Your favorite beach ?

[cmoglesby]

I know this has been posted before, but I need help deciding. It seems like the only two beaches talked about are at the Mariott and Royal Palms. Does anyone know of any others. Here is what I am looking for... short taxi ride to 7 mile, nice facilites, chairs, food/drink, sun and shade, uncrowded. I realize there will be a fee for this, and I realize I am describing the beach of everyones dreams, but on a beach 7 miles long, there has to be something close. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Matt & Caroline

DCL Magic 2000
DCL Magic 2001
RCI Voyager 2003
RCI Mariner 2004

[thaid]

I found the beach across from the mariott a bit crowded for my taste (22 apr 04). A "bucket of beer" (6 coors lights still in their 6-pack ring and without a bucket) was $30us.

Next time it's somewhere quieter for me!

[This message was edited by thaid on 05-04-04 at 06:23 PM.]

[Lauire]

Fee . . . no Fee on Seven Mile Beach! This beach is Public!!!
The best spot to cover everything you mentioned you are interested in is in front of the WESTIN.
Just walk right through the lobby onto a beatufil beach. Loungers, rentals, bar, snorkeling will all await you!
Awesome snorkeling will be directed to you buy the rental booth. The Governors Place is located one or 2 buldings north of Westin & a beautiful spot!
Across the street from the Westin has a great eatery. The 50's Diner . . . great pizza & lunch item for a reseaonable price for Caymans!
Enjoy!
Laurie

[cmoglesby]

Laurie, we hav heard great things about the beach in front of the Westin, but I contacted them and they said we can't rent their chairs. I know I am making a big deal out of chairs, but my wife is 5 months pregnant, and we can't just sit in the sand like we used to. Do you know of a way to get a chair at the Westin?

Matt & Caroline

DCL Magic 2000
DCL Magic 2001
RCI Voyager 2003
RCI Mariner 2004

[Lauire]

Matt & Caroline
Well . . . unless things have changed since 2002 Easter break . . . there were loungers stacked everywhere on this beach front(Westin).
When you called the hotel, they may have just said that cause they don't like to encourage a lot of cruisers to use their beach front.
Again . . . remember all of 7 mile is public . . . NO ONE can stop you from going on this area, & I know we were there at a very busy time & still there were amble amount of unused loungers.
My guess, you will be able to walk right on & lay down on a lounger, enjoy the view, & relax all day!!!!!!!!!! Now mind you we didn't announce our arrive . . . but rather strolled through & took our place on the beach as though we were there a millions times before. However, I would think our beach towels from the cruise ship would have been a give away, but no one said anything to us.
Don't forget to get a bite to eat across the street . . . the 50's Diner is called "Eats". Not much in style but good lunch food for a good price. Our group actually had pizza, sandwiches & soup!
Congrats on the baby . . . will this be your first?
Laurie

[cmoglesby]

Thanks [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] This is our first.
We are headed to Westin then. I won't forget about "Eats". We leave in just a matter of hours now!

Matt & Caroline

DCL Magic 2000
DCL Magic 2001
RCI Voyager 2003
RCI Mariner 2004

[babylene]

Lauire...many years ago (pre Westin hotel..I think it was being built at the time), our family spent Xmas vacation at the Hyatt. We took the kids to that diner (a long walk!!)for breakfast. They were known for the best breakfast in town. Memories!

[Lauire]

Fortunately, a short walk across the street from the Westin for Matt & Caroline. . .

I beleive this little "hole in the wall" is the best kept secret. With the prices of food on Cayman . . . you feel after eating here . . . you have $ left for one of those frozen drinks from the free standing bar on the sand of the Westin beach!

babylene, Thanks for sharing your memories!!! 2002 we also traveled to Caymans via cruise & our party of 8 wanted to do all different things that day (scuba dives, sting rays, turtle farm, etc) & with the help of this board I was able to bring our group all together after their "own" adventures" & we also meet @ "Eats" for lunch before relaxing the rest of the day on the beach!! memories. emeories . . .

Matt & Caroline . . . if you haven't already left, I should mention my sister ordered a sandwich right out on the beach at the Westin after we were there a couple of hours . . . she had worked up an additional appetite after her 5 dives that morning . . . so you can keep Caorline well fed w/out going too far!

Let us know how the day goes when you get back.
Enjoy!
Laurie

[Lauire]

bump . . . for Angela

[Lauire]

bump for momrox1

[kapcruiser]

To get to the westin beach do you have to cut through the inside of the hotel. There are 7 of us and I am afraid we will be noticed.

Inspiration - August 2004

[Lauire]

Kapcruiser,
Our group had 8 . . . & we went right through the front door through the lobby & right onto the beach . . .
We were pleasantly surprized that the beach wasn't crowded at all. We did camp out on the edge of the group of peoeple there & closer back toward the hotel . . . for we wanted a little shade from the big trees there . . . however, my little one & grandparents were at the shore line playing for a while . . . I rented a couple of snorkeling vest from the rental hut . . . & my sister went up & purchased a sandwich & drink from the outside bar. Now she obviously paid cash (for she didn't have a room key) put didn't say she wasn't a guest just paid cash when they asked if she wanted this on a room charge.

I would give it a try & if you a asked to not use the loungers be prepared with your towels. They can not kick you of the public beach . . . all of Cayman has public beaches & they are FREE.
Enjoy! Laurie

[Julie UpNorth]

Hubby and I went to the beach at the Westin. Stay just to the right as you look to the water and then you will not feel as if you are intruding on the Westin's property. I love the beach and am well traveled and I must add that this is one of the nicest I have visited. Bring your snorkel gear!

UpNorth

[Lauire]

bump up for Carbon

[SusieCruisie]

Hi, it seems as the majority is saying Westin, I will be there in August and chairs are important to me too. Can anyone answer though, how do you get Back to the ship when ready to leave? Are there taxis outside the Westin? Thanx for any help

[NinaCO]

I'm interested in the response to the cab question. So, [font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=red]bump[/color][/size][/font]. :D

[heupler]

How much are the taxis? Does anyone know anything about the Hyatt beach? How far is it from the westin? And how far from the cruise ships?

[snowcruiser]

We were on the Voyager of the Seas last month with a great day in Grand Cayman. We did the Nativeway Stingray City Tour in the morning and then they dropped us off at one of the public beaches on 7 mile beach. After an hour or so, we decided to walk down the beach and ended up at the Westin. I agree with others, that this is a really nice area if you prefer the hotel facilities. When you are ready to head back to the ship, there are taxis right out front. The taxi fare to get back to the pier was $4.00 per person. Be aware that sometimes traffic can get backed up, so although it is only a few miles, it can take 15 - 30 minutes to actually get to the drop off point at the pier. Most often, as others have noted, there is a big line for the tenders to get back to the ship.

[ilv2trvl]

LOTS of nice beaches on 7 mile beach, it's just hard to decide which one to go to. The taxi drivers will normally take you to one of 3 beaches: Royal Palm..Decent facilities but they want to charge $3.00 just to get in, the Marriot (Formerly the Holiday Inn) and Sea Grape Beach. I asked the taxi driver last time which one she thought was the best and she suggested Sea Grape. It is a new facility and it was evident they really cared about giving good service. They had all the facilities I looked for (Rest rooms, lockers, changing rooms, bar & grill) and they were very [u]clean[/u]. They rent chairs, towels, umbrellas, etc and have water sport rentals too.
They are right next to the public beach and there is plenty of room to spread out. The taxi ride was $4.00 pp each way or there are busses if you're adventurous. I opted for the sure thing and took the taxi to and from. The driver would've come back to pick us up at a certain time but we just caught one waiting at the entrance.
I would reccomend Sea Grape for cruisers who don't want to worry about ending up at the wrong spot.
I also met a couple of locals there and even some people on vacation (from a hotel)...that ought to say something good!

[Live the good life]

ilv2trvl or others, we have lots of questions: (1) which of these beaches will more likely have taxis in front of them so we can get back to port? (2) Were the facilities at Royal Palm and Marriot beaches clean too? Do they have umbrellas for rent and food/drinks for us to buy? (3) How are these beaches situated and how far in relation to the Westin beach? (4) Anything else we should not miss seing in addition to hanging out at a beach for a few hours? Thank you in advance for the answers...
Kim-"ltgl"

[ilv2trvl]

Live the Good Life,
I can't answer all your questions but hopefully I can answer some:
(1) [color=#0000ff]From what I understand Royal Palms and Marriot have taxis out front all the time. I know Sea Grape had plenty waiting to take us back to the ship all day.[/color]
(2) [color=#0000ff]I asked the taxi driver who took us there about the all the facilities and she said they all rented chairs & umbrellas and they all had food etc. I don't know what they were like because she reccomended Sea Grape and that's where we went, maybe someone else knows about the others...[/color]
(3) [color=#0000ff]All the beaches are within a mile or so of each other. Royal Palms was closest to the pier (Maybe a mile from the pier) then Westin and Sea Grape. Marriot was about 100 yards or so farther up the road[/color]
(4) Anything else we should not miss seing in addition to hanging out at a beach for a few hours? Thank you in advance for the answers...
Kim-"ltgl"

[ArkansasFish]

Is there a web site where these is a list of the motels in order that they are lined up from the pier?
ALso, how much is a bus ride?

[ArkansasFish]

Is there a hotel where you can pay one price and have all you can eat and drink?

[Live the good life]

ilv2travl, thanks for your very comprehensive reply...Our family of 3 are still debating on whether or not to take the grand tour of the island for 2-3 hours to see swim with the stingray before heading to the beach, but we will definetely check out the Sea Grape beach, and may be evem walk to the Westin and/or Marriot on the beach near the waterline, just to see which beaches are better...We're very excited about this trip, are even booked for 2 nights at the Ritz Carlton South Beach in Miami pre-cruise stay. I believe it is the first RC in North America to have a non-traditional decor, relaxed atmosphere, and fun stuff...
Kim-"ltgl"

[SusieCruisie]

Hi, I appreciate all the info on this board. I have heard about Westin, and Royal Palms, but never Sea Grape. I just want to relax, on a clean beach, with a CHAIR lol....and have facilities to use, Food, rest rooms, umbrellas, etc......... I don't want to be embarrassed getting caught at Westin, as an intruder, but everyone seems to be doing it, and it's OK. I'm still confused! I'm leaving this Friday, please advise me!
Thank You Susie