Nutrition

Spring Break in Grand Cayman on the Island’s East End

April 16, 2024

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Inside: Looking for a calming trip in a stunning locale? We spent spring break in Grand Cayman on the East End with our teen. Here’s our day-to-day itinerary.

Years in the past, my husband and I vowed to take a household trip yearly to construct recollections with our children.

After a few journeys that have been enjoyable however extra adventurous than stress-free (learn Our Spring Break in San Francisco and One Amazing Week in Costa Rica With Teens), I used to be able to press the straightforward button.

I didn’t know a lot concerning the Cayman Islands (I needed to look on a map to determine the place they have been!), however a buddy of mine not too long ago vacationed there and had good issues to say.

The Cayman Islands are situated within the Caribbean Sea. They’re simply south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is the most important of the three islands, nevertheless it’s solely 22 miles lengthy.

Though the most well-liked space in Grand Cayman is Seven Mile Beach, recognized to be one of many prettiest and most pristine seashores on the earth, we stayed on the other aspect of the island, known as the East End. During my analysis, I ran throughout this weblog submit from Our Sweet Adventures and was satisfied that this quieter, much less crowded aspect of the island was a greater match for us.

I used to be proper. Though it was an extended drive from the airport and farther from a number of the large sights, the East End was far more our pace and an excellent place for a very stress-free trip.

If you want inspiration for a brand new trip vacation spot, listed here are extra particulars about our journey, together with our day-to-day itinerary:

View from a ground-floor condo at the Wyndham Reef in Grand Cayman's East End — The view from the again door of our rental.

DAY ONE

Arrived in Grand Cayman early afternoon. Walked throughout the road to Alamo and picked up our rental automotive.
Drove 40 minutes to the Wyndham Reef Resort, stopping on the small grocery retailer throughout the road from the resort to choose up gadgets like sunscreen and snacks.
Checked in to the resort, and talked to the parents on the concierge desk about potential outings. Also grabbed a calendar of resort occasions.
Picked up our snorkel gear, which is a free rental with the all-inclusive bundle (which we did).
Settled in to our room. We had a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, ground-level rental. The bed room had a king-size mattress, and there have been two single beds in the lounge that pulled down from the wall. The rental had a full kitchen as nicely.
Explored the resort a bit, had dinner, and went to mattress.

Woman on chaise lounge holding a pink drink in Grand Cayman — I needed a calming spring break, and that’s what we bought!

DAY TWO

Had the breakfast buffet, and spent the morning snorkeling. Grand Cayman is understood for its snorkeling spots and unimaginable dive websites. And although there are far more strong areas on the island for snorkeling, we have been proud of our seaside. We may go in proper on the shore and noticed loads of fish, particularly across the two piers on and close to the resort.
Ate lunch on the seaside bar.
Drove to George’s Watersports for the Bioluminescent Bay Night Snorkeling Tour. This was my one planning misstep. It was an extended (and bushy–15 roundabouts every method!) drive from the resort. Though it was cool to snorkel at the hours of darkness and see the bioluminescent plankton mild up as we moved, we have been upset within the tour guides, who largely spent the boat experience flirting with a pair of younger girls on the tour!
Got again dwelling after the resort restaurant was closed, so we made peanut butter sandwiches in our rental for dinner and went to mattress.

Charcuterie Board at the Wyndham Reef Resort in Grand Cayman — The charcuterie board on the resort’s seaside bar.

DAY THREE

Had the breakfast buffet–I ate frivolously as a result of I went to water aerobics on the pool afterwards!
Snorkeled within the morning, ate lunch on the seaside bar, then headed to Cayman Crystal Caves, which was a really brief drive from the resort. We favored this guided strolling tour via a number of caves that have been fashioned over hundreds of thousands of years. My teen particularly loved this outing.
Ate dinner on the resort restaurant and went to mattress.

Cayman Crystal Caves in Grand Cayman East End — Cayman Crystal Caves

DAY FOUR

I attended yoga by the pool whereas the fellows slept in.
Ate breakfast on the buffet, then drove to Starfish Point, about half-hour away. We thought this is likely to be an excellent snorkeling spot, nevertheless it wasn’t. Instead, we checked out the starfish that dotted the sand within the clear water. This is a extra crowded spot, and there have been a number of tour boats there. I used to be comfortable we may drive there ourselves and see it free of charge.
Ate lunch on the seaside bar.
Snorkeled on the resort.
Drove again to Starfish Point to observe the sundown. If you’re staying on the East End, this was an excellent spot for the sundown.
Had a late dinner on the resort, did some stargazing, then went to mattress.

Boy holding a starfish at Star Fish Point in Grand Cayman — Getting in contact with sea life at Starfish Point

DAY FIVE

Watched the dawn from the resort dock then learn on the seaside for 2 hours (heaven!)
Had the breakfast buffet, snorkeled, and ate lunch on the seaside bar
Drove to Spott’s Beach. Along the best way, we made pit stops on the Wreck of the ten Sails Memorial and the Blow Holes (the Blow Holes have been a favourite!).
Snorkeled at Spott’s Beach. I had learn this was one of many widespread spots for snorkeling, however the water was too deep and uneven for me. My husband and teenage stayed in and ended up seeing three sea turtles.
Ate dinner on the resort.

Blow Holes on the East End of Grand Cayman — The Blow Holes on the East End have been well worth the pitstop!

DAY SIX

Ate breakfast on the buffet, checked out, and left for dwelling.

What we favored concerning the resort

Staying at an all-inclusive resort has its professionals and cons. If you’re in search of a calming place the place you possibly can merely present up and have every thing taken care of, it’s excellent. If you like to attempt totally different eating places and have a extra personal expertise total, you’re higher off at a resort or Airbnb.

This is what we favored concerning the Wyndham Reef Resort:

Our rental felt spacious, and every one has an ocean view. If you go, ask for a rental away from the seaside bar, which tends to get noisy particularly within the night.
You can snorkel proper from the shore (you received’t see as a lot selection as you’d at a number of the widespread snorkel spots or on a snorkel tour, nevertheless it was high-quality for us).
There was ample shade. This was necessary for me. There have been loads of umbrellas, in addition to palm bushes that offered shade.
The meals was good. I cherished the contemporary fruit and in a single day oats at breakfast (the primary time I’ve really loved in a single day oats!). My husband and teenage thought the wings on the seaside bar have been a number of the greatest they’d had. We ordered the mahi mahi a number of nights for dinner. And my son and I ate key lime pie each night time for dessert.
The seaside was steps away from our room. It was simple to travel from the seaside to the rental all through the day. We had learn that the seagrass may get heavy on the Grand Cayman East End seaside, nevertheless it wasn’t dangerous and didn’t trouble us in any respect.
It felt small and informal. The buildings have been solely two tales excessive. And whereas it was beautiful, it didn’t really feel fussy or fancy. Some folks have been dressed up at dinner, however we felt simply high-quality in our shorts and Birkenstocks.

View from the beach bar at the Wyndham Reef Resort in Grand Cayman — The view from a seat on the seaside bar.

What we didn’t like:

Because it’s a small resort, the seaside space is true in entrance of the swimming pools, which may get loud with youngsters taking part in.
The seaside bar may get noisy with nighttime actions like karaoke and theme dinners, which we didn’t do. But it was quiet in our rental, which was a distance away.

The beach at the Wyndham Reef Resort in Grand Cayman — The seaside on the Wyndham Reef Resort

What I’d do subsequent time

We needed to spend extra time stress-free than driving round, so we didn’t hit every thing we needed to see. Here are a number of the spots I’d wish to go if I return sometime:

Cayman Parrot Sanctuary: Located on the East End, and a four-minute drive from the resort.
Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Garden: This is situated on the East End, about quarter-hour away from the resort.
Stingray City: A sandbar the place you possibly can stand up shut and private with stingrays. This is farther off shore and requires a ship experience.
Cayman Turtle Centre: This is situated on the west aspect, which was longer drive from the resort.
Hell: It’s a cool geological website on the island of black limestone and is free to go to. I actually needed to go to the submit workplace there and ship a postcard from Hell!
Snorkel tour: The Wyndham has a dive store known as Ocean Frontiers and charters excursions to shipwrecks and reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Woman walking in the Grand Cayman's East End — The East End was much less crowded and fewer developed, which we favored.

Helpful issues to convey

Cover-ups, together with swim shirts (each lengthy and brief sleeve). The solar is intense!
Water sneakers. The ground of the ocean off the shore will be rocky, and water sneakers are a lifesaver. I really wore them in lieu of flippers whereas snorkeling (my husband and teenage most well-liked flippers). These are those I bought for everybody.
Hats and sun shades
Closed toed sneakers to discover the caves
Sweatshirt or mild jacket for evenings. The evenings bought cool with the breeze, and I want I’d packed multiple long-sleeved prime.
Reusable bag. I packed the one proven within the picture above to make use of for procuring and as a seaside bag.
Waterproof cellphone case. Not a necessity, however we used this for taking photos underwater and to guard the cellphone through the boat experience to the bay.
Some money for tipping, particularly tour guides.

The view of the sunset at Star Fish Point in Grand Cayman — Going to see the sundown at Starfish Point

Q&A about spring break in Grand Cayman

What is the forex?

They settle for US Dollars and Cayman Island Dollars, so we didn’t convert any of our cash. Keep in thoughts that in the event you pay money in US Dollars, you might get Cayman Island Dollars again in change. When we paid for issues, we largely used our bank card.

What airport do you fly into?

You’ll arrive in Grand Cayman on the Owen Roberts International Airport. If you wish to go to the opposite two islands, you’ll must take one other brief flight.

What is the very best time to go to Grand Cayman?

The Caymans keep fairly heat year-round. The hottest time to go to is March-June. The summer season months and fall are typically probably the most reasonably priced, based on the vacationer bureau.

Overlooking the Wreck of the Ten Sails Memorial in Grand Cayman's East End — The water’s many blue hues have been stunning!

Is Grand Cayman secure?

We felt very secure in Grand Cayman. Unlike in Costa Rica, we weren’t given any warnings about leaving our rental automotive or belongings unattended. We didn’t have unfavorable experiences anyplace. As of this writing (Spring 2024), the US Department of State doesn’t have any advisories or cautions in opposition to touring to the Caymans.

What time zone is Grand Cayman in?

The Caymans are on Eastern Standard Time however don’t observe daylight financial savings time. So after we have been there in April, it was an hour sooner than our dwelling state of Ohio, which is on EST as nicely.

Do we’d like passports?

Yes. The Caymans are a British Overseas Territory. So except you’re a British citizen, you’ll need a passport to journey there.

What was the driving like?

In Grand Cayman, they drive on the left aspect of the street. Our rental automotive’s steering wheel was on the other aspect as nicely. My husband did all of the driving (I plan the journey, and he drives!). He’s a assured driver and did high-quality. But personally, simply the concept of doing roundabouts on the opposite aspect of the street makes my head spin! The roads have been emptier and simpler to navigate on the East End.

What language do they converse within the Caymans?

According to the Cayman Islands Tourist Bureau they converse a “British form of English”, however every district has a singular dialect. We had no bother speaking with anybody.