Your favorite beach ?

[pamrob]

What is the distance of these beach locations from the pier? Is it a decent walk? or too far? We walk often so I don't mind a little hike.

[pamrob]

Still wondering if anyone knows the distance from the pier into the main shopping area downtown? Walkable?

[NinaCO]

There are three piers (Puerta Maya, Punta Langosta, and the International Pier). Punta Langosta is walking distance to downtown. None are walking distance to Paradise Beach (at least not from my POV :) ).

[Kay D]

Those 3 piers named above are NOT IN GRAND CAYMAN -- those piers are in Cozumel.
In Cayman there is not a regular cruise ship dock or pier -- just a place where the cruise ships' tenders pull up & let you off -- all cruise ships are anchored out aways from land.

You don't want to go to regular Marriott -- the Marriott you want to go to is the Courtyard!!!

Someone please tell me: Where is Sea Grapes???? Been to Cayman 5 times on cruises & 2 times to a condo on 7 Mile Beach -- never heard of Sea Grapes -- must be new.

DO NOT TRY TO WALK FROM TENDERS TO 7 MILE BEACH -- TOOOOOO FAR -- TAKE A CAB!!! Last Dec. we met a couple WALKING from cruise ship to "the beach" -- she was WORN OUT & wanted to stop, so we invited them to stop at our condo's pool for a while where she sat down & we talked -- then we walked with them up past Royal Palms & on toward the Hyatt.

If you want to WALK the beach, take the cab to Comfort Suites/reg Marriott, or to Royal Palms, go to beach & turn right (north) -- from there you can walk a couple miles past many condo buildings & hotels with no interruption and you'll be on smooth sand -- there are shade trees along beach at some of the condos & a few hotels, so you can find shade!

If you turn south at Royal Palms or reg Marriott, the beach is a combination of sand & coral rocks & you will need water shoes with a tough sole. You can snorkel from shore along this area. You can see the cruise ships & they look closer than they are.

Basic Layout of 7 Mile Beach, going north out N. Church St. & West Bay Rd. in a taxi watch LEFT SIDE of road:
You will pass restaurants, small strip centers, condos for 2+ miles before you reach Comfort Suites+regular Marriott, another 0.25-0.4 mile to Royal Palms, then another 0.7 mile to Beach Club & Hyatt, then another 0.8 mile to Ritz-Carlton (under construction), then pass 1 condo between Ritz & Westin, then Governor's House next door to Westin with large public access to beach north of Gov. House, then another 0.7 mile to public beach, then another 0.3 mile to Courtyard Marriott, then another 1.25 mile to Cemetary Reef beach area. This is an ESTIMATE of mileage, based a map I have.

[PINEY10]

We will be going to the Caymans in November on the Coral Princess. We have been to the Caymans a few times before and done Stringray City, snorkeling, etc. I love the shopping, but I think this time we would like to just relax on the beach but with one that has parasailing. I note that the Hyatt and Westin have these facilities. Is the Marriott now what was the Holiday Inn or is there another one on 7 mile beach. We are looking for the safest place for parasailing, but also a nice beach. Any of your suggestions are most appreciated.

[PINEY10]

Westin sounds great but how about the Sea Grape? Is that just a beach or also a hotel that will have chairs, umbrellas, etc. that we can rent. How far is the Sea Grape from the Westin, the Hyatt and the Royal Palm--would like a landmark to know where it is on 7 mile beach. For those who utilized the Westin facilities, did you use the pool? Anyone stopped who was not a guest? Thanks.

[taszmom]

I too am trying to find out about this Sea Grape... is it a resort or just a beach club. Trying to find any info about it, location, how far from pier, etc.

[HAM]

Hi
I am a beach lover and couldn't wait to expore Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman 2 years ago. Unfortunately on that trip a group of people from the ships got in a bus and headed to the beach. To my disappointment we ended up at a very small beach with a bar that I have no idea what the name of it was. This time I would like to go to a beach that I can enjoy with all the luxuries. I checked out beach excursions from Celebrity and they mention Beach Club Colony and Smiths Cove. I would appreciate any info on these places and any recommendations on other places. Thanks
Sandy

[Red Dog]

Sea Grape is located next to the public beach. It is between the public beach and the old Holiday Inn Beach. It's a new beach, only been open about 4-5 months. It's not a hotel, it's a beach with a bar and grill, rest rooms, changing rooms etc. They rent chairs and unbrellas but the entrance is free.
Nice clean facilities, the food was good, the attendants were very helpful and the beach was awesome! Overall I think it's the best choice for cruisers going to Grand cayman

[PINEY10]

Sounds great. Thank you for responding.

[vossjemi]

Ok, since I haven't been to 7 mile area yet, where is the public beach/holiday inn beach to find sea grape? North side? South side? We were thinking of going to hell/turtle farm, then to cemetary beach, and then maybe to sea grape? Wondered if all these places were fairly close?

[TheWog]

Do they rent jet skis at sea grapes or where is the best place to go for a nice beach and jet ski rental???

[OCruisers]

[quote name='pamrob']Still wondering if anyone knows the distance from the pier into the main shopping area downtown? Walkable?[/QUOTE]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]The cruise tender dock IS directly in town! :) All of the shops are there!

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :) [/FONT]

[HAM]

[quote name='Red Dog']Sea Grape is located next to the public beach. It is between the public beach and the old Holiday Inn Beach. It's a new beach, only been open about 4-5 months. It's not a hotel, it's a beach with a bar and grill, rest rooms, changing rooms etc. They rent chairs and unbrellas but the entrance is free.
Nice clean facilities, the food was good, the attendants were very helpful and the beach was awesome! Overall I think it's the best choice for cruisers going to Grand cayman[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info. Sounds like the beach to go to. How far is Sea Grapes from the tender dock? I assume we would take a taxi there, is it easy to get one back to the tender dock?

[Red Dog]

Sea grape and the public beach are both on the road that goes to Hell, The Turtle Farm etc. The Public Beach and sea Grape are side by side and they are about 3 miles or so from the cruise ship terminals. It takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes by taxi depending upon the traffick. If you continue along the road another 200 yards or so you will come to the old Holiday Inn. Cemetary Beach is another mile or so up the beach and The Turtle Farm and Hell are another mile or so on up the road from there.

The taxi fare to and from Sea Grape is $4.00 pp. If you buy a tour on the pier the driver will drop you off at any of the beaches on the way back. Cemetary is a nice piece of beach but to the best of my knowledge there aren't ANY facilities there. Also it might be hard to get a taxi back from Cemetary Beach. If you're adventurous you might want to go there but if you want to know you have rest rooms, showers, a nice cold drink nearby and no problems getting back to the ship my money is still on Sea Grape Beach.
Hope this helps!
RD

[HAM]

[quote name='Red Dog']Sea grape and the public beach are both on the road that goes to Hell, The Turtle Farm etc. The Public Beach and sea Grape are side by side and they are about 3 miles or so from the cruise ship terminals. It takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes by taxi depending upon the traffick. If you continue along the road another 200 yards or so you will come to the old Holiday Inn. Cemetary Beach is another mile or so up the beach and The Turtle Farm and Hell are another mile or so on up the road from there.

The taxi fare to and from Sea Grape is $4.00 pp. If you buy a tour on the pier the driver will drop you off at any of the beaches on the way back. Cemetary is a nice piece of beach but to the best of my knowledge there aren't ANY facilities there. Also it might be hard to get a taxi back from Cemetary Beach. If you're adventurous you might want to go there but if you want to know you have rest rooms, showers, a nice cold drink nearby and no problems getting back to the ship my money is still on Sea Grape Beach.
Hope this helps!
RD[/QUOTE]
Thanks Red Dog for all the info, looks like I'll be at Sea Grape Beach in November.
Sandy

[PINEY10]

Just so there is no confusion, I gather the old Holiday Inn is now the Courtyard Marriott.

[vossjemi]

Thanks Red Dog!:) Sounds like I'll be able to ck out hell, turtle farm, cemetary beach and Sea Grape! Yeah!!! Can't wait til january!:D

[OCruisers]

[quote name='PINEY10']Just so there is no confusion, I gather the old Holiday Inn is now the Courtyard Marriott.[/QUOTE]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][B]PINEY10 ....[/B] Yes, you are correct! In the past that's where we've gone when we wanted to do a "Day At The Beach" in Grand Cayman.

[B]Red Dog .... [/B] Thanks for all of the information on Sea Grape Beach! We'll give it a try for sure in January. What was the BAR like??? :D

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :) [/FONT]

[HAM]

[quote name='OCruisers'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][B]PINEY10 ....[/B] Yes, you are correct! In the past that's where we've gone when we wanted to do a "Day At The Beach" in Grand Cayman.

[B]Red Dog .... [/B] Thanks for all of the information on Sea Grape Beach! We'll give it a try for sure in January. What was the BAR like??? :D

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :) [/FONT][/QUOTE]
I realize this is probably redundant but is Sea Grape Beach on or part of "The Seven Mile Beach"?

[Rasta Pirate]

I went to "Palm Beach" last year, and they had a HUGE beach bar, an open pit BBQ where they were making jerk chicken (served with rice & beans). It was DELICIOUS!! (and nice to be able to eat right on the beach so as not to miss any "sun" time. They also rented lounge chairs there, have a small shaded area, and it was not the least bit crowded:-)

I'm planning to go back to that same spot on my next trip to GC.

[vossjemi]

[quote name='Rasta Pirate']I went to "Palm Beach" last year, and they had a HUGE beach bar, an open pit BBQ where they were making jerk chicken (served with rice & beans). It was DELICIOUS!! (and nice to be able to eat right on the beach so as not to miss any "sun" time. They also rented lounge chairs there, have a small shaded area, and it was not the least bit crowded:-)

I'm planning to go back to that same spot on my next trip to GC.[/QUOTE]
I think Palm Beach is on Aruba not Grand Cayman. Am i right people?

[sharks48]

Just returned from W. Carib. cruise. Sea Grape beach is very nice. There is shade for those who like to stay out of the sun, a beautiful beach, a bar with food, changing room, restroom, showers [outdoors] and you can rent chairs, umbrellas, etc. There's a place just up the beach where you can rent jet skis and other things [glass bottom boat, etc] available a bit further up the beach. You can snorkel from the beach - I had my first successful snorkel attempt there! - but if you're really into snorkeling, I don't think this would interest you. I think the cab [van] was $4 per person from the dock in town. When we were done, we walked out to the road and there were many cabs waiting to go back to town.

As someone else said, shopping is right there in front of the dock.

Wish I were there now!!