Spent 3 weeks in November on Cayman Island with 2 children at the Reef Resort. had a fabulous time. The Reef was so clean, very fun for kids, we had the best housekeeping service, and Lindsey, the concierge was wonderful! We will be going back every year. Snorkeling was incredible right off the beach in front of our condo. Saw Eagle rays, Southern Stingrays, Moray Eels, octopus, Cuttlefish, seahorses, reef sharks, nurse sharks, tarpon, red snapper, needle fish and squirrelfish. My 5 year old snorkeled with us every day right in front of the resort back and forth between Morritts pier and The Reef's pier. It was very safe and great! We did buy reef shoes, but not really for that spot there, but for other snorkeling spots that we loved like Smiths Cove and Cemetery Beach....Rum point was mostly sandy bottom. We loved the food at Over The Edge (North Side) and ate there probably 3 times a week. Incredible local food and very freindly locals serving it! Loved Cracked Conch too. Was not impressed with The Lobster Pot at all. We did buy groceries and cook our own meals many times, but the cost of groceries is almost double or triple what they cost in the States.
Used Red Sail through The Reef to go snorkeling and visit Stingray City. Only suggestion I have with that is that if you plan on going bring your own snorkel gear. Their snorkel gear was horrible to the point were we just held our breath and went without. I really wish we had taken our own. Skip Hell. Good thing was we saw it for free. The Turtle Farm was great for the kids, made me sad. Oh, we went to the Buccaneers Feast at Solange at the Marriott....it was incredible!! Pirates fighting and a firebreather doing a dance...great entertainment and so much fun. best sushi bar ever. We loved it.
Visit Pedro St james Castle...very interesting to get the islands history and really cool and beautiful.
And lastly, but most important...we rented a car from McCurleys for the whole 3 weeks and we felt like that was the best deal on the island. They pick you up at the airport and drive you to your resort/hotel the whole time giving you mass amounts of incredibly useful information that we felt very lucky to get. They were great, and we have already booked next years vacation car rental with them.
Oh, loved the botanical park too. Fun for the boys to hunt down where the elusive blue iguanas were. We had an incredible time, loved the island and the people and the culture and can't wait to go back. Hope this helps anyone who is on the fence about where to go....Cayman Island was the best vacation ever!