How safe is Grand Cayman?

[Jotul]

Hi. My husband will be diving on Grand Cayman, but I really want to do an island tour with my two children (ages 7 and 2). If the kids and I go with a tour group, will it be safe -- even if the tour goes to Hell? My husband is concerned about me traveling in a foreign country by myself with the kids.

 

Thanks!

[Hollywood03]

Grand Cayman is very safe, it will most likely the safest place in the Caribbean, and for sure the most expensive!!

 

 

 

Hollywood

[drew sailbum]

Grand Cayman is probably the safest cruise ship port in the Caribbean.

 

And if you go with a tour group, you are certainly not travelling by yourself! Leave the driving up to a local, and look both ways before crossing the street. Driving on the left presents certain problems for drivers and pedestrians unaccustomed to that system. :rolleyes:

[Capt_BJ]

If there is a safer island in the Carib...I'm not aware of it....and I've been to most of 'em.

 

GC may be safer than Key West ---- sure less 'colorful' :eek:

[twinkletoes4445]

Grand Cayman is like Beverly Hills in the Caribbean. That's why we love going there...because of the low crime rate, and what the island has to offer. We wanted an island that we could rent a car and explore the island for a week, and that's what we found there. You will be fine going off and doing a tour with your young children. I'd feel safe going anywhere on Grand Cayman.

 

If you do a tour that takes you to Hell, you'll probably also visit the turtle farm. Your kids will love the turtles.

 

Just use the same saftey precautions that you would use anywhere, and enjoy your day there! :)

[caribbeansun]

Same comments re safety - we've spent something like 15 weeks there over the past few years without even the hint of a problem.

 

Definitely go the turtle farm rather than hell for the kids!

[tiyana4]

Grand Cayman is very safe, it will most likely the safest place in the Caribbean, and for sure the most expensive!!

 

 

 

Hollywood

 

I agree. Go to any Cayman tourist site and it will tell you the same thing - Grand Cayman is at the top of the list when it comes to safety. It is driven by the relative theory that the low unemployment rate, and a strong, striving tourist economy and huge shopping district makes for a lot of happy people. It works for me.

[caribbeansun]

It's probably because they don't pay any taxes - that would make me happy too!:D

[twinkletoes4445]

It's probably because they don't pay any taxes - that would make me happy too!:D

 

 

And don't forget the banking. $$$$$ I lost count how many private jets we saw coming and going from GC.

 

I also noticed that in their newspaper, they print the names of those people who have overstayed their welcome. They give you notice to get going, or they're coming to look for you.

 

We'd like to one day own a condo there, and the time we were there, we looked at a few. If I remember right, once you make your purchase, you give the goverment a check for 5% of what you paid!

 

They also have very interesting guidelines when it comes to who can live there over a certain amount of time. I'd have to pull out my notes, but if you want to live there for 6 months out of the year (I think it was this amount of time), you have to have a million or so in their banks, and you have to have a certain amount of income per month, or maybe it was per year.

 

I suppose it's all these things that keep everything running so smoothly. They make sure they have jobs for the people who are living there.

[drew sailbum]

We'd like to one day own a condo there, and the time we were there, we looked at a few. If I remember right, once you make your purchase, you give the goverment a check for 5% of what you paid!

 

Yes, you pay stamp duty on property transfers, but there is no annual property tax. If you buy a $300,000 home in the States, you may be cutting a check for 2-3% of that value every year!

[jlfros1]

Cayman Island is very clean and safe,no one bothered us there,unlike in Ocho Rios Jaimaca. I would go there again in a heartbeat

[twinkletoes4445]

Yes, you pay stamp duty on property transfers, but there is no annual property tax. If you buy a $300,000 home in the States, you may be cutting a check for 2-3% of that value every year!

 

Oh, it's definately worth it. And I don't remember all the details, but there was a benefit to our kids when it comes to inheriting the property. I think it could go to the kids without the tax issues that the US has.

 

I'd love to own several condos, then all our kids could visit us at the same time. :)

 

We love Grand Cayman. Every Caribbean island we visit, we compare it to Grand Cayman, and so far, none have measured up.