east from The Edge, I passed through Breakers and stopped at the blowholes to get some pictures. Then I continued to the East End and stopped in at Ocean Frontiers to confirm my reservation. Since I had a couple hours, I proceeded north and stopped at Morritt's Tortuga Club to check it out. Then I continued driving up toward the North Side, admiring the beautiful homes on the ocean side of the road - many of which are for sale. I ended up at Rum Point, walking around the grounds and checking out the gift shop. It looked like they had a nice beach and bar area there, but I was a bit put off by the "NO OUTSIDE BEVERAGES" signs all over.
I headed south then, and found a tiny beach just off the road with a single picnic table. I finished up a packed lunch there, and read for a bit before heading over to Ocean Frontiers.
I signed in for the trip, and since I was a little early, went swimming in their pool until it was time to board the pontoon-style boat. As luck would have it, the water was "flat calm", which is unusual for the East Side, so the snorkeling was going to be good. There were a total of 7 of us on the snorkel trip, plus the snorkel guide. Water and towels were provided. First we stopped at Sunrise Reef, where the visibility was wonderful. We saw lots and lots of fish, as well as a stingray or two. Got some great pictures there.
Then we were off to Sunset Reef. Visibility wasn't quite as good because the waves came up, but I spotted my first eagle ray there, and got a couple shots. What a magnificent animal. It was about 7 feet across, with a long, long straight tail and identifying "spots" on its dorsal side. One smooth "flap" of its pectoral fins, and the ray gracefully sped away.
Next, our group discovered a school of reef squid. I'd never seen squid in any condition other battered and fried so this was cool. In fact, the squids' florescent markings were truly beautiful, and even more impressive when viewed at night, according to the guide. All in all, this was a great trip, and cost $37US.
After returning to the shore, I headed a mile or so northeast to Miss Vivine's for dinner. I'd heard that Miss Vivine prepares some of the most tasty and reasonably priced Caymanian food on the island, and I found that to be absolutely true. I had the fried chicken, which she prepared Caymanian-style with onions and peppers, and it was incredibly savory. Accompanied by fried plantains, rice and beans, breadfruit and vegetables, all of which were delicious. And all for $6CI. This was probably my best meal on the island. Highly recommended!
Thursday, 5/2 ---
I spent this morning packing before checking out of the TNI and moving to the Westin on 7-Mile Beach. Since there were 4 cruise ships in port today, I wanted to avoid George Town and head straight to SMB from the Turtle Nest Inn. I stopped at Big Daddy's in SMB to buy some Stingray beer to take home with me. Did some shopping at various places along SMB and sent email home from Cafe Sol, an internet cafe where access is $1CI per minute. I had lunch at the Eats Cafe directly across the street from the Westin. The chicken wrap I ordered was pretty tasteless, but prices here are reasonable. It totalled about $9US.
I checked in at the Westin and went to my 5th floor el-cheapo ($284/night!) room. The room was supposed to have an "island view", but I was up high enough to actually see the ocean on the other side of the island. The room was very nice, but small for the price. But I'm not complaining - the room was A LOT bigger than the one at the TNI. I luxuriated for awhile in the room, and then made my way down to the gorgeous pool area. Swam and sunned for awhile there and then headed to the beach area, and did the same.
I felt like some seafood for dinner, and on the concierge's recommendation, had the all-you-can-eat lobster dinner at Decker's, just down the road. Decker's is located right on West Bay Road, so if you like alfresco dining, note that the traffic noise can be irritating. I was seated inside, and practically had the place to myself. The waitress brought out 3 moderately sized grilled lobster tails with mashed potates and steamed vegetables. The lobster was tasty, as were the side dishes. I managed to finish off 4 lobster tails before leaving, but I'm not sure that it was worth the $37CI for the meal. I saw another person get a regular order of 1 pound of lobster, and it looked huge - plenty of food at $10CI less. I waddled back to the car and returned to the Westin for the night.
Friday, 5/3 ---
Today, there were no cruise ships in port, so I decided to do some shopping in George Town. I ate lunch at Smuggler's Cove in George Town. This place offers a beautiful waterfront dining patio with great service and very quality, imaginative cuisine. I had the fresh catch of the day which was grouper, served Caymanian-style with onions and peppers over angelhair pasta, with mussels. It was mouth-wateringly good. The cost was $22CI. Not cheap, but worth it.
After lunch, did more shopping at Kirk Freeport and other stores in town. Found some lovely glass items at Kirk Freeport and picked up a limited edition Caithness paperwight for about the same price I'd pay anywhere else. Be advised that while the George Town stores offer nice jewelry and other items, prices are are equal to anywhere else. In other words, bargains are rare.
Stopped at Fosters on the way back to the Westin and picked up hot food for dinner again - jerk chicken and pork with the usual delicious side dishes.
Saurday, 5/4 ---
Got up early and drove to Soto's on Palm Heights Drive in West Bay for the Stingray Sandbar snorkel trip. For $15CI, they provided punch and water, and 3 snorkel stops. There were a total of about 8 people on the boat, including some folks from Santa Cruz, California, near where I live.
First stop was Coral Gardens where the vis was excellent, and the variety of sea life astounding. Spotted one or two southern rays, along with damselfish, butterflyfish, jacks, grunts, blue chromis, wrasses, angelfish and groupers.
Next stop was at the barrier reef, where the vis was just OK since the water was rougher there. We saw more rays, a nurse shark, and the big thrill - a 12-foot long eel. The Soto guide took squid down to the eel's hole and teased him out so we could have a look at him. I couldn't believe how huge this thing was. I got some excellent shots of him, including one with the guide holding him in his arms like some kind of Loch Ness monster. Wow - incredible!
Finally, we anchored at Stingray Sandbar. With water depth about 3-4 feet, you definitely get up close and personal with the southern stingrays that flock there to be fed. They're like eager puppies - nudging and brushing against you to encourage you to feed them. It was a good mix of the large female and the smaller male rays, along with the ubiquitous snapper that try to steal the squid out of your hand before the rays can get it. I got lots of great ray portraits here and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Then it was back to shore.
In the afternoon, I did more shopping in George Town since there were still no cruise ships in port. Ordered room service at the Westin for dinner - a grouper sandwich and a salad which were both very good and very pricey ($23CI).
Sunday, 5/5 ---
This was my last day on the island and I wanted to spend it in the water, and I had a decent breakfast at Eats. Afterward, I drove just past the Governor's residence on West Bay Road and parked in a parking lot next to the beach. Found a seagrape tree to lay under, and then swam around a bit. After taking a little catnap under the tree, I donned my snorkel gear and checked out Governor's Reef. Saw lots and lots of fish, but the visibility was just OK. Enjoyed a very relaxing day before going back to the Westin and packing up for an early flight the next morning.
Ahhhhhhh.