Our Favorite Activities in Grand Cayman: A Personal Island Escape

Finding Paradise on Grand Cayman

Have you ever caught yourself staring at a calendar photo of a tranquil turquoise beach in the dead of winter, whispering, “I want to be there”? That exact craving for warmth and calm led us to Grand Cayman, and we’re so glad it did. In this post, we’re sharing not just what to do in the Cayman Islands, but what made us fall in love with Grand Cayman specifically.

The Cayman Islands are made up of three island groups, the Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Grand Cayman is the easiest of the islands to get to. It’s only a few hours flight from the East Coast, and most major airlines fly there. 

In search of serenity and sunshine, we made our way to Grand Cayman for a few days of pure relaxation.

Introduction to the Grand Cayman Island

Compared to other Caribbean islands we’ve explored, Grand Cayman stood out for its more modern infrastructure and amenities. Upon further investigation I found that the Cayman Islands has the highest standard of living in the Caribbean, and based on their GDP, also one of the highest in the world. 

Like many of the other Caribbean islands, they still rely heavily on tourism. What sets Grand Cayman apart is the noticeable presence of a diverse community of expats who now call the island home. That being said, the island has been able to hold onto its unique character which is shaped by a deep and dynamic cultural influence.

As a British Overseas Territory, we expected Grand Cayman to feel a bit more like the UK—perhaps with gas sold by the liter or other small British influences. Instead, many aspects felt surprisingly similar to the United States. English is widely spoken, and US dollars are commonly accepted alongside the Cayman Islands dollar (KYD), which made things easy for us as visitors. Of all the Caribbean islands we’ve traveled to, this was by far the most expensive, but thanks to some upfront research, we were prepared for the higher price tag.

1. Getting to the Cayman Islands

Flying into Grand Cayman is the easiest and quickest way to get to the Cayman Islands. Cruise ships also port at the Grand Cayman. To get to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, you must first fly into Grand Cayman and then take an inter-island flight through Cayman Airway Express. Alternatively, you can take a private boat or a private plane. 

Owen Roberts International Airport (airport code GCM), which is located in George Town, is small, but most major airlines have at least one flight per day. We flew from Charleston, SC through Atlanta. The flight from Atlanta was only 2 hours and 35 minutes.

Because Grand Cayman does not do daylight savings time, they were an hour behind East Coast Standard Time when we were visiting in March.

The cost of your ticket can fluctuate greatly. If you have the ability to be flexible with your dates and times, we noticed that helped tremendously. We also used some of our credit card perks to utilize a companion flight to get to the Grand Caymans, since we were visiting during their peak season.

2. Getting from the Airport to your Hotel

Taxi:

Taxis are readily available at the airport when our flight landed. You should also be able to coordinate a taxi to pick you up from the airport, through the hotel that you are staying at. On the Grand Cayman Island, it is not common for hotels to run shuttles to the airport. Most of them rely on you to get transportation to the airport.

The app CI:Go is also helpful to download prior to getting to the Grand Cayman Islands, if you plan to use taxis for transportation.

⚠️Uber and Lyft are not currently transportation options in the Cayman Islands

Renting a Car:

Most rental car companies are across the parking lot from the airport. Once you get your luggage, walk outside and look to your left. You should be able to see a building that most of the major rental car companies are in. This includes Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo and Avis. You can also find some not as well known rental companies in the same area, such as Europcar, Fox-Rent-A Car, and Marshalls.

We decided to rent a car only a few days prior to our departure. Because of limited rental options by the time we booked, we went with a company we were not familiar with called Nextcar. The only issue that we had with our car rental was finding the location to pick the car up. The name on the outside of the building is Andy’s Rent-A-Car. However, this company actually rents under several different names. Andy’s Rent-A-Car building is also located across the parking lot, but instead of going to the left, you will cross the parking lot and go towards the right.

Also note that it is probably a good idea to decide if you want to rent a car from the airport before you arrive in Grand Cayman. There were several people ahead of us in line who were trying to rent a car without a reservation, and they were not successful. If you do not want to rent a car for your entire trip, but do want to rent a car, there are some rental car companies throughout the island, and at some of the resorts, so that is also an option to consider. 

The Grand Cayman is a British Oversea Territory, and because of this, they drive on the left side of the road and most of the cars have the driver’s side on the right side of the car. This was a big adjustment for us, coming from the United States. The other driving hurdle we were not quite prepared for is that roundabouts are used very frequently on almost all of the roads. Entering and exiting roundabouts from the opposite side then you are used to taking some major getting used to. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the many wild chickens that may wander into the roads!

Local Buses:

Small buses (that look like large vans) run a route around the island. In order to catch the bus, you must flag one down on their route. This runs a few dollars per ride. Here is a link to the bus website Public Bus – Public Transport Unit | Cayman Islands.

3. Things to do on Grand Cayman Island

When we were first coming up with our itinerary for our trip, I was very uncomfortable putting time aside in our itinerary to do “absolutely nothing”. However, honestly, sitting out on the beach or in the water, just relaxing at the Grand Caymans was well worth it! Soaking up some sun, floating in the water, reading a book, getting transfixed by the calm waves, or people watching from a lounge chair at the pool were key factors that made this vacation a great way to rejuvenate, all of which I would highly recommend!

Seven Mile Beach

This beach is on the west side of the island. It’s about a 12 minute drive/ride from the airport.  Seven Mile Beach showcases turquoise and blue waters, calm ocean waves (most of the time), and soft white sand. You can walk, swim, snorkel, or do some water sports (kayak, SUP, jet ski, etc). Many of the resorts are lined up on Seven Mile Beach. However, if you are not staying at one of these locations, there are also many public beach accesses throughout the 5+ miles that make up Seven Mile Beach. We found this the best area to both sunbathe, swim, relax, and leisurely stroll down the beach.

Cayman Crystal Caves

Cayman Crystal Caves are located on the North side of the island. From our hotel on Seven Mile Beach, it took us about 45 minutes to get to Cayman Crystal Caves. Once we got used to the round-abouts, it was an easy drive. They had onsite parking as well. Please note- You must pre-book your tour, you are not able to come and explore the caves on your own. It may also be good to note that Cayman Crystal Caves do offer some pick-up services from various hotels and resorts. Allot an hour and a half for the tour. 

We allowed extra time because we had never been to the North side of the island and did not know if we should expect traffic or any other type of delays (we didn’t). Once we arrived on-site, we were directed to a waiting area.

The waiting area had a number of picnic tables under a canopy. They also had a small bar (for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks) with snacks as well as souvenirs. They had bug spray and restrooms available as well.

When it was time for the tour to begin, they gave us a thorough introduction to that area of the island and the history of the caves. We were then introduced to our tour guide. From there, we got onto a 15-person bus and took a bumpy ride to the entrance of the caves. Our tour guide took us through 3 unique caves as well as to the “Tree House” which had a restroom, souvenirs, as well as food and drink available for purchase. 

The Cayman Crystal Caves were formed over millions of years and are unique experiences. You can observe the stalactite and stalagmite crystal as well as some other unique formations and features within these caves.

👉Tip: Unlike many of the caves you may find elsewhere in the world, these caves were NOT cooler than the outside air. Keep that in mind when you are getting ready to explore the caves!

Rum Point

We headed to Rum Point after our Crystal Caves tour was over to explore this area. It was less than a 15-minute drive, and a straight shot up Northside Drive which turned into Rum Point Road.  There was a large parking lot as well as a public restroom, both of which came as a relief for us. Rum Point is smaller than we had imagined, but if you consider how small Grand Cayman Island actually is, it makes sense this area would also be limited.  There are several restaurants and bars at Rum Point. There are places you can sit by the beach as well as a swimming area and a public beach. Red Sail Sports was on site with water sports rentals (jet ski, kayak, SUP, water bikes). 

This was on the bay side of the island, so you could see many boats as well as the land across the bay.  It was definitely a different viewpoint than Seven Mile Beach, but none-the-less beautiful!

Rum Point is a popular port adventure for cruise ships, so if you are not coming on an excursion, check the schedule to avoid really crowded times.

We had a few drinks at the tiny bar located on the beach. It’s standing room only here, but the bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable! They let us know that the mudslide was invented on the Cayman Islands We later googled it to find that: “The Mudslide cocktail is said to have originated in the 1970s at the Wreck Bar in the Rum Point Club on Grand Cayman Island, when a bartender substituted Baileys Irish Cream for heavy cream in a White Russian.”

Starfish Point

Another unique experience the Grand Cayman has to offer is Starfish Point. You can incorporate this into one of your other tours (some of the Stingray City tours incorporate a stop here), or you can drive/boat there yourself. If you do not go with a tour, we recommend arriving early in the morning, or late in the afternoon (after 5PM) to avoid crowds. Another good idea is to visit Starfish Point from RumPoint because it is on the other side of the island then Seven Mile Beach. To get there,  follow the signs toward Kaibo Restaurant and you will find Starfish Point just beyond there. Here you will find a very nice beach with many cushion sea stars. There is a parking lot as well as public restrooms here.

👉Bonus: Similar to Rum Point, there is no fee to get in!

Bioluminescence Tour

The bioluminescence tour is a must do! This activity ranked very high for me on my list of unique things I have done anywhere. We booked this tour through George’s Watersports, and would recommend using them.

This tour is available nightly, for about 2 weeks out of each month, depending on the moon phase.

Bio Bay is a man-made bay constructed for a housing development about 30 years ago. The water in the bay has a high concentration of  dinoflagellate plankton, which produce light through a chemical reaction which is triggered by movement. You can find this type of microorganism throughout the world, but this specific area has unique characteristics which provide great in-water viewing of the bioluminescence.  Because this is a natural occurrence, different things such as tide, weather, etc influence how well you can see the bioluminescence effect, so if you do this tour, we hope you are lucky enough to see it as well as we did! Our tour guide also recommended that you try to book this excursion early on during your trip because if they have to cancel due to weather, they like to try to re-book you on another night.

We arranged for pick-up from our hotel with this tour. They picked us up on a small bus with other people who were on the tour, and took us to the Cayman Island Yacht Club. From there, we signed waivers and went down the dock to board the boat. Once on the boat, they gave us a few instructions and fitted us with full body rash guards as well as dive shoes. This was to protect us from jellyfish. No one in our group saw, or was stung by any jellyfish, so I would not let this deter you from going on this excursion. Once everyone was suited up, we traveled for about 15 minutes by boat to the bay. The crew found a good spot and anchored the boat. Shortly thereafter, we were able to get into the water and really see the bioluminescence! The crew recommended a few movements to really see the glow. 

🤿Pro Tip: Cameras do not capture this experience well, especially underwater. I tried with a GoPro and an underwater camera, but both emitted to much light to capture any good shots of the bioluminescence.

After a long while in the water, everyone got back onto the boat. Make sure you pack your own towel and perhaps a sweatshirt, or something to keep you warm on the boat ride back! The tour did provide drinks to rehydrate on the boat ride back to the yacht club. 

As a side note, the other year, we went for a bioluminescence kayak tour in Puerto Rico, where we were able to see similar bioluminescent plankton. It was definitely interesting and something to see, no matter where you go to see it. However, being able to get into the water with a scuba mask allows you to see the sparkle on an entirely different level! 

Camana Bay

From our resort located on Seven Mile Beach, we walked to Camana Bay. This is an area filled with shops and restaurants as well as banks, a hospital, residential areas, offices and schools.

We browsed a number of one-of-a -kind boutiques, got a Frappuccino in Starbucks after the hot walk over here, and had a cool Gelato by the waterfront. If we had planned to stay on the Grand Cayman longer, we definitely would have returned to this area in the evening for dinner and a few cocktails. Before leaving we stopped Foster’s supermarket in Camana Bay to pick up a few essentials and a cold drink before we ventured back to our hotel.

✔️Pro-Tip: Fosters supermarket at Camana Bay had a food court in it. If you are looking for a less expensive option for lunch, or if you have a group who are not all wanting the same type of food, this is a good place to grab lunch!

A few other things to note about Camana Bay:

• A farmers and artisan market is held here on Wednesdays from 12PM- 7PM. 

• You can catch a Ferry from Camana Bay to Newland Public Docks or Kaibo at Rum Point. Click Here to see more about the Ferries

4. Places to Eat:

Casa 43, Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar:

Casa 43 was recommended to us in a conversation we had with one of the employees at our resort. It was within walking distance of our hotel. It was a little tricky to find as it’s set back from the main road.

They don’t take reservations, and as far as we could tell they are always busy. We got a few drinks and waited about 20 minutes.

The inside is not anything fancy, but the food was well worth the wait! Between us, we had a variety of street tacos including the Lobster, the Rock Shrimp, Beef Barbacoa, Chicharron and Birria. They were all phenomenal. 

Seven

Seven is located inside the Ritz-Carlton. At some of the tables you have a nice view of the ocean (but not all of the tables). We found that this restaurant had exceptional service. 

I went with a vegetarian option (Lemongrass Vegetable Curry), which was very flavorful, and Mark went with the ribeye, which was cooked perfectly.

They do offer a variety of options in terms of steaks and seafood entrees as well as appetizers and shareable sides.

We did not have a reservation ahead of time, but there were only 2 of us and we did arrive later than most to get dinner. Additionally, they offer an extensive liquor menu with some fascinating signature cocktails. One of our cocktails came out enclosed in smoke!

We tried the Classic Sticky Toffee Pudding, which we read was one of the Cayman Islands specialties. The presentation was fantastic, and the taste was difficult to explain but definitely we would recommend trying. It wasn’t as sweet as we had expected a toffee pudding to be, nor was it the consistency of pudding at all. It seemed to be the perfect mix of sweet and savory!

Morgans

Morgans is off of the Cayman Yacht Club. The food here was good, but the ambiance here is why it’s made our list. You can sit outside and enjoy a nice breeze from the water while enjoying your meal. They are open for lunch and dinner (but closed on Mondays). You can make a reservation at Morgans if you want to ensure that you don’t have to wait too long to get a seat.

5. Where to Stay

Seven Mile Beach:

Seven Mile Beach is located on the western side of the Grand Cayman Island, this beach is known for its clear turquoise water and beautiful sand and frequently makes the mark for one of the best beaches. This is a great area for swimming, taking a tranquil walk down the beach, or just lounging on the beach. Much of this beach is lined with resorts, so you are always close to a bite to eat or a nice cold drink. 

Budget Friendly- Hampton by Hilton ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steps away from Seven Mile Beach, this hotel is situated close to the shops of Camana Bay. A pool fitness center and free breakfast come standard. Their watersports concierge is at your disposal as well. If you want to venture beyond the hotel, the Hampton by Hilton has a convenient shuttle which will take you to nearby attractions as well as clubs and bars.

Mid -Range: Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort is in a great location right on Seven Mile Beach. This four-star resort offers modern comfort and beach decor, contributing to the relaxing island vibe of this resort. Four restaurants and a coffee bar are right at your fingertips along with a pool, fitness center and spa.

Luxurious: The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With rooms both beachfront, and garden front, this is a five-star haven with unmatched customer service. The Ritz- Carlton, is an exquisitely designed sanctuary adorned with local artwork.  Two pools, a fitness center, spa, tennis court, basketball court and a golf course as well as six fabulous restaurants are at your disposal. Forbes only 5-star restaurant on the island, Blue, is located in the Ritz-Carlton. 

East End

The East End is less developed with fewer hotel and resort options, which means, there are fewer people on these beaches. If you are looking for more isolation, this is the area you will be drawn to.

Wyndham Reef Resort

One benefit of staying here is that the isolation gives you the sense of peaceful solitude. While Seven Mile Beach offers a large stretch of beach, other resorts and restaurants, here you will find the Wyndham Reef Resort and the Morritt’s Tortuga Club. Of course, you can find several restaurants within and around these hotels- but you will also find far less people than you do around Seven Mile Beach.

The Wyndham offers an all-inclusive option, or a room only option. They also have Tides Beach Bar offering breakfast and dinner, Beach Bar for lunch, dinner, or drinks, Subway which offers subs (same as the subways in the US, but with a beachfront ambiance, and Coffee Corner with coffee and baked goods.

6. Additional Good-to-Know Information about the Grand Cayman

🏝️The Cayman Islands have a warm and tropical climate or as we call it, beach weather, year-round.

• January through March is the coolest time of year there, with the average temperature 79°F/26°C, and the humidity is typically lower. That being said, we went in mid-March, and it got into the mid 80’s every day. 
• July- September are the hot months, with the average being 85°F/29°C with increased humidity. 
• Mid-December through mid-April is considered the “dry season” and is also the high travel season. Although you may find the beaches, the hotels to be more crowded, and the prices to be a bit higher, you will also find the most pleasant weather during this time period. 
• Keep in mind that hurricane season runs from June 1- November 30th.

🏝️The Cayman Islands use the Cayman Island dollar (CI/KYD). Most places accept the US dollar as well as credit cards.

🏝️George Town’s Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) is not a small airport. This makes things such as renting/returning a car and checking in luggage easier than many larger airports. However, you will still want to be sure to leave enough time to get through security. Upon our arrival and departure there were long-lines to get through security. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Grand Cayman

What type of currency should I bring?

All businesses except both the USD and the KYD. If you are coming from the US, there is no need to exchange your money before you arrive

Is Grand Cayman expensive?

The Grand Cayman can be a pricy destination. As the island continues to become a “luxury” destination, lower-cost accommodations become more difficult to find.

Where is the airport located?

The airport on Grand Cayman is located 1¼ miles (2 km) east of the center of the capital, George Town, and about 4 ¼ miles from Seven Mile Beach. It is about a 12-minute drive from the airport to Seven Mile Beach.

What are the top things to do?

Take a look at our other blog post, Ultimate Grand Cayman Travel Guide: Plan Your Perfect Island Getaway to see the most popular things to do in the Grand Cayman.

Do I need a passport to go to the Grand Cayman? What are the entry requirements?

As a US Citizen, you need a passport that is valid the entire length of your stay. You also need a return (or onward) ticket. No visa is required if you are staying for less than 6 months.

Wrapping Things Up: Why We’ll Keep Coming Back

Grand Cayman offered the perfect balance of laid-back luxury and natural beauty. From vibrant coral reefs to peaceful beach walks, every day brought a new kind of calm. As we packed up to leave, we felt lighter, recharged, and incredibly grateful for the chance to unwind in such a stunning place.