Caymans on your own.. Good idea?

[krdougan]

I have been to the Caymans several times. Will be traveling with wife and 2 daughters (12 and 14). Thinking about just buying our own snorkeling gear before we go and just renting a car while on the island. That way we can go wherever we want and snorkel or do whatever we want.

 

Anyone done anything like this? If so, any advice?

[Milhouse]

Have you considered using the public mini-buses instead of renting a car? (Though I love the flexibility of having your own wheels.) With four people though, it might be more practical to rent a car.

We did Grand Cayman on our own this past December; 2nd visit. Took the public minibus up along the 7 mile beach area instead of renting a car. Pretty happy with how it worked out since the buses were fairly frequent and inexpensive. The bus network seems to cover the perimeter of the island and we'd consider using it to explore the other side of island if/when we return.

[nlt46]

I agree with Milhouse about the minibus. Anytime I don't have to take pictures of the outside of the rental car... I like it better. You never can leave anything in a rental car as thugs will break in.

 

Nancy

[rhcpchika1]

We planned on renting a Jeep and geocaching the island for the day

[2-laner]

We planned on renting a Jeep and geocaching the island for the day

 

 

My sister likes geocaching. She located the one at the Botanical Garden. The other people on our tour had never heard of it and it started up quite a nice conversation about it.

[cinsu]

Be advised, Cayman is a British territory and as such they drive on the left side of the road. From what I have seen car rentals vary from left or right hand drive. The left side driving can be quite confusing at first and without prior experience and knowledge I would be very careful driving there. Other than that I did an excursion that involved driving my first time there and I have been back to visit outside of a cruise a couple times. This would be a great way to explore at your own pace!

 

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[cb at sea]

Yep...easy to do on your own...as are most islands, if you have info!!!! And, yes...the bus is a better bet than a car rental!

[LamenLaur]

We rented a Jeep when we were there in December and were incredibly happy doing such. It was so easy to get around the island and we could bounce around wherever we wanted.

 

If you go to the link in my signature, you can scroll to the day we were in Grand Cayman and also included is the itinerary that I made for us (including directions).

[KristyM79]

IMO, Grand Cayman is one of the best islands to navigate on your own. I have done a tour and on our own. This time, we just plan on doing a beach day.

[CDNJehn]

We rented a car from Cayman Auto Rentals (left hand drive) and spent the day touring the island. We loved it! There were 5 ships in port the day we were there and we were happy to head out on our own. We followed this driving tour ... http://www.frommers.com/destinations/grandcayman/2367024325.html ... which goes around the east side of the island and up to Rum Point. After lunch we headed back to Smith Cove for the afternoon. Beautiful! There is a gas station on the way back from Smith Cove to fill up before you return the car.

 

We didn't have any trouble with driving on the left side of the road, my boyfriend would just remind me anytime I pulled out onto the road, or turned. LEFT LEFT LEFT. :) Also there are very few roads to follow, so it was pretty hard to get lost. We just kept driving until we hit Rum Point essentially.

 

The Lighthouse Restaurant was closed when we got there, and Rum Point was quite busy ... we ended up having lunch at the Kaibo Beach Bar & Grill, just a minute down the road from Rum Point. http://www.kaibo.ky/ Very good.

 

There is also this driving tour, the goes towards the more "touristy" spots ... http://www.frommers.com/destinations/grandcayman/2367024325.html

[Colorado Kat]

Grand Cayman is a relatively small island - you can't get lost. I forget the orientation, so don't know whether to tell you north or south, etc. But coming from the cruise docks, go the opposite direction than 7 mile beach. There will be good snorkeling there. Look into Eden Rocks?

[citrusflorida]

Last week we walked to the Eden Rock Dive center. It is about a 10 min walk from the tender pier to the right. Very easy to find. Very nice people. We had our own snorkel gear, but did rent flippers for 5.00 each set. It was a great inexpensive excursion. My parents had a picnic table to sit on and watch us and take pictures of us. It was cool that we were snorkeling right in front of where the ships were anchored. Great photos of us with the hsips in the background! We shopped a bit and had a snack on the way back to the pier.