Grand Cayman Island, Part 1

Do you despise winter? If so, then this post is for you. Enjoy the warmer weather on the beach via this guest post by my writer friend, Heidi Casper. Can you feel the sand between your toes?

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Grand Cayman Island, Part 1
Guest Post by Heidi Casper

If you’re looking for a beautiful, safe, and easy first trip to the Caribbean, then Grand Cayman is for you. The two hardest parts of your trip will be:
1) Remembering to stay on the left side of the road when you drive
2) Leaving the island to go home.

The Cayman Islands are part of the British West Indies. Situated some 220 miles south of Cuba, the islands consist of Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, and Grand Cayman.

Grand Cayman is your vacation destination. At only 22 miles long and 4-8 miles wide, this biggest of the three islands is incredibly easy to get around. Of the approximate 60,000 people who live on Grand Cayman, most are ex-pats from Canada and the U.S. The rest of the population consists of Jamaicans, Filipinos, Indians, and Central Americans.

Four Directions to Explore
The island is divided into four parts: west, east, south and north.

The West End is where the cruise ships come in. It is loaded with hotels and restaurants for tourists. It’s also the location of the Seven-mile beach; a beautiful stretch of white coral sand next to the hotels. It leads right into warm, clear blue water with that same sandy bottom.

The South Side of the island has a local flavor and is mainly residential.

The East End and North Side are sparsely populated, but definitely worth seeing.

Looking for a Quiet Beach Vacation?
We stayed on the East End in one of only two resorts available on this “quiet” side. (If you want a quiet vacation without the hustle and bustle of tourists, I would definitely recommend staying on the East End.)

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Morritt’s Tortuga Club. The resort offered many options on site: hammocks and umbrellas on the beach, pools – one with a swim up bar, wave runner rentals, snorkeling, diving trips and daily resort activities.

Travel Tips
• My first recommendation is that you rent a car to explore the island. Driving can be intimidating at first. Since this is a British island you must drive on the left side of the road.
• Rental cars are available in either right or left hand drive, but I would suggest getting a right hand drive car if possible so that you can experience the full effect of driving on the wrong side.
• Maneuvering from the airport in the city area to the outside rural edges will be your most difficult task. Expect multiple roundabouts (stay left!). But don’t get discouraged from my description.
• The maximum speed limit on the island is 50 mph and often times you will be going slower than that behind either a tourist learning to drive, or an islander on “island time.”
• One road follows the entire perimeter of the island. This makes it easy to navigate. It’s possible to stay on this one road and see nearly everything you’d wish to without heading into the maze of “city” roads.
• Rental cars are also very cheap, while taxis are expensive. We were able to rent a car for $9 a day (not including insurance and fees).
• Once you’re an expert at driving on the left side of the road, it’s time to explore this beautiful island!

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Heidi Casper and her husband visited Grand Cayman last July. Although most people come during the cold winter months, some locals thought July was best because it was “low season.” It wasn’t all that hot. Temperatures stayed below 90 degrees, although the humidity made it feel warmer. Nights never got below 80. Since it’s so near the equator, the weather is similar much of the year.

Join Heidi next time when she’ll share more areas to explore off the resort. In the meantime, visit her blog: https://heidisdropofink.blogspot.com/

Are you looking for a warm beach this winter? If so, is Grand Cayman on your list? Tell me your favorite warm weather destination in the comments below.