Superlative Cayman report posted by tourist found on Trip Advisor
By 96Hawk from Trip Advisor
“Expensive and good value”
Trip Report Mar 24, 2014, 9:06 PM
We arrived on 3/15 and stayed through 3/22. We are a family of four. My wife and I with our 7th grade girl and 9th grade boy stayed at South Bay Beach Club for our Spring Break vacation. This was our forst trip to the Caymans. We flew United Airlines out of Chicago with a connection in Newark. Some friends of ours (3 Families) arrived a few days later and stayed at the Marriott next door.
I have not yet decided whether or not I am going to write specific reviews of each place we visited, but I thought I would start with a trip report here and I can always do specific reviews later.
The Condo. Our friends were booked first at the Marriott and it made sense for us to stay close to them as we planned on doing a few things together. I found the condo on Google maps, checked it out on VRBO and then booked it directly with SBBC. The pictures were all very impressive and we were excited from the start. The cost of the condo was very high compared to our prior travel experience to other islands, but seemed close enough to normal for Grand Cayman so we went with it. It was everything the pictures displayed and more. We stayed in a ground floor unit with direct beach access which made beach use really easy. The daily cleaning service was excellent and the beach was nearly perfect. I had read prior to the trip that the beach was narrow compared to the middle of SMB and it is, but you also get very little foot traffic since hardly anyone walks from the south of the beach toward the north. I would recommend this place to anyone. It is in a great location.
Restaurants. In general…everywhere we ate was fantastic. From a cost standpoint, they were expensive. However, most delivered a fresh, great tasting meal in a great setting with excellent service. We ate at Coconut Joes for a breakfast and on another occasion for appetizers and drinks. It is a fun atmosphere that exceeded expectations. We also stopped for a quick meal at Chicken, Chicken. It was quick, relatively inexpensive, and the chicken was quite tasty. Ragazzi was a favorite of our family due to the terrific service and outstanding Italian food we had. Sunshine Grill for lunch was an amazing treat. Burgers and fish tacos delivered as promised on Tripadvisor. We had pizza delivered by Ginos that was very enjoyable on a low key evening. The Wharf served me an excellent steak and my kids loved the Tarpon feeding. I also had an excellent meal at the Marriott as well as a few snaks on different occasions. A quick stop at Kaibo Bar for a snack was delicious. I had a pizza.
Attractions. The beach and snorkeling in front of SBBC and the Marriott was a pleasant surprise. We took great advantage of the convenience. The highlight of the vacation however was touring the North Sound. Our group of 16 chartered the 52 Ft Sea Ray from Marineland Tours and hit the Stingray City, Starfish Point and the Aquarium. We also saw the Mangroves. It was a terrific excursion. I would do it again and again. We also went to Rum Point on a low cruise ship day. This was highlighted in my mind with the drinking of a mudslide from the Wreck Bar.
Shopping. We didn’t do a lot of shopping, but one place stood out and needs mentioning….Divers Supply. The buying experience was exceptional. We received first class service, great advice and best of all we loved our gear. I sent to other guys to the store and they said the same thing. Very impressive.
Overall as a vacation choice. I was impressed. Words I use to describe the vacation are beautiful, safe, easy, delicious, expensive, secure, good value, wonderful people, international, and trustworthy. You might wonder why I would say expensive and good value at the same time, but I truly believe this is the case. Does a week in the Caymans cost a lot? Yes! Do you get a lot of value for your money? Yes! The food, beach and people were amazing. We also never experienced Island Time. We had a terrific vacation and will return some day.
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