Things to do in Cayman

I have been fortunate enough to have had my home in the Cayman Islands for the last year.  This page contains a selection of things to do in Cayman that we like to recommend to (or do) with visitors.  While the beaches are stunning, the real beauty of Cayman is on or under the water, so that is a lot of my focus, as anyone who has read one of my blog entries may guess…

This page will evolve over time, more detail and options will (hopefully) be added, together with blog links as and when I find the time to write them.  More information than I can write in my spare time can be found at the very useful www.explorecayman.com/. Although that won’t have my biased point of view…

Diving – Cayman is one of the best places in the world for diving, with warm weather year round and visibility that is rarely less than 50ft.  I have never worn a wet suit diving in Cayman (although I have more natural insulation than most).  See my posts on diving here. We don’t get so many of the really large sea creatures here, although often see Reef Sharks and Nurse Sharks in the East End and it’s usually a 75% chance of seeing a turtle or two.

Learn to dive – if you don’t already, then Cayman is a great place to learn to dive, with crystal clear waters and no real dangers other than the drink drivers (only a problem to or from the diving).

Snorkelling – not as relaxing as diving, but can be mixed with more leisurely boating (and drinking) and (in the right season) lobster hunting to get dinner.

Stingray City – at a sand bar in the North Sound (a stretch of water enclosed by the Island on three sides and the reef on the fourth) you can stand in waist deep water. Fisherman gutted their catch there for years, attracting stingrays which now gather to be fed squid by the tourists. It’s a surreal experience, but an amazing one. There are a number of ways this can be done, we always recommend Captain Marvins which encompasses two good snorkelling spots, or if you really want to push the boat out (no pun intended), you can do a jetski safari with Fat Fish Adventures.

Deep Sea Fishing – its expensive, and I have only done it on a stag do, when it was more deep sea drinking than fishing, but I have had friends who highly recommend it.

Starfish point

Submarine tour

Bioliminescent Tour (by kayak or electric boat) – see my post about the experience here.

Sunset cruise – either on an elegant catamaran or by pirate boat.

Just enjoy the sunset – at a variety of bars, but best to do on the West side – try Sunset House, Royal Palms (but not on a Sunday unless you’re up for a party) or Tikki Beach (although don’t expect quick service).

Kite-surf – it’s really popular here, but I haven’t tried it (yet).

On the land

Take an outing to the East End – once you get out of George Town the Island is basically one big scenic loop.  A pleasant day can be spent driving around the less developed East End.

The blowholes

The Mastic Trail

Botanical Gardens and the Blue Iguana Project

Cayman Caves – this is a new thing I am looking forward to trying, the pictures look amazing! caymancrystalcaves.com

Rum Point – on the “far side” of the island (but don’t worry there is a gas station out there, and you could probably get back even if your fuel light was on), is this little slice of Caribban resort. www.rumpointclub.com/

Kaibo – yes it’s also under restaurants/bars because it has two, but the “marina” is worth it as part of the outing to the East End. You may also spot a 19 foot Flying Scot sailing boat that was our first boat disaster (if she hasn’t sunk by then…).

Starfish point – if you don’t want to get here by water, you can park nearby…

Golf – there are three courses on the island, two 9 holes and one 18 hole championship course. The 18 hole North Sound club is my favourite, but I play more regularly at Britannia because it is cheaper.  The Ritz is well looked after, but may be a little boring if you can hit straight (a suspect golf can be if you’re actually good). Bring plenty of balls as there is a lot of water on all of the courses.  There is rumour of another course to be developed in the East End, which would make a nice change, although in fairness there’s plenty of choice in Miami, only a short hop away.

Tennis – hot during the heat of the day, but nice to play under the floodlights at night.

Squash – as if an island of 50,000 people needs a state of the art squash club, but it does have one, with seven courts and a thriving squash scene – http://www.squash.ky

Sporting activities – triathlon in November and Mercuryman in January, Duathlon in around April, Stroke and Strides in Augusts, marathon/half marathon/marathon relay in December, various sea swims and runs throughout the year.

Play pool – Chelsea’s or the attic are both fun pool bars, to wile away a few hours with a cold beer if it’s raining. Warning though, Chelsea’s occasionally has karaoke in the adjoining bar, if you hear a drunk Irishman, say hi and be nice to him, he’s probably got the misfortune of being my colleague. Although, he’s not the only drunk Irishman you will encounter here…

Incorporate a company – only kidding, that would be bad, or would it… see my post  Britain’s Trillion Pound Island. Of course, if you’re desperate to form (or wind up) a Cayman company, I can provide genuine respectable referrals if you ask for them, but the purpose of this blog is fun, not work.

Restaurants (just a selection)

Tukka – if you’re in the East End, look out for a grazing reef shark if you are lucky.

Casa 43 (Mexican), see my post here.

Sunset House, see my post here

Bombay Chopsticks – a great fusion Indian Chinese in the East End

Rackams

Abacus

Copper Falls – great steak and cocktail combo

And others to be added… For more immediate restaurant recommendations, check out www.caymangoodtaste.com