7 mile Beach in Cayman's

[suzantn]

We are thinking about not doing an excursion in the Cayman's. Instead I think we just want to take a taxi to 7 mile beach and spend some time there and then maybe do some shopping and lunch before getting back on boat. Does anyone know how much a taxi is in the Cayman's and if you think this is a doable thing? Also, are the taxis around the beach to get us back to the dock. I don't want to get to the beach and not find a way back, that is my only fear. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thanks.

[Grandpaul]

Hi Suzantn. I've been to 7 mile beach once a while ago. If I remember correctly it is only 3-4 miles from Georgetown. One thing I do remember is 7 Mile beach is only 5.5 miles long. There are some big hotels right on the beach so I'm sure you will be able to get a cab. Hope all is well in memphis from the biggest Elvis fan ever. LOL

[suzantn]

Hi Suzantn. I've been to 7 mile beach once a while ago. If I remember correctly it is only 3-4 miles from Georgetown. One thing I do remember is 7 Mile beach is only 5.5 miles long. There are some big hotels right on the beach so I'm sure you will be able to get a cab. Hope all is well in memphis from the biggest Elvis fan ever. LOL

 

If it is only 5.5 miles long, how come it is called 7 mile beach. LOL We have been to the cayman's a couple of times but have never just done the 7 mile beach thing and really didn't want to do an excursion but we also worry about taxis and getting back to the boat. We thought just a beach day on our own would be fun. Thanks for the info and I will tell Elvis you said hi. LOL

[tak81288]

A beach day is extremely easy. There will be taxis right at the pier willing to take you to 7 mile. It's approx $5/pp each way. They will drop you off at whichever major drop of point you want to go to (Royal Palms, the public beach,..etc)...When you are ready to go back there will be tons of taxis sitting in the parking lots of the beach ready to take cruise passengers back into town.

 

There are places to eat right on the beach or you can go to one of the restaurants close to the ship. Shopping is within walking distance of the ship.

 

Enjoy!

[dolphinlover22]

We just did this in Feb on our cruise and it was a blast! Just like the prior person said it was about $5/pp each way and there were plenty of taxi's so no worries about that! We took a banana boat ride , they also have jet ski's and other things - there is a restaurant on the public beach there - it's pricey but yummy - there's also vendors that sell things from the street - $1 hot dogs , etc.... I would recommend if you're doing to do that - taking one of those soft portable coolers - I have the one that's like a big purse - and taking some water/snacks. We spent pretty much the entire time there and did a little shopping at the end. You will love it!

[suzantn]

We just did this in Feb on our cruise and it was a blast! Just like the prior person said it was about $5/pp each way and there were plenty of taxi's so no worries about that! We took a banana boat ride , they also have jet ski's and other things - there is a restaurant on the public beach there - it's pricey but yummy - there's also vendors that sell things from the street - $1 hot dogs , etc.... I would recommend if you're doing to do that - taking one of those soft portable coolers - I have the one that's like a big purse - and taking some water/snacks. We spent pretty much the entire time there and did a little shopping at the end. You will love it!

 

I think this is what we are going to do and yes, I like the idea of taking snacks and water so we don't have to buy anything because the Cayman's is pretty expensive.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

36 days till we leave!!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!

[LBumb]

we will be there shortly

[World Gallery]

Thanks for posting this info. It was exactly what I was looking for. We are going in Nov. with extended family with all ages.

Some in the group want to parasail along 7 mile beach. Some may want to do the banana boat. Where is the best place to parasail along the beach?

[nedfree1]

We'll be there in early December on Carnival Legend. Thinking of: taxi to 7 mile beach, lunch at Sunshine Grill, hit Pedro St. James Castle and maybe Cayman Museum. Will taxis take us to both the other places for $5/pp, also? The beach is free but how much are chairs and umbrellas, if we decide on those?

 

Thanks a bunch!

[bookbabe]

We'll be there in early December on Carnival Legend. Thinking of: taxi to 7 mile beach, lunch at Sunshine Grill, hit Pedro St. James Castle and maybe Cayman Museum. Will taxis take us to both the other places for $5/pp, also? The beach is free but how much are chairs and umbrellas, if we decide on those?

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

A taxi to Pedro St. James will be fairly expensive. It's outside of town, in the opposite direction as all of the other places you've mentioned.

[eh2zed]

Often the driver who takes you there will return to get you at a specified time

[5waldos]

Don't take snacks off the ship unless they are things like cookies or packages of things. No fruit, no meat- it is both against the law and also dangerous to the eco-system of the islands. You remember the infestation of fruit flies in California because they came in on fruit from - perhaps Mexico?- same kind of concerns.

[sdeegster]

We are thinking about not doing an excursion in the Cayman's. Instead I think we just want to take a taxi to 7 mile beach and spend some time there and then maybe do some shopping and lunch before getting back on boat. Does anyone know how much a taxi is in the Cayman's and if you think this is a doable thing? Also, are the taxis around the beach to get us back to the dock. I don't want to get to the beach and not find a way back, that is my only fear. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thanks.

We just did this last week! We got a taxi van easily right as we got off the pier. They'll probably be parked there already. If not, wait 5 minutes and one will pull up! It was $2.50 per person each way to get to 7 Mile Beach. If they're charging $4-$5 you should be able to negotiate. We didn't know what part we wanted to go to, so the driver took us to public beach access about 10 minutes from the cruise ship. It was wonderful! Plenty of cab drivers were there a few hours later to get people back to the ship. There were chairs, umbrellas, and all kinds of water sports equipment to rent at the beach. There were also some public pavillions that provided shade for free! The water was spectacular, and the beach wasn't at all crowded. There was also a basic bar/restaurant right there and some ice cream trucks :)

[eh2zed]

Love 7MB

[luckyeddie777]

We are thinking about not doing an excursion in the Cayman's. Instead I think we just want to take a taxi to 7 mile beach and spend some time there and then maybe do some shopping and lunch before getting back on boat. Does anyone know how much a taxi is in the Cayman's and if you think this is a doable thing? Also, are the taxis around the beach to get us back to the dock. I don't want to get to the beach and not find a way back, that is my only fear. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thanks.

just outside of the tender pier there are cabs that will take you to 7 mile beach, you can share a cab with someone for a discount, ask to go to calico jacks, it is on 7 mile beach, it is a very small bar & grill right on the beach. bring room towels with you to lay out on the beach and relax & have a good time. when you want to go back to the tender pier, there will be cabs there to take you back or you could stand out by the street and island buses will stop & honk to see if you want a ride. island buses are well worn mini vans, that charge $4.00 US per person.

[dmarie21]

We just did this last week! We got a taxi van easily right as we got off the pier. They'll probably be parked there already. If not, wait 5 minutes and one will pull up! It was $2.50 per person each way to get to 7 Mile Beach. If they're charging $4-$5 you should be able to negotiate. We didn't know what part we wanted to go to, so the driver took us to public beach access about 10 minutes from the cruise ship. It was wonderful! Plenty of cab drivers were there a few hours later to get people back to the ship. There were chairs, umbrellas, and all kinds of water sports equipment to rent at the beach. There were also some public pavillions that provided shade for free! The water was spectacular, and the beach wasn't at all crowded. There was also a basic bar/restaurant right there and some ice cream trucks :)

 

$2.50 is the same as the bus price, correct? Anyone else able to negotiate a $2.50pp cab price? Good deal!

[beachgal58]

We use the bus, its been a few yrs, but it was el cheapo like $1-2. Walk past all the hawkers trying to get you in their school buses that you sit for an hr and wait to fill....go across the street and walk a block or so away from the main drag, there is a little parking lot with the van/buses. On the way back, our driver went a different way, picked up locals and we got a tour of the island we had never seen. And local farmers were taking veggies to market to sell. Kinda cool.

Cindy

[Redsfan]

$2.50 is the same as the bus price, correct? Anyone else able to negotiate a $2.50pp cab price? Good deal!

 

x2 on that...

[cruzer0415]

Sounds like the bus is for us. The only question now is where on 7-Mile Beach do we go? We have read about SeaGrape, Royal Palms, and the Public Beach.

 

Can someone please give us some guidance?

 

Lane

[SoonerOne]

Sounds like the bus is for us. The only question now is where on 7-Mile Beach do we go? We have read about SeaGrape, Royal Palms, and the Public Beach.

 

Can someone please give us some guidance?

 

Lane

 

We are going to Royal Palms on the recommendation on "BookBabe" that is here frequently on the GC forum. I think she has been many times to GC and highly recommends it. Adults only pool and facilities free if you purchase food. Check out their website, looks really nice.:)

[bookbabe]

I visit Cayman about 4 or 5 times a year, as we have a vacation home out at Rum Point. I'm not nearly the expert that folks like DrewSailbum and TurtleTagger are, however, since they live there full-time. :D

 

I personally like Royal Palms, but there's just as many people that prefer Sea Grape. Both places have their fans as well as their reviewers that have had problems. The negatives I've heard?

 

At either place, the bathrooms are only as clean as the cruisers that have been in before you. :eek: The staff tries to keep up with the cleaning, but it's sometimes a problem. I've never seen it messy myself, but I've seen lots of reviews that commented on that.

 

At either place, your food/drink bill is going to be high, and neither place allows outside food/drink. That's just Cayman. Things are expensive.

 

At either place, you are likely to encounter at least some crowds, especially if it's a holiday week or if there are a lot of ships in that day. To avoid that, you have to get out of George Town. One suggestion is to check the webcams for Royal Palms on a day with the same number of ships in port, at about the time you expect to be there. You can see roughly how crowded (or not) it will be.

 

At either place, it's going to be luck of the draw in terms of staff. Sometimes you get fabulous bartenders and servers, sometimes not so much. But that's true of anywhere, not just Cayman. That can happen just as easily in your local Denny's.

 

Overall, the beach and facilities are much the same no matter where you stop along Seven Mile Beach. My suggestion is to stop at what you think will be your best choice, and if you don't like the look of it, take the 15-minute or so walk along the beach to another spot. If you stay along that stretch of beach that follows the main road, you shouldn't have any problem flagging down a taxi or bus for the return trip, no matter what section of beach you end up stopping at. Worst case scenario, walk to one of the hotels and get the front desk to call you a taxi if you need it. The area is very developed, and very tourist-oriented, so there's lots of taxis, etc. in the area...

[suzantn]

Sounds like the bus is for us. The only question now is where on 7-Mile Beach do we go? We have read about SeaGrape, Royal Palms, and the Public Beach.

 

Can someone please give us some guidance?

 

Lane

 

We took a taxi to Public beach and you could rent chairs for $8 per chair and an umbrella for $4. It was nice even though it rained while we were there. The beach was nice and the view was beautiful. I don't swim in the ocean so I can't tell you about that. I am actually not much of a beach person, we went because we were with friends who wanted to go but we still enjoyed it.

[clingkm]

SeaGrape is the last stop, and really nice. I'm going to go back this time.

[cruzer0415]

OK I am convinced. Royal Palms it is. We will get off the ship, find the bus stop and head for RP, get a couple of chairs and an umbrella, order some brewskies, and get wet! :)

[momof3princesses]

Is there a good spot to snorkel along 7 mile beach? We want to do it on our own without booking an excursion. We also are wanting to have some beach/pool time. So we are either going to do a public beach or try a resort. This is our first time so any info will be very helpful.