Grand Cayman : Compiled info : beaches, transport, snorkling, interesting facts, etc

[bookbabe]

What you are talking about are PRIVATE buses. The public buses stop at the bus stops if someone is waiting and then continue on. We have experiences both forms of transportation.

The public bus will stop at the public beach which is very nice.

 

I'm not so sure. In both cases (out and back), the driver went through some sort of "compound" where there were a bunch of buses, and he had to check in with someone at a gate.

 

The buses in Cayman are all privately run. The confusion usually comes from the fact that the buses are more like very large vans than like the standard city buses you'd see in the US and Canada. The buses will stop at marked bus stops and other (unmarked) spots - wherever passengers want to get on or off. Taxis are also generally large vans, but smaller than the buses, and those are the ones that usually pick people up at the port and in the parking areas of the beach clubs, and they'll often wait until they are full before leaving.

 

If by "compound" you mean a fenced area right at the port (by the water) then it was a taxi. If you had to walk a couple of blocks from the port to get there (by the library) then it was likely a bus.

Edited May 24, 2014 by bookbabe

[rdh rules]

We were in Grand Cayman April 19 which was a Saturday and the only ship there that day. I told my husband about the public transport instead we did a private van that was $5 a person to calico jacks. He crammed 8 of us in his very hot van and dropped us off. When we got done and wanted to head to town to go shopping ..We walked to the main road and looked for a public bus. We were getting ready to cross the street to stop at the bus stop and a car stopped and said do you want the bus and we said yes and he beeped the horn to stop the public bus and they picked us up. It was only 3.00 a person but was a big van with plenty of locals. They didn't care if it was full and you just told him where to stop.

[ladiva]

Thank you to everyone who contributed all the valuable information! I've got my plans for that day at port....hopefully I can find a thread like this for Montego Bay! :)

[voosman12]

Does anyone have a picture of the taxi board or information for the current taxi rates for Grand Cayman?

 

I am also looking if anyone arranged transportation to the Cayman Island Yacht Club? We will be traveling as a group of 15, and looking for the various options. I don't believe the public buses go there, and with an excursion booked from certain times, it will not be an option. Are there even private transportation companies?

[tourdirectorterri]

Hello all - In November of 2014 I was able to take the West Bay Loop Bicycle tour. Here's my review of the service.

 

The bicycle tour I took with West Bay Loop was hands down the best activity of my entire vacation. I was on a cruise ship and was in Grand Cayman only for one day. Richard and Eddie made it a wonderful experience.

 

The service began with a shuttle ride from just outside the cruise terminal. Richard came to get us. He is very personable and friendly. The ride out to the bike area near the Cracked Conch Restaurant is short, only about 15 minutes.

 

Once we got to the bikes, Eddie, the guide and ride leader, made sure that each of us had a good fit on our bike. There were 7 people in the group I rode with. West Bay Loop has both men's and women's bikes. The bicycles are very nice beach cruisers. They have only one gear and when you want to stop you pedal backwards. They are super easy to ride and pretty comfortable. The bikes have nice padded seats.

 

The ride around the loop is mostly flat and the rest stops were well timed. The total ride was about 3 hours. Richard and Eddie make sure everyone has plenty of water. We were given water to drink before the ride even began to hydrate. During the ride, each time we stopped, Eddie reminded everyone to drink. He would top up our water bottles as needed with water he carried on his bike. The bikes have water bottle holders and a pouch for holding small objects. The guys took care of items that riders didn't want to have with them while we rode. They also have bike helmets for those who want them.

 

I'm so glad I got to do the tour with Eddie. He is a great guide. He is very knowledgeable about the island and has friends and family all over the West Bay area. We rode past his grandmother's house and he took us to meet her. She is 95 years old and very friendly. Eddie made sure we were safe as we rode and it was very nice not to have to try to follow a map. You can rent just the bike and get a map but it was great to have a guide. If you choose to just rent the bike, you get a map to follow of the route. There are signs along the route as well.

 

The ride is about 9 miles. Some of the ride is on small roads but much of it is along dirt roads away from cars and along the beaches. The ride felt pretty easy to me and I am only an occasional rider. A friend of mine who hadn't ridden in a long time came and she made it to the end of the ride. Eddie made sure everyone was ok with the ride and was very fun to ride with. He watched the pace of the first rider and kept track of the last rider to be sure no one was ever left behind. He customized the tour for us making sure we got to see the things we wanted to.

 

The ride goes along residential roads and you get to see some houses, it goes over to a couple of gorgeous beaches so you might want to wear your bathing suit. The loop goes through Barker's National Park home to mangrove wetlands which were amazing and almost totally undeveloped. You get to see a part of the island that is beautiful and untouched.

 

The bike stand is next to the Cracked Conch which had good food. They are right along the beach. You can dive there as well. There is a dive shop and you can dive in the cove and see Turtle Reef. Speaking of turtles, the bike stand is also near the Cayman Turtle Farm, and the Cayman Motor Museum. The Motor Museum has some awesome cars, but that's another review.

 

Getting back to our ship on time was no problem. Richard helped us calculate when we needed to leave and watched the time for us to be sure we were on the shuttle on our way back in plenty of time. He dropped us off right outside the cruise port. Our total time was about 5 hours from 9 am when the shuttle picked us up to 2 pm when we caught the tender back to our ship.

 

I booked this adventure directly with West Bay Loop from their website http://westbayloop.com/ . Richard was very good at communicating with me before my cruise. He told me when I got off the ship, to call him and let him know I was there. I found the information desk in the cruise terminal and they let me use their phone to call him. He was there to pick us up in about 15 minutes.

 

Richard and Eddie encouraged everyone to have a good time and enjoy the island, the ride and each other. We had a nice group of people even though we had not met before. The prices are very reasonable on both the rental and the tour and the price includes the shuttle to and from the cruise port. They accept US Dollars and they only take cash.

 

If you are planning a visit to Grand Cayman I highly recommend this bike tour. It is a fun way to see the West Bay part of the island, get some fresh air and enjoy the views.

[Dawgone]

Thanks to all for the posts. Trying to decide:

 

Cab/bus to Cemetery Beach at end of 7-mile beach

 

Native Way tour...Rays, Reef, Rum Point

 

Day pass at Royal Palms

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

Carnival Pride...January 23rd...last port...leaning towards Native...

[selliott1]

Hell, Turtle Farm, and Stingrays. Most memorable time of my 42 years of living!

 

 

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[buffy24]

My husband & I have a timeshare in Grand Cayman. We are going on a cruise that stops in Cayman in April. We like to snorkel, so we will be walking or taking a taxi to Smith's Cove. It is a really nice place to snorkel. There are picnic tables, shade, bathrooms and outdoor showers. If anyone wants a nice relaxing day at their own pace, this is a wonderful place. When we finish there, we will go back into Georgetown where my hubby will snorkel at Eden's Rock and I will go shopping. A win-win for both of us :) I should mention we have also been to Cemetary Beach, Rum Point, East End and Seven Mile Beach, but Smith's Cove is our favorite, by far.

[momonthego17]

My husband & I have a timeshare in Grand Cayman. We are going on a cruise that stops in Cayman in April. We like to snorkel, so we will be walking or taking a taxi to Smith's Cove. It is a really nice place to snorkel. There are picnic tables, shade, bathrooms and outdoor showers. If anyone wants a nice relaxing day at their own pace, this is a wonderful place. When we finish there, we will go back into Georgetown where my hubby will snorkel at Eden's Rock and I will go shopping. A win-win for both of us :) I should mention we have also been to Cemetary Beach, Rum Point, East End and Seven Mile Beach, but Smith's Cove is our favorite, by far.

 

 

That is great to know! Would u know how much the taxi would be there and how far away time-wise Smith's Cove is? Any place to buy drinks or food? Thanks for sharing this info!

 

 

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[buffy24]

I thought I read on another post that someone paid $4 or $5 for a cab there. When we stay on the island, we rent a car, so I've never used a taxi there. There is no food at Smith's Cove, but you could probably pick up some stuff in town and bring it with you. Otherwise, I think the Sunset House, which is about 1/2 way between Georgetown and Smith's Cove, has a bar/restaurant with food available. If you walk back to town, there is an artist's studio on the right side of the road(if it's still there). It had some nice stuff in it.

[Dawn Infinity]

Hi everyone. We will be in Georgetown (Grand Cayman) and are looking for a great beach with good taxi service to and from the port. Last time we were there it was stressful booking a cab back to the port....they were definitely on Caribbean time! Any suggestions? Thanks!

[rdh rules]

Hi everyone. We will be in Georgetown (Grand Cayman) and are looking for a great beach with good taxi service to and from the port. Last time we were there it was stressful booking a cab back to the port....they were definitely on Caribbean time! Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

7mile beach is a short taxi ride for $5/p. We took the city bus back for $2./p When you get off port take a left at end of walkway and you'll see the taxis set up waiting. Our taxi shoved 7 people in a van without air. It was tight and stagnant. The city bus was better back to Georgetown. We caught it by walking towards road near Calico Jacks. We didn't actually see a bus stop. A car passing by honked at bus to stop for us :)

[Ilovemyhubby127]

City Bus : bus looks like a large van along the main routes. The bus depot is next to the library - across from the Hero's Square Fountain. Walk about two blocks inland on Edward St.... You can grab a bus at the library... much cheaper than a cab. The buses are parked and waiting right next door... a short 5 minute walk from the dock. $2.50 US per person rather than $5 US or more for a cab.

To hail one, respond with a wave when the driver toots his horn. Sightseeing : one direction to Pedro St. James and in the other direction to Hell (and back). Any bus marked WB is bound for WestBay to 7 mile beach, and will drive right past your destination. Just tell the driver where you want to get off. The difference between the bus and the taxi: Taxis license plates are red numbers on a white background; the bus has white numbers on a blue background. Buses to/from 7MileBeach run every 15 minutes. The bus will stop where you ask it to; coming back to town; just cross the street from where you got off and flag the bus down. They will stop to pick you up. The fare is 1.50CI but we just gave the drive $2 US and he took it. We walked out to the main road and waited for a public bus with blue license plates. The ones to the beach have a yellow circle with #1 or #2 WB on the windshield. The fare was $5 for the 2 of us.

 

Daily service starts at 6 a.m. from the depot and the schedule is to :

WestBay beach areas - every 15 minutes, from 6 a.m.. Fare CI$1.50 each way.

BoddenTown - Every 30 minutes from 6 a.m . Fare CI$1.50 each way.

 

East End and North Side - Every hour, 6 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fare: CI$2 each way.

logos located on the front and rear of buses to identify routes: Route 1 (yellow) and Route 2 (lime green) cover George Town to WestBay; Route 3 (blue) provides service between the depot in George Town and BoddenTown.

Route 4 (purple) operates between the depot and East End. Route 5 (red) goes from the depot to East End and North Side. Route 6 (dark green) operates from North Side to WestBay. Route 7 (dark green with white numbers) is an inter-district service for George Town. Route 8 (orange) runs from the depot to Hutland in North Side. Licensed buses are identified by blue licence plates. each bus must display a fare table outlining standard government-authorized fares.

 

Cemetary Beach - If you want to snorkel, the best places on Grand Cayman are at Cemetary Reef, about 15 minutes drive from the pier and about 3-4 miles north ... a bit too far to walk. Cemetery Reef is a very popular spot for both snorkeling and sun tanning with trees for shade. This beautiful location will offer the best of both worlds, a beach entrance and good snorkeling nearby. You get dropped off pretty much in the middle of a neighborhood and you walk down a sand path beside a cemetery. The beach is on the backside of the cemetery and pretty much deserted. It has a small marine park right off the beach.

Many cemeteries are on the beach in the islands. The one you are looking for is a large cemetery on SevenMileBeach as you are heading up into the district of West Bay. You will see the sign for beach access to walk to the beach. There is a path on the northern edge of the cemetery which is signposted for public access to the beach. Any minibus with the letters WB will go right past, as will all tours going to Hell or the Turtle Farm. saw some great fish some very large and some colorful (they feed them so they stick around) swim out and you will be rewarded by some nice coral and more fish...snorkeling is very nice there. We saw some large and colorful fish along with a baracuda. We brought cheese whiz …. The fish love it and come all around you. Just put a little in your fingers and rub it into the water. The snorkeling there is very good, but not really excellent. No services available. Be prepared to stay a couple of hours and then hail a taxi or minibus back toward town for lunch. walk in from the beach and you don't have to swim very far to get to the coral heads. dry cat food fed the fish. it offered awesome snorkeling, BUT, it was so shallow that i felt in most of the areas that the coral was actually touching my stomach. There is no place for food or refreshments It's never very crowded due to lack of ammenities.

 

 

I just have to tell you how very THANKFUL my hubby and I are for you writing this!! Without this, we would have never gone to find the city bus (much less know it was there) and we would have never experienced Cemetery Beach. It was very beautiful and pretty much quiet. There was maybe 6 others there enjoying what we were enjoying!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Jeannie & Travis --- Bootheel of MO

[PTAngel]

This was very good information! My friend & I are 2 ladies traveling without our DH's in November to GC for the first time. I was thinking of booking a ship excursion for the turtle farm & a tour to Hell. I am more comfortable now using the bus system & going on my own. Can I get a bus to the turtle farm & them to Hell & then back to the ship? Our itinerary calls for us to be in Georgetown from 10:30 to 6. Thanks.

[Leahmae1203]

Can anyone tell me if the hard rock cafe is still open (the one closest to the port), at least the gift shop? Also, can i use USD or do i have to use a credit card or exchange currency?

[buffy24]

When we were there at the end of April, the Hard Rock Cafe & Gift shop near the pier were still going strong. I believe you can use US dollars there, but they will likely give you change in Cayman. I used my card there with no problems.

[gfft]

great information~Thanks!

[Disneygirl80]

Hi everyone. Newbie here. We will be a party of 10--my parents, DH and I with our girls who will be 10 and 7 and my sister and her DH with their DS5 and DD7. Is there an all inclusive beach anywhere or something like it? Any other recommendations for us??

[bookbabe]

Hi everyone. Newbie here. We will be a party of 10--my parents, DH and I with our girls who will be 10 and 7 and my sister and her DH with their DS5 and DD7. Is there an all inclusive beach anywhere or something like it? Any other recommendations for us??

 

I'd head to Public Beach.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=46730206

[lissa42886]

wow SO helpful!!! i will for sure not book an excursion with this info i can have a fabulous time for a few dollars!

[akbrown1972]

Wow..so much information on a single thread. .I am also looking for a private beach which has great food...but the bike tour does sound good also...

[akbrown1972]

Guys what Is

DH

DS5

DS7

[PTAngel]

DH is Dear Husband

DS5 is Dear Son 5 years old

DD7 is Dear Daughter 7 years old

 

Donna

[Secondtime cruiser]

going to grand Cayman for the first time in March! thinking about snorkeling going on the breeze anyone book excursion through the boat or thought about Captain Marios? would like to see stingrays or swim with turtles!

[akbrown1972]

Thanks for that PTAngel