Rum Point or Seven Mile?

[barbaraanne]

Hi, we will be going in January to Grand Cayman and we are trying to decide whether to book a stingray city tour that goes to Rum Point, or a catamaran stingray tour that will drop us off at Seven Mile beach on the way back. We'd have to take a taxi back to the boat from that one.

 

As we will only be able to see one beach on Grand Cayman, which beach is prettier, more fun for swimming--rum point or seven mile? Less crowded? I know our cruise ship is sending tours to both places.

 

thanks for your help!

[drew sailbum]

"Prettier" and "more fun for swimming" are such relative terms. What's best for you may not be for the next person.

 

If your idea of a pretty tropical beach is a ribbon of sand that runs for miles then Seven Mile Beach might be prettier to you. You can go for long walks along the water's edge. There is very little natural shade. As you wade out into the water it quickly drops off until it is too deep to stand - in some areas of the beach this is within two or three steps out into the water.

 

Rum Point is a small property surrounded by private homes and condos. It has many large casuarina pine trees among the palms which, together, provide a lot of shade. There are areas of full sun for those who want it. Rum Point provides free use of lounge chairs. The water at Rum Point stays shallow, less than waist deep, for about 200 feet from shore.

 

Generally Rum Point is less crowded than one of the typical spots along Seven Mile Beach that has services. However on SMB you can usually walk a hundred yards down the beach and set out a towel on an uncrowded spot.

[MamaParrotHead]

I've been to both, and Rum Point wins for me.

 

Our 2007 cruise we went on a Jeep excursion that stopped at Rum Point and it was gorgeous. The food at the Wreck bar was good, the facilities nice and the snorkeling was decent. The beach itself was clean, had fine sand and descend VERY gradually into the water.

 

A week or two ago when we were in GC we hit Seven Mile at Royal Palms. The sand was pretty pebble-ish/rocky, the beach going into the water had sizeable drop offs (I don't know if you have kids with you or not) and at times it was actually difficult for us (because of the tide) to time it right to get out of the water without getting knocked down. The menu at Royal Palms wasn't the best and the food just so-so. And the snorkeling was ZERO. The only thing I saw the whole time was the ropes connecting the buoys out in the water.

 

I vote Rum Point, without a doubt.

[barbaraanne]

Thanks for the opinions and update on the beach itself at Royal Palms. That helped a lot, because that is where we were going to go on Seven mile. Also knowing about the shade is important too.

 

Thank you!

[Froufie]

thanks here too - I am considering some of the independent tours: rays/rumpoint and was just reading reviews on trip advisor about rumpoint which were not very good! Said the beach was super crowded, washrooms dirty, food took forever to arrive...and nothing special.

 

Hoping it is more like you describe!

[bguppies]

If you like a tiny beach, with lots of rocks and trees right up to the shore, then Rum Point is your beach.

 

If you like a large, sandy, sunny beach, then 7 mile is your beach.

 

My vote definitely goes to 7 mile.

 

Did Rum Point once and that was enough for me.

 

Bill

[barbaraanne]

thanks here too - I am considering some of the independent tours: rays/rumpoint and was just reading reviews on trip advisor about rumpoint which were not very good! Said the beach was super crowded, washrooms dirty, food took forever to arrive...and nothing special.

 

Hoping it is more like you describe!

 

Yes, I was reading those reviews and also looking at some very crowded pics on Trip Advisor too that did not look appealing.

 

In the end, I think we will stay with the Hannibal Catamaran, then out to somewhere on Seven Mile beach. Perhaps we will ask to be dropped at Cemetery reef there, for some shade and less people, unless we feel like something with some food, etc. We'll see how we feel. The local private companies to Rum Point are booked up for that day, and I don't feel like spending $90 per person through the cruise ship. Thanks for the input!

[tbrocks]

We have a group of 10. What's the easiest and cheapest way to get to Rum Point?

[bookbabe]

We have a group of 10. What's the easiest and cheapest way to get to Rum Point?

 

Rent a car (or two) or take an excursion that includes a stop at Rum Point.

 

Those aren't just the easiest and cheapest ways of getting to Rum Point...they're the only real ways to get there. :D

[LiseD]

We just got back and rented a jeep from Cayman Auto Rentals...3 block walk from the ship...brand new jeep for $69 with all charges it came to $100. We went to the turtle farm (loved it) and then drove out to Rum Point. It was a great afternoon there....no crowds...had lunch at the restaurant on the beach. If you want to get away from the crowds then go to Rum Point.

[mikel24m]

7 mile beach is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen . No waves , sand is very fine without a doubt paradise

[debshomespun]

Here is Rum Point Beach web site:

 

http://www.eandbcaymans.com/2Attractions%20a%20Rum%20Point.htm

 

My vote goes here! It is a gorgeous beach. We love it there!

[blessedwith12]

I just went to Rum Point in November with a Nativeways Tour. I loved the beach and would definitely go back. Our food was ready when we arrived and the portions were huge and the food delicious. I like seeing trees and rocks along the beach as well as having shade available. The swimming area was nice and we didn't have any trouble finding lounges.

 

 

 

[Holly2]

Rented a car and went there on the 24th. As pretty as the pictures :). Water great.

Plenty of chaises and even hammocks - no charge. Nice, clean changing rooms. Even the food was delicious.

Quiet but has something for everyone.

[cheaptravel]

I have only been to Rum Point, but the beach and water were beautiful. We had rented a car and drove (left side of the road) and intentionally got there in the morning before the tour boatload of people came to shore and invaded the little restaurant.

 

We were not impressed with the restaurant. All we ordered was nachos and chips, and the woman told us we could not get our food until the tourboat people got theirs because they ordered before us. They were still on the boat, but we were standing right there at the counter !!!! And yet the woman would not serve us. This gave us a bad opinion of Cayman folk.

[bookbabe]

We were not impressed with the restaurant. All we ordered was nachos and chips, and the woman told us we could not get our food until the tourboat people got theirs because they ordered before us. They were still on the boat, but we were standing right there at the counter !!!! And yet the woman would not serve us. This gave us a bad opinion of Cayman folk.

 

You'd have the opposite opinion if you were one of the guests on the boat. :D Personally, I don't find it odd or out of line to prepare the food in the order that it was ordered. Every restaurant does that, no matter what country you're in. That's why you call ahead if you're going to go pick up pizza, right? So you don't have to wait? So it will be ready when you get there? You wouldn't be thrilled if you got to the pizza place and your pizza wasn't ready because they made all the walk-in orders first, even though you placed your order before them...it just seems unfair because you happened to be the walk-in this time rather than the call-ahead order...

 

Also, you've got to keep in mind that the boat guests are on a tight schedule, so the restaurant and the tour companies worked out the system of advance ordering to maximize their time. It's something that occurs on a daily basis, and I doubt it would be good for their continued business to mess with that system.

 

You were likely also a victim of bad timing. If you'd gotten there ten minutes earlier or ten minutes later, you probably wouldn't have noticed a problem with ordering at all...

 

Sorry you felt you had a bad experience, though...it must have been frustrating for you...

[dst]

If you enjoy a crowded beach with lots of tourists and sunshine then Seven Mile Beach is your choice....

 

If you enjoy the true beauty of an island, with shade and a natural backdrop then Rum Point is how you should spend your day.

 

The drive to Rum Point also will give you a great feel for the Island, with plenty of stops along the way. If you rent a car driving on the Island is safe (as long as you stay on the left side) and the locals are very accommodating.

 

Every time we visit GC we rent a car and spend a few hours at Rum Point

[cheaptravel]

You'd have the opposite opinion if you were one of the guests on the boat. :D Personally, I don't find it odd or out of line to prepare the food in the order that it was ordered. Every restaurant does that, no matter what country you're in. That's why you call ahead if you're going to go pick up pizza, right? So you don't have to wait? So it will be ready when you get there? You wouldn't be thrilled if you got to the pizza place and your pizza wasn't ready because they made all the walk-in orders first, even though you placed your order before them...it just seems unfair because you happened to be the walk-in this time rather than the call-ahead order...

 

Also, you've got to keep in mind that the boat guests are on a tight schedule, so the restaurant and the tour companies worked out the system of advance ordering to maximize their time. It's something that occurs on a daily basis, and I doubt it would be good for their continued business to mess with that system.

 

You were likely also a victim of bad timing. If you'd gotten there ten minutes earlier or ten minutes later, you probably wouldn't have noticed a problem with ordering at all...

 

Sorry you felt you had a bad experience, though...it must have been frustrating for you...

 

Yes, the people on the boat are on a tight schedule. At the time we ordered our nachos, we were the only people on the beach. The boat was still way out in the water. How long does it take to plop some chips in a container and heat up the cheese ? A customer is a customer. They had no problem pouring our beers ..... despite all that, it sure is beautiful there.

[jjdjcruisers]

We are taking our very first cruise in March, and I noticed that many of you talked about renting a car. So, I was wondering how you go about renting cars at the ports? When you get off the ship, are the car rentals right there? :o

[Holly2]

Book the car online. We called for a pick up and were driven to the car rental office by the airport. There are 2 companies in walking distance.

(Remember they drive on the left.)

[dst]

Book the car online. We called for a pick up and were driven to the car rental office by the airport. There are 2 companies in walking distance.

(Remember they drive on the left.)

 

Which companies are within walking distance?

 

We have always rented a car, very easy to do so. Book online ahead (Budget, Avis etc) and then when you get off they will come and get you bring you over to the airport and get your car for the day. The nice thing is you miss the port for some reason you credit card will not be charged for the rental

 

GC is a friendly and safe Island so getting around is easy except getting use to driving on the left :)

[Holly2]

Posted by Bookbabe on another thread:

As far as I can tell, all of the chain/franchise car rental places (Budget, Avis, etc.) are by the airport. The two closest to the pier are both local companies, Cayman Auto Rentals (I think that's the correct name) and Andy's Car Rentals. I know Andy's has a website (we often rent from their airport location) - http://www.andys.ky/ - you'd likely find the other places' websites with a quick google...

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[barbaraanne]

Any recent updates on Rum Point and its facilities and crowds or lack of them? I think we are leaning towards Rum Point, afterall, but we will have to go with the ship tour, as the other tours are booked. There will be one other ship in Grand Cayman when we are there Feb. 1, and it also has a tour to Rum Point, but without lunch. Our tour includes lunch.

 

One last question, before we make our final decision...how crowded is Public Beach on SMB? About the same as at Royal Palms or Sea Grape?

 

Thanks for any updated info.

[bookbabe]

Public Beach will likely be less crowded than Royal Palms or Sea Grape, as it has no/limited facilities.

 

Crowd levels at all the beaches vary greatly, and depend on the number of ships in port, weather and day of the week. Weekends and holidays are the most crowded, all the beaches will be more crowded if there are a ton of ships in port, and all the beaches will be less crowded if the weather is cloudy or rainy.

 

Rum Point's facilities are great, and usually clean and uncrowded. However, the more people there, the more this changes, unfortunately... :D

[barbaraanne]

Public Beach will likely be less crowded than Royal Palms or Sea Grape, as it has no/limited facilities.

 

Crowd levels at all the beaches vary greatly, and depend on the number of ships in port, weather and day of the week. Weekends and holidays are the most crowded, all the beaches will be more crowded if there are a ton of ships in port, and all the beaches will be less crowded if the weather is cloudy or rainy.

 

Rum Point's facilities are great, and usually clean and uncrowded. However, the more people there, the more this changes, unfortunately... :D

 

Is there a certain beach on SMB that you personally like best?