TravellingBritNY

You are right, the wall is way too far out and too deep for any snorkeler to see anything.

I am not going by Google maps, but by diving and snorkeling the two sites multiple times.  The mini-wall is far more dramatic further north, but there is a spirit of it at least at Eden Rock, which there is not at Sunset House.  The drop at Eden Rock is from about (guessing) 15 feet down to around 40 feet (think where Devil's Grotto is).  When I snorkeled it with friends the first time, my feeling was "ok, now my friends can get a bit of an idea what it's like to dive" because of what we could see from there.  You don't get that same effect at Sunset House, in my experience.

A lot of this echoes what others have said, so please take it as another set of data.  🙂

I actually think that the snorkeling off Eden Rock is better than at Sunset House in that there is more to see.  You actually get to see the "mini wall" there - at Sunset there are coral fingers before you get to the "big wall".  While you may get more boat traffic at Eden, most now that the area around there is full of snorkelers and will stay well away from it.

Both places have a dive operator on site that can give you a briefing as to the site and conditions.  I recommend taking advantage of that.  Even though you are close to shore, it is open water and you can get currents and other conditions that aren't obvious from just looking at the water.

Eden Rock is a much shorter walk than Sunset House, which can make a difference in the heat.

For the small stuff you don't want to leave on the shore (like a room key, credit card, a bit of cash), look into getting waterproof bags that you can take with you, attached to your wrist.  They're not that expensive, and gives you peace of mind.

The food at MyBar is (IMO) far better than at Paradise, but that is a matter of taste of course.

My suggestion? Do both.  Walk to Eden Rock and see what conditions are like, how many are in the water, etc.  Make the call whether to go in then or to walk to Sunset House.  Do lunch at MyBar.  They do have a lunch menu, but do bar snacks (including Indian appetizers - YUM!) pretty much all day.

Oh and get reef-friendly sunscreen and use it - the reefs will thank you!

@katjoeus, glad you had a good time - you seemed to really get into the spirit of what Public Beach is all about. Your impressions of the island mirrors mine.

Why don't you call the hotel and ask them directly?:)

Just to be clear - Royal Palms isn't a hotel at all - there are no overnight guests there. It is a Beach Club.

You can just show up, or you can make reservations ahead of time. If your needs as far as a cabana are specific, then booking ahead would be best, as if you just show up you may find they are all booked.

Day passes at hotels, especially in the high season are very rare and often not available at all, as the hotels are fully-booked.

If you just want the beach, get a taxi up to either Calico Jack's or Royal Palms, rent whatever chairs or umbrellas you need and have a nice relaxing beach day.

If you want to do other things, what sort of thing do you like to do?

They may play music in the bar itself, but the beach itself is quite music-free. I have never been bothered by the music there.

Calico Jack's is a "picnic tables in the sand" type of vibe. Very casual. Food is more bar food (whereas Royal Palms, the other option, is more upscale food and facilities). But the bathrooms are clean, and there are outdoor showers to rinse off the salt and sand.

I would allow 20 minutes for the taxi ride, maybe 30 to be in the safe side.

Well, there is no beach at Macabuca - I think it's formal title is "Macabuca Tiki Bar". There is a ladder (45 degree, not vertical) that lets you get into and out of the water to swim or snorkel. Turtle Reef which is there is very popular with the divers during the day and in the evening for night dives. The place has a good selection of food and drink, and a nice vibe.

I have snorkelled there quite a few times and usually see quite a bit of stuff close to shore - not many corals to speak of but lots of fish. The corals there are out at the mini wall and are in about 30 feet of water, which isn't an issue because the water is so clear.

Have fun!

Starfish point got affected quite badly with the Sargassum seaweed this year, as did Rum Point. Even though a lot of it has cleared, the decomposition caused the water to be brown. This is normally not the case at all - the waters are usually very clear there.

I'm not sure which snorkel spot they went to, but usually they are the ones by the barrier that splits the North Sound from the open sea - usually there are a decent number of fish there with plenty to see.

You can do this all with the bus - they will go from Seven Mile Beach up to Hell, and they run frequently.

With stops, you are probably looking at about half an hour to the beach from the cruise port, and maybe 20 minutes from SMB to Hell.

The slope can vary based on the flows of water, which changes. Sometimes you may have a small "step-down" at one part of the beach which is gone a week or two later. So aside from that I agree that just about any part of the beach is going to meet your needs.

If you want down-home Caribbean food, you could try Welly's Cool Spot (you will need to take a cab). It's no frills, with no view, but the food is really good - it's one of those places the locals will eat. You can get a full lunch for $15 US.

Here is a photo of their menu, to give you an idea: https://igx.4sqi.net/img/general/600x600/57353276_ectNtVyFoGqnxUATVWFrfeXScWqYkK4Jw8fnWujlHlE.jpg

Most of George Town is geared up for a combination of business folk and cruise visitors, so tends to be more upscale and/or touristy. You may not find what you want right there.

If you are willing to go a little further, take either the public bus or a taxi to Macabuca. They have several local dishes, and it's waterfront.

still very much in business. A friend of a friend is one of the bosses there.

So you are paying for a full night at a hotel but only using it for your few hours your are on island? Or do hotels give you a better rate if you're not staying overnight?

If you are looking for a beach, with chairs, umbrellas, maybe a beach cabana, full bar, varied menu, changing area, showers, washrooms, adult-only pool, then it's your only choice for Grand Cayman. Your only other option on Seven Mile Beach is Calico Jack's, which is a picnic tables in the sand type of place with showers, full bar and bar food.

The only down side is that when there are quite a few ships in, it can get crowded.

You are correct bookbabe - Dart owns the land that Calico Jacks is on and owns the Royal Palms. Calico Jack's will be closing and moving to Barkers, and Royal Palms will be closing to make way for a new hotel.

That will leave nothing on Seven Mile Beach for cruise visitors, so I really hope that something gets announced soon.

The problem is that what you are looking for (facilities, beach chairs/umbrellas, good food/drink, not crowded) is pretty much what many cruise ship visitors are looking for. Essentially, with the offerings getting fewer and fewer, I don't think that you are going to find that until something new opens up (and I have heard of no plans yet for anything). So which are you willing to compromise on?

Facilities, good food/drinks? Head for Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach

Crowding? Royal Palms or Calico Jack's

Beach chairs/umbrellas? Coccoloba by the Kimpton

I am really hoping that other options open up soon, before the peak season, because with Tiki Beach gone, and now Hemingways, the options are limited.

Opening an offshore bank account is far from trivial, as I found out when I needed one for my business on Cayman. It's not like you can just walk into a bank and open one, believe me.

There are some brands of rum that I can't easily get in the USA, so I make sure to add to my home rum collection with that. There are some marinades that I can't get either (had this amazing spicy mango marinade the other day). I love Pickapeppa sauce, and make sure I bring some home with me (go great with Jamaican Meat Patties). Spending a little time in a grocery store like Kirks market will often result in stuff that I can't get easily at home.

Rum cakes, though, I can get in my local store in Upstate New York, so they aren't the novelty that they once were for me. Rum cream, though, is a wholly different matter - far more difficult to get stateside.

Caymanite jewelry is something that isn't common and kind of unique to the island. It's not that expensive either.

Calico Jack's is right on the beach - their picnic tables are in the sand. A fun vibe.

Coccoloba is north of there, part of the Kimpton hotel, but right on the beach and open to the public. http://www.seafireresortandspa.com/grand-cayman-restaurants/coccoloba/

Royal Palms also has a full bar. https://royalpalmscayman.com/

Those are the main beach bar places on Seven Mile Beach.

Well, if you want better answers as you aren't coming in on a cruise ship may I suggest you ask on Cruise Critic's sister site, TripAdvisor? Yo may well get better answers from overnight guests there.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147364-i260-Cayman_Islands.html

In my experience coming from the airport you are limited to either a taxi or a rental car. If you aren't comfortable driving, then taxi is your only option.

You can get the public bus from the cruise port right up to the Kimpton - a lot cheaper than a taxi if it's just one or two of you.

Calico Jack's is right by the Kimpton - a very easy walk.

The information on the Caribya site is a tad misleading and pretty much echos what is said on other forums, which is not reality, unfortunately.

While the buses up along Seven Mile Beach to West Bay do run very frequently and are very easy, the bus service along the south shore and around to the North Side are spotty at the best of times and not to be relied upon if you need to get back to the port by a certain time.

My advice would be to use it freely to go to and from Seven Mile Beach, or to the Turtle Centre or Macabuca (i.e. North_, but not the other direction along the south shore or to the North Shore.

Calico Jack's and Public Beach are far more laid-back and casual than the Royal Palms. If booking ahead of time is important to you, then I think you have made the right decision. :-)

How about SCUBA diving? The most beautiful part of the island in my opinion is underwater. If not that then the submarine trip will give you a flavour of that.

Cayman has some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean - check out http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/ to see some of the offerings. Doing a nice lunch somewhere a bit exotic might be fun.

Where did you snorkel? There are quite a few places, each with their different characteristics. Eden Rock for an idea of the mini wall, Spotts Beach for sea turtles and so on. I could spend multiple days snorkelling and I don't think I would ever get to the "been there, done that" stage.

Not sure what age your little boy is, but there is a decent jumping rock there, too.