Trip Report 5/13-5/18
May 23rd, 2006, 03:32 PM
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Trip Report 5/13-5/18
Well, I just returned last Thursday from my first trip to Grand Cayman. I'll try to get in all the important details. I have some pictures that I'll update with a link once I get them all uploaded.
Hotel:
We stayed at Comfort Suites and were pleased. It's not a luxury resort, but at $140/night, it was an excellent value. I'm not one to need pampering and I can carry my own bags to my room, so it was great for us. I got the studio suite and I'd recommend to anyone that plans on staying there to at least get the 1 bedroom suite. There was only 2 of us, but it was still a bit cramped. The staff was friendly and the maid service was excellent. The pool was a bit small, but was kept very clean and wasn't usually crowded (except our last full day...a large family with 5-6 kids arrived).
Beach:
The walk to the beach was not bad at all. I was surprised at the amount of trash laying around the beach though. Some of it was there during our whole stay, so I know it wasn't just people littering all the time. The water was very calm and clear our first 4 days so we got to see lots of fish right in front of the hotel. Our last day and a half, the wind picked up and the water was quite rough and churned up so that we couldn't see anything.
Food:
This is always my favorite part of vacation. We enjoyed every place we ate which is unusual for us. We went to...
Coconut Joe's = 3 times, food and drinks were excellent, service was OK. Their Mudslides were outstanding.
Aqua Beach = great food and great service.
Cimboco's = 2 times, food and service were outstanding both times. This was my husband's favorite spot.
Fidel Murphy's = this was probably my favorite, but I have Irish background and am partial to the pubs. They had the best Conch Fritters that we had the pleasure of eating. Had our first Guinness and somehow they "drew" a clover in the foam. I got a picture of it that I'll post later. Everything we got there was fantastic. I also got an awesome t-shirt.
Stinger's = we weren't impressed with the food or service here, which is a shame since it was on-site to our hotel. The first few days they were out of conch, so we had to go elsewhere for our fritters. After we discovered all the other great restaurants, we just went other places.
Miscellaneous:
The airport was probably the easiest/friendliest of all the islands we've been to so far. Taxis were readily available, but we walked most of the time. The hotel location was very convenient to a lot of great restaurants and shops.
We did one trip downtown to see the shops, but it was pretty much like any other port destination with all the same shops. We got some nice pictures and some souvenirs for the family, so it was still fun.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Stingray City with Captain Dexter. I didn't realize they were quite that big! Once I got over the initial nervousness of being afraid I'd step on one, it was fabulous. They were very agressive once they realized you were going to feed them. I tried to come up from snorkeling one time to find one "resting" on my head. Now that did scare me a bit, but I didn't scream or cry (which is more than I can say for some others on our boat)
All in all, we had a great trip and will more than likely go back one day. We're still on a mission of a different island each year, but it is on our short list of "will return".
My favorite island so far is still Provo, TCI. We didn't see quite as many fish when snorkeling there, but the water and sand was much better than Grand Cayman and all the others we've visited. We're hoping to return there this winter.
Hotel:
We stayed at Comfort Suites and were pleased. It's not a luxury resort, but at $140/night, it was an excellent value. I'm not one to need pampering and I can carry my own bags to my room, so it was great for us. I got the studio suite and I'd recommend to anyone that plans on staying there to at least get the 1 bedroom suite. There was only 2 of us, but it was still a bit cramped. The staff was friendly and the maid service was excellent. The pool was a bit small, but was kept very clean and wasn't usually crowded (except our last full day...a large family with 5-6 kids arrived).
Beach:
The walk to the beach was not bad at all. I was surprised at the amount of trash laying around the beach though. Some of it was there during our whole stay, so I know it wasn't just people littering all the time. The water was very calm and clear our first 4 days so we got to see lots of fish right in front of the hotel. Our last day and a half, the wind picked up and the water was quite rough and churned up so that we couldn't see anything.
Food:
This is always my favorite part of vacation. We enjoyed every place we ate which is unusual for us. We went to...
Coconut Joe's = 3 times, food and drinks were excellent, service was OK. Their Mudslides were outstanding.
Aqua Beach = great food and great service.
Cimboco's = 2 times, food and service were outstanding both times. This was my husband's favorite spot.
Fidel Murphy's = this was probably my favorite, but I have Irish background and am partial to the pubs. They had the best Conch Fritters that we had the pleasure of eating. Had our first Guinness and somehow they "drew" a clover in the foam. I got a picture of it that I'll post later. Everything we got there was fantastic. I also got an awesome t-shirt.
Stinger's = we weren't impressed with the food or service here, which is a shame since it was on-site to our hotel. The first few days they were out of conch, so we had to go elsewhere for our fritters. After we discovered all the other great restaurants, we just went other places.
Miscellaneous:
The airport was probably the easiest/friendliest of all the islands we've been to so far. Taxis were readily available, but we walked most of the time. The hotel location was very convenient to a lot of great restaurants and shops.
We did one trip downtown to see the shops, but it was pretty much like any other port destination with all the same shops. We got some nice pictures and some souvenirs for the family, so it was still fun.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Stingray City with Captain Dexter. I didn't realize they were quite that big! Once I got over the initial nervousness of being afraid I'd step on one, it was fabulous. They were very agressive once they realized you were going to feed them. I tried to come up from snorkeling one time to find one "resting" on my head. Now that did scare me a bit, but I didn't scream or cry (which is more than I can say for some others on our boat)
All in all, we had a great trip and will more than likely go back one day. We're still on a mission of a different island each year, but it is on our short list of "will return".
My favorite island so far is still Provo, TCI. We didn't see quite as many fish when snorkeling there, but the water and sand was much better than Grand Cayman and all the others we've visited. We're hoping to return there this winter.
May 31st, 2006, 06:49 AM
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mbl,
great trip report and really enjoyed it.
Fidel Murphy's is one of our favorite spots as well. And you just can't beat Dexter's half day trip.
We just took our frist trip to Provo this year after traveling exclusively [for our fun in the sun] to GC for many years.
I think your comparisons are fair and accurate. The water and sand IS better in Provo, but GC presents more opportunity to shore snorkel at more places.
Again, I really enjoyed it.
~Karen
great trip report and really enjoyed it.
Fidel Murphy's is one of our favorite spots as well. And you just can't beat Dexter's half day trip.
We just took our frist trip to Provo this year after traveling exclusively [for our fun in the sun] to GC for many years.
I think your comparisons are fair and accurate. The water and sand IS better in Provo, but GC presents more opportunity to shore snorkel at more places.
Again, I really enjoyed it.
~Karen
May 31st, 2006, 08:44 AM
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Great to read your trip report! We also went on the half-day trip with Capt. Dexter and had a great time. And I second your feelings about the shopping in Georgetown. We'll have to look into Provo for our next trip--it's hard to believe the water and sand could be better!
I'll look forward to your pictures...
JS
I'll look forward to your pictures...
JS
Jun 1st, 2006, 12:28 PM
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jspen,
I love that you enjoyed Dexter so much. He is a riot. My family loves him.
The water in TCI is amazing. Here is a link to my trip report if you would like to look st photos of the island. http://www.caymanislandsdiscounts.co...Snorkeling.htm
As a long time Cayman Islands traveler, I will tell you this, we stay on the Northside, and often get upset at the amount of 'stuff' washed up on shore there. I began collecting sea glass on our beach walks because the variety of it on the beach in GC was so good.
In our trip to TCI, I found one piece of sea glass...and no trash to speak of on the beaches or in the water!
The photos in the trip report have not been altered, or the color blown to make them appear bluer than they were, they were that blue!
If you love GC, you will also love TCI.
~Karen
I love that you enjoyed Dexter so much. He is a riot. My family loves him.
The water in TCI is amazing. Here is a link to my trip report if you would like to look st photos of the island. http://www.caymanislandsdiscounts.co...Snorkeling.htm
As a long time Cayman Islands traveler, I will tell you this, we stay on the Northside, and often get upset at the amount of 'stuff' washed up on shore there. I began collecting sea glass on our beach walks because the variety of it on the beach in GC was so good.
In our trip to TCI, I found one piece of sea glass...and no trash to speak of on the beaches or in the water!
The photos in the trip report have not been altered, or the color blown to make them appear bluer than they were, they were that blue!
If you love GC, you will also love TCI.
~Karen
