The first week of November Trish and I went to Grand Cayman. It is a relatively easy trip from Denver through Houston all in one day. On arrival there is curbside taxi service directly to the hotel that is easy and organized. We stayed at the Grand Cayman Resorts. It is a nice hotel and our room had a lovely view of the parking lot. We were only in the room at night so that did not bother us and it was not noisy. For comparison, I stayed at Sunset House in 2010 which was less expensive but more basic accommodations. The bar is better at Sunset House than at Grand Cayman Resorts.
As anyone who has been to Grand Cayman knows, the place is expensive. It is the same as going to a major ski resort. We ate dinner at the hotel one night and then went to outside restaurants the rest of the time. The big blow out was at the Ritz Carlton. It was worth the money, not to mention the smile on Trish’s face. In my opinion one of the best meals was also at the pool side restaurant at the Sunshine Suites across the street from the hotel. The fish tacos were great. One thing I can say is that even though the food is expensive, the servings are very generous. Most of the time Trish and I could have split a meal and be completely full.
I had never been to the Caribbean at this time of year. Usually I travel during July and August. The weather was amazingly pleasant. The humidity was minimal. In fact, the air felt neither warm nor cool. It was perfect.
We used Red Sail Sports for diving. We booked a package before we left and thus got a little bit of a discount. They have twin hulled flattops that come to the beach in front of the hotel for pickup. There is a dive shack at the hotel for reservations and gear storage. We were in shoulder season so the boat was not crowded. The dive masters and crew were very nice. Almost all the diving was done on the west side along 7 mile beach. We made one dive on the north side. However, the wind was blowing hard with 6 foot swells. I am glad that I always take dramamine. Half the people on the boat were hurling off the side. It was way too rough to have any fun and we turned back after one dive. In all we did 13 dives including the Kittewake and a night dive. The first dive of the day was between 90-100 feet. Depending on the depth the dives lasted 32 to 57 minutes. The water was comfortably warm but the visibility was only so-so, particularly on the Kittewake. I would go back just because it is such a pleasant island. Trish really enjoyed it.
One extra note. Just as we were leaving, Pirates Week was starting. It looked entertaining. I was walking out of a market and there was a drunk chick hugging a pirate statue while her friends took pictures. I am sure that the locals can’t wait for the week to end.