mikeerdas

Anyone here been to Inishmore?

2 hours ago, irisheileen said:

I have been on the ferry out of Doolin specifically to Inishere and on the return trip took the water view of the Cliffs of Moher. I have not been to inishmore but my strong suspicion is that you would not be able to see the Cliffs of Moher except in the far distance so I'm sorry to disappoint but I cannot see how that would be possible.

Thanks Irish Eileen. I've been to the Cliffs of Moher myself; not been to Inishmore. Taking the family to Ireland for the first time. Our itinerary is a bit aggressive and I was looking to cut out a visit to the Cliffs of Moher because they're a bit out of the way from our main route.

Some say if you see the cliffs of Inishmore, then you can safely give the Cliffs of Moher a miss. What do people think?

Can anyone recommend a pub and/or restaurant on the Aran Island Inishmore? Also, can anyone recommend a good tour once on Inishmore and what are the going prices? We are driving directly to the ferry, and so won't be departing from Galway by bus. Around the web, I've seen Flaherty Tours recommended. But the tour operator's web site is currently suspended.

Some reviews of Aran Island Ferries mention being able to see the Cliffs of Moher. I plan on taking the ferry from Rossaveal to Inishmore. Can you see the Cliffs of Moher on this route, or might people be confusing things with ferries to Inishmore out of Doolin?

Chicken Chicken is right on SMB road; fire roasted chicken or jerk chicken with sides for about 10 bucks; not fancy but good for the price; Sunshine Grill is in the Sunshine Suites hotel just past the Ritz Carlton on the right; open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; good burgers, sandwiches salads etc. for a decent price. Known for their fish tacos but I know you said you are not a seafood person. Neither have any atmosphere if that is what you are looking for.

Thanks TG.

Calico Jacks is on the beach...burgers, sandwiches, etc.....Lots use it because it's convenient to the beach and water sport rentals....the food's fine...but it's not worth a special trip just to eat there, IMO!

Thanks CB. Wasn't expecting anything spectacular out of CJ's; just something convenient (walking distance from the Kimpton Seafire Resort) and affordable (relatively speaking for Grand Cayman). :-)

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.

I've gotten good results here, but thanks for the TripAdvisor link. I'll check it out. Yep, taxi from the airport seems like the best choice for me personally.

Thanks for all the great restaurant recommendations! :-)

Close to the Kimpton is Duke’s, one of my favourites for seafood and BBQ. http://www.dukescayman.com

 

Further along SMB, Craft (pub) has great burgers and delicious beer-battered cheese bites. http://craftcayman.com

 

There’s tons of sushi places, but our favourite is Thai Orchid. If you’re not into sushi, their Thai food is great, especially the Pad Woonsun (sp?). http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/restaurants_detail.asp?restaurantID=97

 

For Mexican, we like Bandidos, which used to have another name and wasn’t fabulous but is much better under the new name, and Casa 43. http://bandidos.ky https://www.casa43.ky

 

For pizza, it’s Brooklyn at Camana Bay for us every time. http://thebrooklyncayman.com

 

There’s tons and tons of good restaurants. Prices are generally a little higher than you’re likely used to, but if you avoid the big hotels and the “fancy” places it’s not exorbitant.

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.

Thanks TB. It’s just two of us and we’ll be flying in. Decided on doing an overland holiday vs. a cruise this time.

Glad to hear Calico Jack’s is so close. Seems like a popular place among CCers.

That's great info, thanks bookbabe.

Ahh...

 

Taxi rate sheets are here:

http://www.gov.ky/portal/page/portal...0rate%20sheets

 

 

A taxi from the airport to Kimpton for up to three people is likely around $25 US.

 

 

Not bad at all.

 

As for restaurants within walking distance as per your other thread, that’s tougher from the Kimpton, but really depends on your definition of “walking distance” - use google maps to figure out distances, and there’s even a “by foot” option that will tell you how long the walk will take.

 

There are buses along the SMB corridor, so if you walked over to Public Beach you could easily catch one there that would take you along that road to all of the various restaurants and shops. Bus is $2.50 pp.

Great! Thanks again. I'm probably willing to walk 25 minutes or so to get to a restaurant. Anyone got any favorites in that area? My wife likes seafood and sushi but I don't like seafood of any kind. Neither do I have expensive tastes--prefer good casual food, and am always on a quest for the perfect pizza or burger.

Thanks bookbabe.

One good place to start is this website.

http://www.caymangoodtaste.com

 

The Kimpton is more-or-less on Seven Mile Beach, and a taxi from there to downtown George Town or the points between along SMB shouldn’t be expensive at all.

 

The menus for the Kimpton’s restaurants are on their website.

http://www.seafireresortandspa.com/grand-cayman-restaurants/

Thanks bookbabe. Will check out taxi fares. I rented a car once in Ireland for a week and never got used to it—told myself never again.

My stay at the Kimpton is free using hotel points. Flights are free via frequent flyer miles. So I’m still very much on a budget. :-)

My main concern is lack of affordable restaurants within walking distance from the hotel.

I’ve never seen a public bus picking up at the airport.

 

Take the taxi, it’s easy and not that expensive, especially if you can afford to stay at the Kimpton. :-)

 

Rates are fixed, and vary depending on the number of passengers. The taxi stand at the airport can tell you the fare before you commit to a taxi.

 

Driving on the left is very easy IMO and most people get used to it very quickly.

Does anyone have photos or links to menus from the restaurants at the Kimpton Seafire Resort and Calico Jack's? Considering an overland trip to the Kimpton and it seems it's out of the way. Wanting to know what I'm getting into food wise. I won't have a rental car because I can't easily drive on the left side of the road. Assuming taxis are expensive as well. Or are they? Can anyone suggest restaurants not far from the Kimpton? And if so, do you have images of, or links to, menus. Hoping for more than just seafood as I'm not a seafood person.

I'm planning an overland trip to Grand Cayman. Can I take a public bus from the airport to or near the Kimpton Seafire Resort? I won't have much luggage. I hear it's about a 15 to 20 minute ride. If not, approximately how much would a taxi cost and are the rides fixed or metered?

Considered renting a car, as the Kimpton Seafire has free valet parking, but I can't get the hang of driving on the left side of the road.

I'm so sorry you were unable to get the flat rate boxes at your post office. We have two post offices in town and they don't always have all sizes but at least know what the boxes are. Flat rate boxes go as priority mail. I am, though, happy to hear that your snorkel gear will be awaiting your arrival on Maui. Please let us know where you snorkel and how you like the locations. Have a great trip. Cherie

Thanks Cherie. Turns out we didn’t snorkel at all and mostly just enjoyed hanging out at our resort.

I had almost the same experience last week when we were there on a cruise. No rain, but the vendors and attendants were rude, pushy and sketchy.

Sorry to hear things haven’t improved and that you had a bad time. Glad the thread is still alive as a warning to others.

The weekend Bahamas cruises on RCL out of Canaveral (last year it was the Majesty, now the Enchantment of the Seas) is very popular with the Orlando and local crowd. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and you will be back in time for work on Monday morning!

 

I do not know about discounts however...we did the Majesty and always booked direct.

Do these tend to be Party Cruises? My wife and I prefer more sedate cruises; but then you've got a quieter scene typically on 7+ night sailings--so there's the rub.

Thanks to all.

Thanks Carolyn.

Welcome to being a Florida resident!

 

There are really no 2 night cruises with the exception of the company that goes to the Bahamas. I think it's out of Palm Beach or around that area.

Very rarely will a cruise line have short cruises like this but it does happen after the ships come back from Europe or something else like this. We were able to go on NCL Getaway for 2 nights when the ship came back to Miami after being used for the Olympics down in South America a "hotel" for press and others. They had 2 days to fill and sold it last minute.

 

As far as last minute Fl resident discounts, the cruise lines tend to send out emails advertising those to people who have cruised with them in the past. They target you.

 

Disney announces when they have Fl resident discounts on their cruises but even with the discount, they are still pricey. Great cruise line, great job at taking care of adults but you absolutely pay for the Disney name

 

As far as being cheaper booking with the cruise lines or some other way, the last minute Fl resident specials are usually the same price either way because they are more "drop and go" fares or whatever that cruise line calls it.

Per cruise critic rules, we are prohibited from suggesting travel agents and other booking sites.

 

You can always use the find a cruise button at the top of the page and compare what you see there to what you can find dealing directly with the cruise lines. ;)

Thanks John. I recall it's against the rules to directly recommend specific agents or booking sites. My question is more of, for FL residents and for last minute cruises, is it cheaper to book direct with a cruise line or to go with a third party?

Just moved from NC to Orlando. What's the best way to find last minute / FL resident cruise discounts? Should I book directly with the cruise lines or are there entities that sell deeply discounted blocks of cabins close to set sail date?

Also wondering what I can expect in terms of getting last minute / FL cruises. Are they typically 2-4 night cruises? My wife's been looking and so far all she sees are 4 night cruises to the Bahamas for FL residents. We're looking for 2 night getaways.

Partly due to poor weather predictions in Kyoto and partly due to not wanting to exhaust me and my wife, we skipped Kyoto in favor of another night in Tokyo. I'm relieved in retrospect about the poor weather predictions, as Tokyo was plenty for the time we'd allotted. We'll be saving Kyoto for a future trip; one with multiple nights dedicated to Kyoto.

The flat rate boxes are available at post offices or can be ordered on line. Cherie

Hi Cherie,

So, I had bad luck at the post office. Either staff ignorance, my own ignorance, the circumstances, or some combination of these. When I asked for flat rate boxes, she said the largest was some "tiny" Priority Mail box. She may have been thinking "flats" versus "flat rate."

She did bring out a cardboard box large enough for all the gear to fit. But when I got to the counter, they said I'd need to ship it Priority Mail to arrive in time. That cost $60. Would only have been around $20 by the other method, but they said it would have taken up to 15 days from North Carolina.

More time than I have, so I went with Priority Mail and paid $60. It will arrive on Monday and I will arrive on Sat 9/30. Emailed the Kea Lani so they're expecting the package; they said it was no problem. Don't know how that would have compared with checking luggage; but I hate checking luggage in general; and don't need to be hauling all my snorkel gear around with me while I'm in Tokyo and Kyoto, prior to our arrival in Maui. :-)

I get to check a bag for free on the way home, so that's how I'll bring my gear back. Will definitely plan ahead next time. Thanks again to all for the assist.

Thanks cccole! I'd not heard of flat rate boxes. What an exceptionally low rate! Love your idea for packing a spare flat rate box for the snorkeling gear's journey home. :-)

I suggest a USPS large or extra large flat rate box. I ship from California to Maui and it takes about 3 days. You have a shipping number so you can track your shipment. I love USPS, NOT UPS, flat rate boxes. They have different types/shapes of boxes and I have never had a box lost. You will need to let the Kea Lani know the box is coming. Since Hawaii is part of the U.S.A. it is normal postage. Often UPS and Fed Ex charge extra for shipments to Hawaii, but not USPS. I think a large flat rate up to 70 lbs is about $12 and an ex large is about $17. Have fun snorkeling!!!! Cherie

p.s. pack a flat USPS flat rate box in your suit case so you can ship your equipment home from Hawaii. The post office in Kihei, near the Kea Lani, usually has these boxes but better to be safe than sorry. I would wrap the equipment in clothing.

Given that you are too late to use services such as Luggage Forward, etc., FedEx or similar seems about your only option at this point. You will have to check that out yourself, as only you know the shipping details. If you do use them, perhaps it would be best to have them hold it until you pick it up, as on occasion hotels have been known to lose packages shipped to them.

Thanks Silver. I'd never heard of Luggage Forward before. It's on me--I realize this is the 11th hour for doing such a thing; but thought I'd reach out anyway. Good reference for future trips if nothing else.