Grand Cayman Travel Forum

We are traveling there via cruise ship in June and we are bringing the kids this trip, we wanted to know if the 7 mile beach is within walking distance from the ship port? And if not where is a good but not absolutely crowded beach for 3 kids? Thanks

It's not within walking distance but there is a bus you can get on to go there. You can catch it right on the first street you see when coming off the wharf. It's been a couple of years since I was there and I don't remember the price, but it was reasonable and takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the beach, which is really nice, by the way. The other very enjoyable experience and unique to the island is seeing the sting rays. If you go don't book it through the ship. Wait till you get to shore, there are smaller operators waiting to offer the same experience for less money.

I was at 7 Mile Beach just last week; non-cruise visit. No, it's not within walking distance, but a cab or local bus will get you there. At least one resort I know of, the Beach Club Colony, has agreements with several cruise lines to make its beachfront available for day outings. It can get crowded on the property, but the beach is long (actually, about 5-1/2 miles, not 7) and you can wander up and down. Never saw evidence of people being shooed away.

Consider one of the free public beaches, which are not likely to be crowded at all on weekdays. There's one between Harbour Heights and the well-known Calico Jack's. Father up, near West Bay, are Cemetery Beach (excellent snorkeling) and a short distance above that, West Bay Public Beach. If you get up that far (to the latter), you might as well try the beach at the Turtle Farm. It isn't the most sandy beach you've ever seen, but it's a beach, plus the Turtle Farm, if you want to pay the tariff. But the kids might like it.

Consult the Caymans tourist bureau, here, http://www.caymanislands.ky/, and study the material closely. Bear in mind that sometimes, as many as 10 cruisers may put in to George Town on a given day, meaning crowds regardless. Most cruise ships visit on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

No beach at the old turtle farm, which is no more. Looked like it got trashed by Ivan. Have dived it many times - it's all rock. Awesome diving though! Now there is Boatswain’s Beach across the street on the inland side. They're billing it as an adventure park and there's a new turtle farm inside. The price is kinda steep. $55 for the whole park but only $18 for the turtle farm. Looks like they've got a man made lagoon for swimming. We were too cheap to check it out and were too busy diving anyway! :>D

Right, the beach is rocky (as is common on many parts of Grand Cayman), one takes one's chances. But there are are some sandy patches there. The Turtle Farm provokes debate, and entry fees are very pricy. It's up to the visitor to make the final determination. Just commenting on what I saw.