Spring Break in Grand Cayman on the Island’s East End

Inside: On the lookout for a calming trip in a beautiful locale? We spent spring break in Grand Cayman on the East Finish with our teen. Right here’s our day-to-day itinerary.

Years in the past, my husband and I vowed to take a household trip yearly to construct reminiscences with our children.

After a few journeys that had been enjoyable however extra adventurous than stress-free (learn Our Spring Break in San Francisco and One Amazing Week in Costa Rica With Teens), I used to be able to press the straightforward button.

I didn’t know a lot concerning the Cayman Islands (I needed to look on a map to determine the place they had been!), however a good friend of mine lately vacationed there and had good issues to say.

The Cayman Islands are situated within the Caribbean Sea. They’re simply south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is the biggest of the three islands, but it surely’s solely 22 miles lengthy.

Although the most well-liked space in Grand Cayman is Seven Mile Beach, recognized to be one of many prettiest and most pristine seashores on the planet, we stayed on the alternative facet of the island, referred to as the East Finish. Throughout my analysis, I ran throughout this blog post from Our Candy Adventures and was satisfied that this quieter, much less crowded facet of the island was a greater match for us.

I used to be proper. Although it was an extended drive from the airport and farther from a few of the massive points of interest, the East Finish was far more our pace and an amazing place for a really stress-free trip.

In the event you want inspiration for a brand new trip vacation spot, listed below are extra particulars about our journey, together with our day-to-day itinerary:

DAY ONE

• Arrived in Grand Cayman early afternoon. Walked throughout the road to Alamo and picked up our rental automotive.
• Drove 40 minutes to the Wyndham Reef Resort, stopping on the small grocery retailer throughout the road from the resort to select up gadgets like sunscreen and snacks.
• Checked in to the resort, and talked to the parents on the concierge desk about attainable outings. Additionally grabbed a calendar of resort occasions.
• Picked up our snorkel gear, which is a free rental with the all-inclusive package deal (which we did).
• Settled in to our room. We had a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, ground-level apartment. The bed room had a king-size mattress, and there have been two single beds in the lounge that pulled down from the wall. The apartment had a full kitchen as nicely.
• Explored the resort a bit, had dinner, and went to mattress.

DAY TWO

• Had the breakfast buffet, and spent the morning snorkeling. Grand Cayman is understood for its snorkeling spots and unimaginable dive websites. And although there are far more strong areas on the island for snorkeling, we had been pleased with our seaside. We might go in proper on the shore and noticed loads of fish, particularly across the two piers on and close to the resort.
• Ate lunch on the seaside bar.
• Drove to George’s Watersports for the Bioluminescent Bay Night time Snorkeling Tour. This was my one planning misstep. It was an extended (and bushy–15 roundabouts every manner!) drive from the resort. Although it was cool to snorkel at nighttime and see the bioluminescent plankton gentle up as we moved, we had been disillusioned within the tour guides, who largely spent the boat experience flirting with a pair of younger ladies on the tour!
• Obtained again dwelling after the resort restaurant was closed, so we made peanut butter sandwiches in our apartment for dinner and went to mattress.

DAY THREE

• Had the breakfast buffet–I ate flippantly as a result of I went to water aerobics on the pool afterwards!
• Snorkeled within the morning, ate lunch on the seaside bar, then headed to Cayman Crystal Caves, which was a really brief drive from the resort. We appreciated this guided strolling tour by means of a number of caves that had been fashioned over hundreds of thousands of years. My teen particularly loved this outing.
• Ate dinner on the resort restaurant and went to mattress.

DAY FOUR

• I attended yoga by the pool whereas the fellows slept in.
• Ate breakfast on the buffet, then drove to Starfish Point, about half-hour away. We thought this could be a great snorkeling spot, but it surely wasn’t. As an alternative, we checked out the starfish that dotted the sand within the clear water. It is a extra crowded spot, and there have been a number of tour boats there. I used to be glad we might drive there ourselves and see it at no cost.
• Ate lunch on the seaside bar.
• Snorkeled on the resort.
• Drove again to Starfish Level to observe the sundown. In the event you’re staying on the East Finish, this was an amazing spot for the sundown.
• Had a late dinner on the resort, did some stargazing, then went to mattress.

DAY FIVE

• Watched the dawn from the resort dock then learn on the seaside for 2 hours (heaven!)
• Had the breakfast buffet, snorkeled, and ate lunch on the seaside bar
• Drove to Spott’s Seaside. Alongside the way in which, we made pit stops on the Wreck of the 10 Sails Memorial and the Blow Holes (the Blow Holes had been a favourite!).
• Snorkeled at Spott’s Seaside. I had learn this was one of many common spots for snorkeling, however the water was too deep and uneven for me. My husband and teenage stayed in and ended up seeing three sea turtles.
• Ate dinner on the resort.

DAY SIX

• Ate breakfast on the buffet, checked out, and left for dwelling.

What we appreciated concerning the resort

Staying at an all-inclusive resort has its professionals and cons. In the event you’re on the lookout for a calming place the place you may merely present up and have all the things taken care of, it’s good. In the event you want to strive completely different eating places and have a extra non-public expertise total, you’re higher off at a resort or Airbnb.

That is what we appreciated concerning the Wyndham Reef Resort:

• Our apartment felt spacious, and each has an ocean view. In the event you go, ask for a apartment away from the seaside bar, which tends to get noisy particularly within the night.
• You’ll be able to snorkel proper from the shore (you received’t see as a lot selection as you’d at a few of the common snorkel spots or on a snorkel tour, but it surely was fantastic for us).
• There was ample shade. This was essential for me. There have been loads of umbrellas, in addition to palm timber that offered shade.
• The meals was good. I beloved the recent fruit and in a single day oats at breakfast (the primary time I’ve truly loved in a single day oats!). My husband and teenage thought the wings on the seaside bar had been a few of the finest they’d had. We ordered the mahi mahi a number of nights for dinner. And my son and I ate key lime pie each night time for dessert.
• The seaside was steps away from our room. It was simple to travel from the seaside to the apartment all through the day. We had learn that the seagrass might get heavy on the Grand Cayman East Finish seaside, but it surely wasn’t unhealthy and didn’t hassle us in any respect.
• It felt small and informal. The buildings had been solely two tales excessive. And whereas it was pretty, it didn’t really feel fussy or fancy. Some individuals had been dressed up at dinner, however we felt simply fantastic in our shorts and Birkenstocks.

What we didn’t like:

• As a result of it’s a small resort, the seaside space is correct in entrance of the swimming pools, which might get loud with children enjoying.
• The seaside bar might get noisy with nighttime actions like karaoke and theme dinners, which we didn’t do. However it was quiet in our apartment, which was a distance away.

What I’d do subsequent time

We needed to spend extra time stress-free than driving round, so we didn’t hit all the things we needed to see. Listed here are a few of the spots I’d prefer to go if I return sometime:

• Cayman Parrot Sanctuary: Situated on the East Finish, and a four-minute drive from the resort.
• Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Garden: That is situated on the East Finish, about quarter-hour away from the resort.
• Stingray Metropolis: A sandbar the place you may stand up shut and private with stingrays. That is farther off shore and requires a ship experience.
• Cayman Turtle Centre: That is situated on the west facet, which was longer drive from the resort.
• Hell: It’s a cool geological web site on the island of black limestone and is free to go to. I actually needed to go to the put up workplace there and ship a postcard from Hell!
• Snorkel tour: The Wyndham has a dive store referred to as Ocean Frontiers and charters excursions to shipwrecks and reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Useful issues to convey

• Cowl-ups, together with swim shirts (each lengthy and brief sleeve). The solar is intense!
• Water sneakers. The ground of the ocean off the shore will be rocky, and water sneakers are a lifesaver. I truly wore them in lieu of flippers whereas snorkeling (my husband and teenage most well-liked flippers). These are the ones I got for everybody.
• Hats and sun shades
• Closed toed sneakers to discover the caves
• Sweatshirt or gentle jacket for evenings. The evenings obtained cool with the breeze, and I want I’d packed multiple long-sleeved prime.
• Reusable bag. I packed the one proven within the photograph above to make use of for buying and as a seaside bag.
• Waterproof telephone case. Not a necessity, however we used this for taking footage underwater and to guard the telephone in the course of the boat experience to the bay.
• Some money for tipping, particularly tour guides.

Q&A about spring break in Grand Cayman

What’s the foreign money?

They settle for US {Dollars} and Cayman Island {Dollars}, so we didn’t convert any of our cash. Remember the fact that if you happen to pay money in US {Dollars}, you could get Cayman Island {Dollars} again in change. After we paid for issues, we largely used our bank card.

What airport do you fly into?

You’ll arrive in Grand Cayman on the Owen Roberts Worldwide Airport. If you wish to go to the opposite two islands, you’ll must take one other brief flight.

What’s the finest time to go to Grand Cayman?

The Caymans keep pretty warm year-round. The most well-liked time to go to is March-June. The summer season months and fall are usually essentially the most reasonably priced, in accordance with the vacationer bureau.

Is Grand Cayman secure?

We felt very secure in Grand Cayman. In contrast to in Costa Rica, we weren’t given any warnings about leaving our rental automotive or belongings unattended. We didn’t have unfavourable experiences anyplace. As of this writing (Spring 2024), the US Department of State doesn’t have any advisories or cautions in opposition to touring to the Caymans.

What time zone is Grand Cayman in?

The Caymans are on Japanese Customary Time however don’t observe daylight financial savings time. So after we had been there in April, it was an hour sooner than our dwelling state of Ohio, which is on EST as nicely.

Do we want passports?

Sure. The Caymans are a British Abroad Territory. So except you’re a British citizen, you’ll need a passport to journey there.

What was the driving like?

In Grand Cayman, they drive on the left facet of the highway. Our rental automotive’s steering wheel was on the alternative facet as nicely. My husband did all of the driving (I plan the journey, and he drives!). He’s a assured driver and did fantastic. However personally, simply the concept of doing roundabouts on the opposite facet of the highway makes my head spin! The roads had been emptier and simpler to navigate on the East Finish.

What language do they communicate within the Caymans?

Based on the Cayman Islands Tourist Bureau they communicate a “British type of English”, however every district has a novel dialect. We had no bother speaking with anybody.

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