Royal Palms

[TwinCruiserMom]

I was wondering, when you pay your entrance fee do they give you a ticket or receipt? We were planning to take the bus there and walk straight out to the beach and go down a little ways to swim and lay a towel on the beach. After that we were going to go back and have something to drink and use the WiFi.

 

When I walk back in through the beach, how to I prove I paid earlier?

 

Also, do they sell cans of soda and if so what is the cost?

 

Thanks!

[Colorado Kat]

I was wondering, when you pay your entrance fee do they give you a ticket or receipt? We were planning to take the bus there and walk straight out to the beach and go down a little ways to swim and lay a towel on the beach. After that we were going to go back and have something to drink and use the WiFi.

 

When I walk back in through the beach, how to I prove I paid earlier?

!

 

I was surprised by the entrance fee comment. Just went and checked. Yes, $2 pp. Basically to cover costs of restrooms and showers. I would guess they give you a wristband.

 

Very nice spot. Pleasant beach. Lovely pool.

[Cairnmom]

I was surprised by the entrance fee comment. Just went and checked. Yes, $2 pp. Basically to cover costs of restrooms and showers. I would guess they give you a wristband.

 

Very nice spot. Pleasant beach. Lovely pool.

 

Do you get a chair and have access to the pool for $2 pp?

[caribsun]

Do you get a chair and have access to the pool for $2 pp?

The 2.00 fee also includes the adult only pool. There are tables and chairs poolside for your use. Lounge chairs on the beach are additional.

[meliss35]

Is there lockers to put your stuff in? Also, what is the cost of lounge chairs and umbrella?

[Artemis]

Royal Palms on 7-Mile Beach

Your wristband will cover your return. I am not sure if they sell soda in cans. There are no lockers. Beach chairs are $7 each and umbrella is $10 (covers 2 chairs).

 

We were just there a week ago today. Wish I was there right now! Here is my detailed review.

 

Day 5 - Grand CaymanThere were so many ships in Cayman this day! :eek: We heard a lot of grumbling by fellow pax about crowds everywhere, and one of the ship's own tour operators really dropped the ball in failing to provide enough buses to transport everyone to the turtle farm and stingray city--that tour turned into an all-day hurry-up-and-wait adventure causing those folks to barely make the last tender back. You can check the Cayman cruise ship schedule on their port authority website.

 

I goofed and forgot to snap the posted taxi rates here, but after we weaved through the busy cruise terminal and made our way to the street, I saw a couple of the shared-ride taxi vendors holding signs indicating the rate to our destination, the Royal Palms beach club at the close end of 7-Mile Beach, was $4 pp. Call us really crazy, but just like in Ocho, we decided to walk there! It is a straight shot down Church Street to the left as you exit the terminal, probably about 2 miles, as it took roughly 45 min. on narrow sidewalks (we also made one beach/water passage detour!). Okay, I just checked on Google maps, and it is 3.1 km or 1.92 miles if you stay on Church>W. Bay Rd. Like any of you will do this?! And yeah, the sun was burning down on us. But we had on our sun screen and hats, and we kind of like those spontaneous walks to get a taste of a place and feel like we're "far from the maddening crowd," even though you're never really far from tourist civilization in these ports!

 

And weirder than grocery stores, we like visiting cemeteries when we travel, so naturally, we couldn't resist meandering through the seaside Dixie Cemetery located just before you reach 7-Mile Beach. It was a serene resting place with a view of the cruise ships! I can't tell which ship that is, can you?

 

 

The walk was worth it. Here's a shot of my second row vista at the Royal Palms beach club:

 

 

Beaches are public in the Caymans, so you can stretch out on any piece of sand that pleases you, but you can't use the chairs or facilities, of course. So Royal Palms is an economical, no frills option that we like because we don't drink enough to justify the all-inclusive passes at other resorts and it's close enough to the port to squeeze every last minute out of the day. The day pass is $2 pp, which gets you access to the bathrooms, outdoor shower and pool with swim-up bar. And complimentary Internet access (with a code, more reliable up at the bar). Beach chairs are $7 pp, and an umbrella is $10 (big enough to shade two chairs). So, before food and drinks, it's basically $28 for two people (plus we tipped the beach attendant $2 for finding us an umbrella, which was something of a feat considering the crowd!). We had a couple of beers to start at $6.50 each (import or domestic, all beers are $6.50--this is the Caymans, everything is a tad pricey!), then I ordered a beer and hummus appetizer, which turned out to be quite a nice lunch of two kinds of hummus, warm flatbread and salad. Here's a pic (I realize it's odd to post this picture--although after a grocery store and cemetery, my oddness was sealed!--but because I'm always frustrated by beach club lunches of burgers and fries, I figure someone out there might feel the same way and be happy to see what a good option it turned out to be!), plus a snap of the receipt so you can see the pricing in Cayman dollars vs. US dollars (note, also, that a 15% service charge is included).

 

 

 

Although Royal Palms was packed when we first arrived, by early afternoon, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We left a little after 3 to make the last tender at 3:30 PM (that would be cutting it too close at beach clubs farther out on 7-Mile Beach because of the heavy traffic from the beaches back into town). Taxis were out front waiting, and we easily made it to the cruise terminal. The tender queue was so long, we had a long, hot wait!