caymen beach questions

[melsmom303]

ok im sailing carnival soon and they have a tour to tiki beach. 41.00 per person includes a drink and beach chair. ouch i think thats awfully expensive. can i just take a cab to the beach on my own. if so what beach ? no kids just hubby and me looking to lay in the sun for a few hours with a few drinks.;)

[wrigley80]

Yes that is very expensive. If all you want is a beach day then just take a taxi or the city bus to seven mile beach. Just tell your driver where you want to go.....I definitely would not pay the $41.00 pp

[cb at sea]

Yes...take the bus..$2.50 pp....food and drink is nearby, along with restrooms, and watersport rentals, loungers, etc... There is NO reason to pay for an excursion to the beach! Bear in mind that food and drink is expensive on GC....it's an expensive place! But...still cheaper than excursion prices! Seagrape Beach is very close to the amenities you're looking for!

[melsmom303]

ty all so much:D

[caribsun]

We went to Royal Palms, 5.00 p/p ea way from pier. Beach chairs were 10.00, we sat at pool for free, had lunch and a few drinks.

http://royalpalmscayman.com/beach-photos

[lovetocruise2020]

Tiki Beach just quoted me a $30 admission. What a joke. One free drink. Lounger...

[mominva]

We went to Grand Cayman last summer for the first time. We got off the boat and went up to a driver. He asked us where we wanted to go and we told him a beach. He gave us 2 choices: $4 a person to get to the Royal Palms, but they have an entrance fee OR $5 a person to a public beach that is free to get in. We opted for the free beach and were taken to restaurant bar on 7 Mile Beach. There were chairs you could rent. Then, someone told us that a little further down, the snorkeling was better. We just walked on over. Another family with 2 boys were there and us. There was also a restaurant bar here and bathrooms. When we went to buy a drink, the sign said Tiki Beach. There were also chairs to rent, but we just sat on the beach. The drinks may have been $9 each. They take USD, but don't make change. So, you can definitely go there on your own and buy your own drink and pay for a chair if you want to. No need to pay $41 up front.

[bookbabe]

FYI, the Royal Palms entrance fee is only $2.

[CruzinCruzan]

Which is the best beach to relax and swim in?

 

Tiki...Sea Grape...Royal Palms...or Calico Jacks?

 

we are two 50-ish couples that just want a relaxing day at the beach. Looking for crystal clear water with a sandy bottom...

 

Am I asking for too much?

 

Thanks for your help...

 

:cool:

[bookbabe]

Everywhere along Seven Mile Beach will have relatively clear water and a sandy bottom. As I said on the other thread where you asked this, I prefer Royal Palms. I find Calico Jacks/Public Beach has more families, and Tiki Beach tends to have a lot of cruise ship excursions.

[ContessaK]

Is there good snorkeling anywhere near the Royal Palms area? Thinking of going there in October and instead of paying for a snorkeling excursion, just finding places near Royal Palms to do it on our own...

[caribsun]

Closest snorkel area would be cemetery beach. It's about 3 miles - so - it's up to you if you feel you can walk it. You could always grab the bus - there is a bus stop right at the entrance to cemetery beach and they will drop you at Royal Palms. The bus fare is $2-$3/person.

 

Or snorkel 1st at Eden Rock a few hundred yards from the tender drop off area.

[WeRockChalkKU]

Is the bus system easy to use? Are they buses or vans? How often do they run?

 

Thanks for any help/info.

[TurtleTagger]

Is there good snorkeling anywhere near the Royal Palms area? Thinking of going there in October and instead of paying for a snorkeling excursion, just finding places near Royal Palms to do it on our own...

 

The patch reef off Governor's Public Beach (near the Westin) will be a bit closer than Cemetery Beach. Small area, but has similar marine life as Cemetery. Neither location has much healthy coral, but Cemetery has some a few hundred yards (literally) out at around a 30 foot depth.

[CDNJehn]

Is the bus system easy to use? Are they buses or vans? How often do they run?

They are more vans than buses. Route #1 or #2 travel along SMB quite frequently. The schedule is not kept to strictly and you can pretty much flag down a bus anywhere along the route. Just tell the driver where you want to go, they are very friendly.

[WeRockChalkKU]

They are more vans than buses. Route #1 or #2 travel along SMB quite frequently. The schedule is not kept to strictly and you can pretty much flag down a bus anywhere along the route. Just tell the driver where you want to go, they are very friendly.

 

Thanks for the info!

[fpcruiser]

What is the closest public beach to Tiki Beach? My dd and friends will be doing Seven Mile on their own, we will be on an excursion that takes us to Tiki Beach. DD does not need to have chairs or anything, they just want a place to lay their towels down near us.

[caribsun]

What is the closest public beach to Tiki Beach? My dd and friends will be doing Seven Mile on their own, we will be on an excursion that takes us to Tiki Beach. DD does not need to have chairs or anything, they just want a place to lay their towels down near us.

 

You can lay your towels on the beach right near Tiki, just not right in front. Just have them walk a little beyond their beach front. 7 mile is all public, just be respectfull of property owners. If they purchase food and drink then sit anywhere.:)

[mominva]

Just hop on a van that is going to the "public beach" for $5 a person. They will drop you off at Calico Jacks (I think it is also called Sea Grape beach). Next door is Tiki Beach. They can enjoy the beach at Calico Jacks which ended up being very busy with cruise ship passengers or walk a little further down to Tiki beach which was deserted (only one family besides us). The beach and water are just beautiful.

 

This past summer we just walked off the dock to snorkel close by. The kids enjoyed the snorkeling and water trampoline, but we really missed 7 mile beach. After snorkeling, we headed back to the ship, but I can't believe we didn't get to the 7 mile beach!