Transportation to Seven Mile Beach

[travgurl]

How do you recommend to get to Seven Mile Beach from the port?

Where should we asked to be dropped off for the day?

[Dave Mck]

We went to Sea Grape. It was nice everything you need is there. Taxi fare is $6 each way per person. Haggle with them and you could get it a little cheaper. There will be taxis there to take you back when you are done.

[spearmint]

We went to Sea Grape. It was nice everything you need is there. Taxi fare is $6 each way per person. Haggle with them and you could get it a little cheaper. There will be taxis there to take you back when you are done.

 

Was the $6 US or Cayman dollars? Does "everything" include hotel or restaurant or bar facilities, loungers and umbrellas for shade?

[twinkletoes4445]

Was the $6 US or Cayman dollars? Does "everything" include hotel or restaurant or bar facilities, loungers and umbrellas for shade?

 

Sea Grape and Royal Palms are both places that cater a lot to cruise ship passengers (although others also use the facilities). Royal Palms is a bit closer to the port, but both offer chair rentals, restaurant/bar, water toy rentals and restrooms. Neither of these places have a hotel on the property.

 

Here's Royal Palms website (the Reef Grill). The prices on the menu are listed in Cayman Dollar. They also almost always include the tip on your bill, so look for this. The first time we were on the island (we ate lunch at Rackham's) we double-tipped.

 

http://www.reefgrill.com/

 

The $6 would be in USD and they will accept US currency. If you need change, chances are, you'll get your change in CD, so I'd take along some smaller bills.

 

We always use our credit cards (as much as possible) when we're on the island. We've never had any funny fees or anything like that.

 

Once you get off the ship, you'll see the cab line. The cabs are white (at least the ones I've seen) and are more van-bus-type. You should have no problem getting a cab back to the port area. If you go to Sea Grape, allow a little extra time since the road in that direction tends to get snagged up a bit.

[gazingm42]

We used a taxi for $5 to the Marriott. We made hotel reservations ahead of

time for a day rate. Thus we had access to the pool and the beach which

was VERY nice. We had the beach nearly to ourselves for the day.

 

 

 

It was one of our best trips to Cayman Island!

 

Here a nice pic of the beach taken while at the Marriott.

 

[Beats]

gazingm42 -

 

That's a nice pic.Can you tell me what the rate was for the day and do I need to reserve it and what it includes? We will be there in 3 weeks.

 

Thanks

[Sunnymom02]

I am assuming it is on seven mile beach? Also, how do you go about doing this. Do they have a website? And would a day rate (renting a day room) count for 4 people? Thanks.

[twinkletoes4445]

We stay at the condos that are next to the Marriott. It is a great location. All the places mentioned are on 7MB. It's really the only beach area (where there are facilities) other than Rum Point (and RP is a 45 minute drive each way).

 

Many of the hotels do sell day passes. I think the Hyatt also sells them. I do remember reading that the Hyatt only takes cash for their passes. I think a lot depends on how many ships are in port and how full the hotels are. The place we stay doesn't allow any cruise ship passengers to use the facilities, even the loungers. You might try the Marriott. There's two-the Marriott Beach and the Courtyard Marriott. The Courtyard Marriott is not on the water (the hotel), and their beach is next to Sea Grape. You could also try the Hyatt or the Westin Casuarina. I believe I've read that the Comfort Suites also offers a day pass and right across the street from them is Coconut Joe's (our favorite GC restaurant).

 

But all of 7MB is public. You can walk up and down and plop your towel wherever you want. I think it's the high tide mark (possibly) where the line is drawn.

 

I'd just google these places and find their numbers and call them. Make sure and ask them exactly what you get for your money. A lot of times the $20 per person (or whatever it is) includes the use of a chair and one drink. A lot of people go to Sea Grape and Royal Palms because you only pay for what you are going to use. But the hotels also have pools, and a lot of people like that idea.

 

I've also read that some of the hotels will sell you a pass that includes the use of a room for the day (for changing, etc.).

 

The only place I've not read many good things about it The Beach Club Colony. I'd never stay there. From what I've read, they'll sell day passes to anyone and everyone. The hotels will only sell so many so the place won't be totally packed.

 

Have a great time! We love Grand Cayman. :)

 

I just happened to find a list of the hotels...and here's some numbers.

 

Comfort Suites-1-800-517-4000

Westin Casuarina Resort-1-877-786-1110

Hyatt Regency-1-800-233-1234

Marriott (the one on the water)-1-800-228-9290

 

There's also a new Ritz. It's near Sea Grape and the Courtyard Marriott (in that direction).

[gazingm42]

As the other poster said several hotels do this.

 

This is part of 7MB.

 

I called just 2 days before we left at the end of May 07. I am a frequent

stayer of Marriott. So I called them and got a day rate around 90.00 USD

which is less than 50% of normal rates.

 

You are assign a room and a full use of the hotel.

 

Here a pic taken of the hotel while standing out in the water.

 

[spearmint]

Thanks, everyone for the photos and for the information. I will use it to call down and see what I can find out. :)

[Sunnymom02]

Is that $90.00 per person? Or is it for 2? We have 4 of us in our group, but we all could share one room? Any info would be great. Also, is the food there reasonable? Thanks

[twinkletoes4445]

Also, is the food there reasonable? Thanks

 

I don't think any of the food or drink in Grand Cayman is reasonable. Things are pretty pricey there...but we sure do love the island. We walked over to the outside bar area (it's covered part just behind the red umbrellas) several times a day and it seems like we were spending $$$ for drinks. But it's that way everywhere on the island, at least the places we've been to.

[gazingm42]

Is that $90.00 per person? Or is it for 2? We have 4 of us in our group, but we all could share one room? Any info would be great. Also, is the food there reasonable? Thanks

 

That was 90.00 + tax for the 4 of us. We have 2 adults and 2 kids 8 and 10.

 

They had a snack bar and the like. We did not take the time to get a really

dinner as we figure we would eat on the ship at 3:30 or so.

[Sunnymom02]

So I am assuming, you need to call ahead and make a reservation? Also, do you know if they had parasailing near by. Thanks again so much. Trying to decide what to do in Cayman. Have been there twice. We did the tour of the town first and then the second time, we did the stingray thing.:D

[gazingm42]

So I am assuming, you need to call ahead and make a reservation? Also, do you know if they had parasailing near by. Thanks again so much. Trying to decide what to do in Cayman. Have been there twice. We did the tour of the town first and then the second time, we did the stingray thing.:D

 

I would make reservation ahead of time. Thus you can get a booking number

and a rate to pay.

 

We did jetskiing at the hotel itself.

 

I think they had kayaks as well. I thought I remember seeing parasaling several

hotels down. Which you can easily walk down to. It may make a difference

the time of year, with wind speed/direction etc.

[twinkletoes4445]

So I am assuming, you need to call ahead and make a reservation? Also, do you know if they had parasailing near by. Thanks again so much. Trying to decide what to do in Cayman. Have been there twice. We did the tour of the town first and then the second time, we did the stingray thing.:D

 

I'd call ahead, if it were me. Depending on the day, there could be quite a few ships in port and the place becomes a total zoo. So I'd have my reservations in hand. :)

 

Red Sail operates out of several of the hotels. Here's their website. We've rented waverunners from their location at the Marriott Beach Resort.

 

http://www.redsailcayman.com/gc_index.html

 

Here's the Cayman Port Authority website. You can check the calendar and see how many ships will be in port the day you are.

 

http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm

[bookbabe]

The only place I've not read many good things about it The Beach Club Colony. I'd never stay there. From what I've read, they'll sell day passes to anyone and everyone. The hotels will only sell so many so the place won't be totally packed.

 

My DH and I stayed at the Beach Club Colony for an extra-long weekend over Easter one year. That was pre-Ivan, but I don't imagine that it's changed that much. It had its pros and cons.

 

Pros - rooms RIGHT on the beach...like, walk out your sliding doors and step directly onto the beautiful white sand of Seven Mile. My DH loved that. The rooms were basic, but nice...and you couldn't beat the view. It was also an all-inclusive package, so we didn't have to worry about the expense of meals, and it was usually buffet-style, so you could eat your fill. Location is good, close to everything, nice area.

 

Cons - Food quality was average to mediocre. Amenities were average and fairly basic (motel level rather than "resort" level). And then there was the biggest "con" - the cruise ship visitors.

 

A couple of days a week, the Beach Club Colony seems to play host to a variety of cruise ship beach excursions (that type you book through the ship when you don't know any better). :eek: And there didn't seem to be a limit of how many people they admitted. The hotel did rope off a section of beach and chairs to reserve them for hotel guests, but it was still a bit of a mob scene. The tours we saw also included the buffet lunch, which made it so crowded there that we ended up going elsewhere for that meal. The tours are only there for a few hours, but it was still the low-light of our trip.

 

Would I stay at Beach Club Colony again? Possibly, if there weren't going to be any cruise ships in during that stretch (ie. weekend). It was a nice enough hotel, and a good deal for the money overall. The only major negative was the cruise ship tours, which turned the place into a madhouse.

 

And for what the cruise ship visitors got for their money, they would have been wiser to go to one of the other stretches of beach along Seven Mile and purchase food and amenities individually. You'd have a better time and get a better deal at Sea Grape or Royal Palms...or, if you want a package that includes chairs and stuff, go with a day pass at one of the other hotels and then just buy your meal separately. There's just too many people to really enjoy yourself at the Beach Club Colony if it's also the destination for everyone else on the ship... :)

[twinkletoes4445]

 

Pros - rooms RIGHT on the beach...like, walk out your sliding doors and step directly onto the beautiful white sand of Seven Mile. My DH loved that. The rooms were basic, but nice...and you couldn't beat the view. It was also an all-inclusive package, so we didn't have to worry about the expense of meals, and it was usually buffet-style, so you could eat your fill. Location is good, close to everything, nice area.

 

Cons - Food quality was average to mediocre. Amenities were average and fairly basic (motel level rather than "resort" level). And then there was the biggest "con" - the cruise ship visitors.

 

You'd have a better time and get a better deal at Sea Grape or Royal Palms...or, if you want a package that includes chairs and stuff, go with a day pass at one of the other hotels and then just buy your meal separately. There's just too many people to really enjoy yourself at the Beach Club Colony if it's also the destination for everyone else on the ship... :)

 

That's interesting to know about BCC. We always stay at Regal Beach Club (the condo is owned by someone rather than a timeshare). They don't allow anyone who's not staying in the hotel to use the facility, which we like. It's not cheap, so we appreciate this. We also like the idea of walking right out our door to the pool and beach and not have to worry about it being crowded or not being able to get a chair. It's quiet enough that we can sit and and read, which we like to do. We also like being right next to the Marriott, because the Marriott has a Red Sail in the hotel. We also found it extremely convenient to walk over to the Marriott's outside bar, grab a drink and walk back to our lounge chairs.

 

But this place isn't an all-inclusive, however, we do have a kitchen but we really don't do any cooking. The most we do is have pizza delivered or eat a breakfast or two in. We really like trying all the different restaurants, so we'd probably never do an all-inclusive on GC (and there's really not many, maybe 2 or 3).

 

It is expensive to eat and drink in GC. One time we had our three kids with us, and we were spending $600+ per day for food and we didn't eat anywhere fancy.

 

If I were to ever visit GC on a cruise ship, I'd probably try and do the day pass thing at one of the hotels. Sea Grape and Royal Palms looks nice, but if there are a lot of ships in port, they tend to be packed.

 

There have been times when there were 10 ships in port. On those days we jumped into our car and headed to the other side of the island.

[travgurl]

I just want a place where we can enjoy the beach for the day, like in Costa Maya (where we can get something to eat and have bathrooms to use and perhaps shops in the area). I do not need a hotel room to use. So, where do you recommend that we go, if there is such an area on Seven Mile Beach?

[twinkletoes4445]

I just want a place where we can enjoy the beach for the day, like in Costa Maya (where we can get something to eat and have bathrooms to use and perhaps shops in the area). I do not need a hotel room to use. So, where do you recommend that we go, if there is such an area on Seven Mile Beach?

 

You could go to Sea Grape or Royal Palms. Both places are on the 7MB stretch and they both offer chairs (I think you have to rent these), food, restrooms, and water toy rental. You pay for what you use. I don't know if either has a gift shop.

 

Royal Palms is closer to the port area than Sea Grape (SG is across from the Courtyard Marriott-which is just past the Ritz).

 

I posted the link to Royal Palms (the restaurant there is called The Reef Grill) earlier on this thread. :)

[travgurl]

We will check the Sea Grape or Royal Palms to spend the day at.

Thanks for the information.

[twinkletoes4445]

We will check the Sea Grape or Royal Palms to spend the day at.

Thanks for the information.

 

Have a good time! :)

 

I meant to mention that all the prices on the website are listed in Cayman Dollars. You can use USD but they'll most likely give you CD as change. A couple of times when they tried to do this, I just asked for USD as change and many times they did give me the change in USD, but it seemed like I had to ask. We usually use credit cards as much as we can when we're there. We've never had any funny fees or anything like that. If you have food or drinks while you are there, they will most likely add the tip on the bill prior to giving it to you. Make sure and look for this. The first time we were there, we double-tipped. You can also ask them what the bill will be in USD and they'll write it on the ticket for you.

[cruise_crazy68]

That's interesting to know about BCC. We always stay at Regal Beach Club (the condo is owned by someone rather than a timeshare). They don't allow anyone who's not staying in the hotel to use the facility, which we like. It's not cheap, so we appreciate this. We also like the idea of walking right out our door to the pool and beach and not have to worry about it being crowded or not being able to get a chair. It's quiet enough that we can sit and and read, which we like to do. We also like being right next to the Marriott, because the Marriott has a Red Sail in the hotel. We also found it extremely convenient to walk over to the Marriott's outside bar, grab a drink and walk back to our lounge chairs.

 

But this place isn't an all-inclusive, however, we do have a kitchen but we really don't do any cooking. The most we do is have pizza delivered or eat a breakfast or two in. We really like trying all the different restaurants, so we'd probably never do an all-inclusive on GC (and there's really not many, maybe 2 or 3).

 

It is expensive to eat and drink in GC. One time we had our three kids with us, and we were spending $600+ per day for food and we didn't eat anywhere fancy.

 

If I were to ever visit GC on a cruise ship, I'd probably try and do the day pass thing at one of the hotels. Sea Grape and Royal Palms looks nice, but if there are a lot of ships in port, they tend to be packed.

 

There have been times when there were 10 ships in port. On those days we jumped into our car and headed to the other side of the island.

 

 

Twinkle would you please email me about staying at a condo in GC we were there last week and DH said he would love to do this. ssdetmer@gmail.com

 

Maybe you can point me in the right direction.

 

Thanks!!!

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkle would you please email me about staying at a condo in GC we were there last week and DH said he would love to do this. ssdetmer@gmail.com

 

Maybe you can point me in the right direction.

 

Thanks!!!

 

I'll do that. :)

[cruise_crazy68]

We used a taxi for $5 to the Marriott. We made hotel reservations ahead of

time for a day rate. Thus we had access to the pool and the beach which

was VERY nice. We had the beach nearly to ourselves for the day.

 

 

 

It was one of our best trips to Cayman Island!

 

Here a nice pic of the beach taken while at the Marriott.

 

 

 

What number did you call to make the day rate reservation? I called the 800 number and they dont know anything about doing the day rates.