Renting Scooters in Grand Cayman

[jenrand]

Has anyone ever rented scooters in Grand Cayman. Is there a place near the pier to rent them. Thinking about renting them and driving to the beach. Anyone ever had any experience with this.

[Capt_BJ]

an absolutely wonderful way to find out how well the emergancy room functions . . .

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=101123

 

Organization I worked for finally banned renting 2 wheeled motor vehicles in the islands during port calls after the losses became so great they could no longer be ignored.

 

Even if you ride at home every day, in the islands you must contend with

 

- low power and questionable condition of equipment - often poor brakes

- driving on the other side of the road

- tourists stepping into the road and forgetting which way to look with traffic on the 'other side'

- lots of sand on the pavement

- other tourists with the same problems

 

even in Key West, not recommended . . . take a cab or rent 4 wheels . . . and come home in one piece more often

[brule]

We just returned from a cruise where two members of a string quartet rented a moped on one of the islands and the steering mechanism failed and one member had to leave the ship with a shoulder injury and the other injured her hand and had scrapes on her knees.:( Sounds like a dangerous past time especially when you do not know for sure whether or not the vehicle has been properly maintained. Sounds risky to me.

[sbnuggie]

Been riding motorcycles since I was 10 years old (dirt bikes), I'm now almost ......well thats not important but 40 is the new 30 right:rolleyes:..... anyway, 11 years ago during my wife and I's honeymoon we rented a scooter in Cozumel for a day. We hit a pot hole the size of the scooter, thankfully and not bragging here, it took all of my skill to keep it upright and us not crashing. I turned around and dropped the thing off. That was Cozumel where they drive on the right.

 

GC, where they drive on the left....ha! no way would I try to navigate a foreign country on a scooter that drives on the wrong side of the road. Just my humble opinion, too much risk.

 

Ask yourself, I don't know where you live, but would you rent a scooter and drive around the high traffic touristy area of where you live? If your gut and your initial reaction is "No way", that should answer your question plain and simple.

 

Search these boards, there is a public bus route that leads up 7 mile beach that is super cheap, use that. Don't worry, GC is VERY safe.

 

When wife and I were in GC I don't recall seeing any scooters, doesn't mean they were there, just don't remember seeing them.

[drew sailbum]

There are a few different spots for scooter rentals in George Town. One is at the shop next to the KFC on Shedden Road very close to the waterfront. Usually they have a few parked in front by KFC in the morning.

 

The roads are actually pretty well maintained with very few potholes. The stretch of West Bay Road that runs along Seven Mile Beach can be very busy. Look both ways and then look again - your natural instinct is to look in the wrong palce for oncoming traffic. Many major intersections are controlled by roundabout rather than traffic lights.

 

As to the other comments:

Remember, 9-1-1 is the emergency number in Cayman. Your cell phone will work to dial 9-1-1 even if you don't have international roaming. The ambulance crews are really nice. The hospital requires you to pay your bill before leaving the island. They do not accept insurance from other countries. ;)