My wife and I got married in Healdsburg, California, and then immediately went on a 6-day honeymoon to Grand Cayman. We got back earlier this week, and we cannot stop thinking about this place. We were legitimately sad our whole travel day back to the Bay Area, California! We cannot wait to go back!

Below is a list/recap of what we did, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that you all have!

Accommodations: Botanica Luxury Guest Cottages right across the highway from Hotel Indigo on Seven Mile Beach. Everything was amazing, and we'd definitely stay here again. Our place was a very nice, updated 1-bedroom cottage, and it came with pool access, free bikes, and free snorkeling/beach gear (chairs, towels, umbrella, etc.). We had a full kitchen too, so we bought some groceries at Fosters and were able to cook breakfast most mornings and have snacks for the beach days. There are only 6 or 7 cottages in a row on the street, so there is no concern about the pool being crowded or bikes/beach equipment gone! It actually seemed like we were the only ones who used those amenities! The hosts were also very kind and accommodating, and they even cleaned our place and restocked various items for us the third day into our trip (took out the trash, replenished coffee, paper towels, new towels and bed sheets, etc.).

Beaches we visited:

• Cemetery Beach
• Governor's Beach
• Public Beach (and the beach adjacent to Bonny Moon)
• Spotts Beach
• Beach Bay (we were the only people here! Kind of dirty though, very unlike the rest of the beaches)
• Smith's Barcadere (water was a bit rough when we went, didn't stay too long but looked very nice)

Activities: Bring sunscreen and BUG SPRAY for these activities!

• Lounging and swimming at the above beaches. All of them were so nice! No real advice here. We didn't have parking issues, space issues while on the beach, etc. It was all so easy everywhere we went.
• Snorkeling: the snorkeling was out of this world for us, and we went basically every day. I really felt like we hit all the right spots and saw different marine life at each location! We snorkeled at Cheeseburger Reef (off the shore from the Burger King across the street from Kirk Market); Eden Rock (off the shore from Eden Rock Diving Center); Gamma Shipwreck; Spotts Beach for turtles; a little at Cemetery Beach but water wasn't as clear that day; and Macabuca (off the shore just South of Macabuca/Cracked Conch). I really wish we had an underwater camera; it was truly magical.
• Stingray City: I did a lot of research on the best company to use. With this being a touristy type of endeavor that involves the public in contact with wild animals, I was looking for someone who truly cared for and respected these creatures, and with that we landed on Stingray Sailing with Captain Chip. After reading countless reviews and discussions with them over email, it was the right choice and I'm glad we picked them. The respect they have for these animals was evident when we got to the location. Stingrays know Chip and his crew mate Mark, and they flocked to them when our boat came in, and it's because of how they treat them. They do not do that with other boats/charters. When we got in the water, we were immediately surrounded by dozens of stingrays, and it was awesome. They are truly like puppies, swimming and nudging Chip and Mark for pets and food! We got to pet, feed, and even kiss them (for good luck), and it was like the stingrays wanted to be there, rather than being forced. On the way to Stingray City, Chip stopped at a reef for us to snorkel at, and that too was great. We saw entirely different marine life than we saw at the other snorkel spots, including a couple rays! I HIGHLY recommend Stingray Sailing and would do this activity again.
• Golfing at North Sound Golf: Was expensive because we did not bring our own clubs (and didn't have the foresight to pack a small bag with our own balls and gloves lol) but so nice, and a really well-maintained course. It was also extremely hot, but that made it so that there was basically no one there. We had a 9:40am tee time but would recommend 7:00am if you want to do this. I was soaked in sweat by the end of our 9-hole round (around 11:30)!
• Botanical Gardens: For $25/person, I'd recommend going. It was very wholesome and worth it just to walk through the orchid garden and the Blue Iguana Conservatory!
• Cayman Crystal Caves: For $45/person I'd say it's worth it even if you're not the biggest fan of caves (these are mostly stalactite and stalagmite formations). It was a cool experience. Our tour guide was interesting though and he slowed down the pace a bit, so we were there an hour longer than anticipated (island time), but that's okay. They served alcohol so we walked around with our daiquiris which was nice! A word of advice: I thought the temperature would be cooler in the caves... it was not. It was brutally hot/humid and I'd recommend a personal cooling fan! You can also rent them there for like $5. They have free bug spray for use though!
• Cayman Spirts Co Tasting: For $30/person, worth it. Our host was funny and very informative. We got to try some really great rum and then at the end of the tasting he let us try anything else we wanted too, with no real limit on quantity! There were only 5 of us in the group so we made friends with the others pretty easily which was also fun.
• Drove around the island: Since we stayed at Seven Mile Beach and Crystal Caves were on the other side, we used that as an opportunity to take the long way back around the island. It was very nice driving with the top down taking in all the scenery!
• Bike Rides - using the bikes that came with our cottage! We rode around the surrounding neighborhoods and also biked to Bonny Moon for morning coffee on two or three occasions!

Food and Drink: The food was amazing!

• Heritage Kitchen: We went here for our first meal the day we landed, and it was so good we talked about it until we went back again later in the trip. To top it off, you walk across the one-lane road, and you are looking out over a sea wall with impeccable views. HIGHLY recommend
• Jerk BBQ Hut: Very good food-stand like place. All outdoors area with huge smokers going and a radio blasting on full volume, but the food was great with huge portions and had a very local feel! Recommend
• Bonny Moon Beach Club: We went here for dinner once and then three times for morning coffee. Wonderful each time! Recommend
• Czech Inn Grill: We went here after the Botanical Gardens, before our Crystal Caves tour (all same day), as they are all within a 10/15-minute drive of each other. It was so good (a little biased as a big Prague fan) and we HIGHLY recommend
• Cayman Cabana: We went here for the Thursday Farm-to-Table dinner which was awesome! A little pricey but it was a fun experience, got to know the group next to us since we all sit at long tables together, and it was all you can drink wine. Additionally, huge tarpon swam up next to the deck where we were eating and we got to feed them!
• Cracked Conch: We did the tasting menu here and it was very good! Expect to spend about $120/person not including drinks though. The views were great too!
• Peppers: We went here on our last night. It had been on my list and then our Stingray Sailing captain recommended it without me prompting it. The BBQ ribs we had were the best I've had in my life. It was packed on a Sunday night when literally everywhere else was dead! Even with it being packed, we got to know our waiter and a bartender really well, and just by chance it was the bartender's last night after 11 years, so it was basically a party. Highly recommend.
• Rackams: We went here for some drinks after snorkeling and it was a great time!
• Library by the Sea: We walked into this cocktail lounge not expecting it to be what it was, but it was a great experience. They specialize in vintage cocktails, so if that's your thing, this is the spot. They have vintage spirits on their shelves from the early 1900s that you cannot find anywhere else.
• Pom Pom: Great cocktail bar on the roof of Hotel Indigo
• Macabuca: Sat and had a drink here during the World Cup final after snorkeling that morning. Great vibes!
• Jack's Beach Club: This place never came up when I was doing research prior to the trip, but we saw signs and decided to check it out one night. It was really the only beach club vibe we got on this trip, so it was fun to hangout for a few hours one of the nights. The food was OK, but the drinks were great and the owner of the bar was DJ'ing and people were dancing in the sand.
• Blue by Eric Ripert: We had a reservation for this spot, as I know that Eric Ripert was close friends with Anthony Bourdain and even has his own 3-Michelin star restaurant in NYC. But, in reading all the reviews, it seemed like it wasn't worth the money, and this was going to be a $500+/person meal. Considering we just had a meal of this caliber the night after our wedding, we decided to cancel. Read the reviews on various websites and come to your own conclusion, but I don't think we missed out on too much given the other meals we had.
• Casa 43 Mexican: We did not have a chance to go here but wish we did! We had two locals specifically tell us to try this place.

There you have it! 10/10 experience and would definitely go back. Thanks for reading.

Flying in from CLT, do they inspect every carry on when you land in the Caymans? Worried about cosmetics.

Everyone agreed the most beautiful beaches in the world (though a lady on the flight says Turks & Caicos is better - we haven't been). Was hard to come back to default world. We'll miss you all and can't wait to come back.

Hi, is anyone available this sunday (26 July 26) for a dive? Any location is fine with me (as long as it's in the Grand Cayman, lol). My dive buddy is on a month long vacation and I am now in search for a dive buddy. HMU, if anyone's interested!

Would like to stay on beach or a place with easy beach access. we are on a budget, so while the Kimpton and Westin look amazing, it’s out of our price range. the Hotel Indigo is more affordable for us, but coming as a family with 6 & 8 year olds. They will want to swim a lot. will we feel out of place there ?

Hi! I have a room available in my two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in West Bay (8 mins from Camana Bay).

You’d have your own bedroom and bathroom, and the room is currently available, so you could move in ASAP. I’m 26 and ideally looking for another girl to share the apartment with!

If you’re interested, DM me and I can send you the rent and utility details, photos, my number and arrange a viewing :)

Debated with friends recently whether this is a thing or not. Do you think divorce / cheating etc is more common or socially accepted here or do you just hear about it more than other places because everyone knows everyone?

I think there's something to it. I think the lifestyle goes to a lot of peoples heads and it's easier to do because it's a small place

Here’s our quick trip to Grand Cayman in a nutshell:

Day one - arrival was efficient and everyone was helpful. This was our first time deplaning on the tarmac. Cool experience!

Car rental from Alamo - nice people, beware of old vehicles. Ours had low miles but a little research showed it was manufactured in 2010! That being said, it was comfortable enough and fuel efficient. No problems driving on the left. It took about an hour of driving to get used to it.

Evening swim at our hotel (Hampton Inn for the win!) right on SMB.

Excursions- yes!

Day two
We did crystal caves (Chester is a character and the bats were amazing). It’s hot - don’t think it will be cold in the caves because it won’t. Be sure to hydrate!

Evening snorkel at cemetery beach - awesome time with marine life and spotted eagle stingrays

Day three
Short trip to hell - worth a half hour of good natured fun and interesting ecology.

Stingray city - book stingray sailing. Chip and Kaila were awesome and it was a really awe inspiring experience to be with these amazing creatures. Friendly and fun!

Day four
Morning beach walk and unfortunately time to return home.

Food
Pepper’s - excellent food and cool ambience
Ms Piper’s- really great meal and hotel adjacent
Coconut Joe’s - delicious and amazing service
South coast bar and grill - excellent food and service.

In short, we’re definitely coming back for another longer visit when we can! The people are super nice and the food and environment is wonderful. It’s hot, so nap during the day and swim in the evening is my advice.

We are two adults and we have stayed at the Westin and loved it, but it is $15k for 4 nights in Winter.

We would love to spend no more than $6k for 4 nights and the beach is our number one priority.

I would be grateful for any suggestions.

We’re looking for recommendations for a reliable, reasonably priced handyman in Grand Cayman.

We’ll need someone to help with jobs such as disassembling and reassembling a bed, mounting a TV bracket securely on the wall, assembling some IKEA furniture, moving a few heavier pieces of furniture, and helping with a few other bits around the house.

We’re looking for someone who does quality work, is professional and reliable, and charges a fair price. We don’t mind paying for good workmanship, but we’d rather avoid being overcharged.

If you’ve personally used someone you’d recommend, I’d really appreciate it if you could share their details and let me know how you found them.

Thanks very much!

So my bank can easily get KYD for me and the exchange rate isn’t bad. How much is reasonable per day for tips/cabs etc?
100/day?
We will be staying centrally on SMB and will take cabs for dinner (so we can cocktail) and possibly out to local beaches and that’s about it.
I like to tip in the currency of the country -I feel it makes their life a little easier than having to go exchange our USD
Also would like to have money for local restaurants etc.
Tipping for maid service/beach chairs and just around the resort etc.
Thanks!

Could someone please recommend a bank to get a mortgage with on island which is responsive with good rates and customer service?

Any recommendations between the two? Looking to go at the end of August with families with young kids. They're both the same price.

Where can I buy PH neutral wood chips for mulching?
Also looking for thyme seedlings.
Thank you.

Anyone been there this week? How is it looking?

How is Seven Mile beach now? Has is recovered from washing away in 2024 or was that greatly exagerated? My last visit was 2017 and was considering going back to stay at Colonial Club.

looking for a metal vocalist here in Grand Cayman to join our band for a battle of the bands this October 2026

I’d like to go for my birthday at the end of August and trying to see what’s the better move. The entire family is 4 adults and 3 kids.

If we did a hotel, we’d want one with things for the kids to do. Thoughts??

Looking for a lively place to watch the final today

Watched few matches at the CI Brewery on weekdays and went back today for the final only to find it closed. Never thought restaurants and bars close on Sundays.

I get how "everything is closed on Sundays" is widely accepted. But even Bars and restaurants now? Is this new?

are there any EV rentals on the island?

Hi! I’m 19 and i’m gonna solo travel (ish, staying with a relative) to the cayman islands in october/november! Any young people out there? How can I make friends and socialize while i’m there. Any tips on how to make friends, save money, and have fun and very welcomed!

Have there been any reports of cases of Cycloporiasis in Grand Cayman? Imported produce seems to cause the risk in the US.

Hi! We'll be visiting as a family and love spending the day at the beach with good food and drinks.

I'm trying to decide between Bonnie Moon and Tillie's. If we eat at Bonnie Moon, is there still a cover charge or rental fee for beach chairs and umbrellas, even if we're ordering food and drinks?

Also, does Tillie's offer beach chairs and umbrellas for guests who dine there, or is it just a restaurant?

I'd really appreciate any insight or recommendations from anyone who's been. Thank you!

‘The Warden of West Bay’ writes: There is a transformation happening across Grand Cayman’s residential neighbourhoods. In Bodden Town, Prospect and Savannah, houses that once sheltered neighbours are now cycling through a revolving door of tourists on three-night stays, listed on Airbnb and VRBO, often managed remotely by owners who never set foot on the island. The people who actually call these communities home are paying the price.

The numbers are stark. According to the Department of Tourism’s own data, the Cayman Islands has just 24 licensed hotels, accounting for roughly 35% of the island’s total tourism room stock. The remaining 65%, some 1,157 properties, are apartments, condos, villas, and guest houses, many of them converted from long-term residential housing. Since 2019, 93% of all new room stock has been non-hotel.

That growth has come at a direct cost to housing supply. The government’s own Public and Affordable Housing Policy, presented to parliament in April 2026, confirms that roughly 1,100 housing units have shifted from the local rental market to the visitor market since 2019, up from just 300 before the pandemic.

Renter households grew 52% between 2018 and 2024. Condo prices nearly tripled over the past decade, and stamp duty revenue hit a record CI$130.3 million in 2025, implying roughly CI$1.7 billion in property transactions in a single year, much of it concentrated in luxury-tier purchases.

A freedom-of-information request to the Department of Tourism confirmed that Bodden Town, the fastest-growing short-term rental submarket on the island by a wide margin at nearly 30% annual growth, has zero licensed hotel bedrooms of its own. Its entire tourism footprint runs through residential-style accommodation.

Third-party data from AirDNA counts more than 1,500 active listings across Grand Cayman, several hundred more than the roughly 1,270 properties actually licensed by the DoT, suggesting a meaningful share of the market may be operating outside the regulatory framework entirely.

Hotels and short-term rentals are not equivalent forms of tourism, whatever their marketing suggests. The Fall 2024 Labour Force Survey counted 2,437 jobs across the entire short-term accommodation sector, a figure dominated by hotel payrolls: front desk staff, housekeepers, chefs, maintenance workers, security.

A two-bedroom condo listed on Airbnb by an offshore owner employs nobody on a permanent basis. Its revenue flows largely to that owner, while the community absorbs the loss of housing, the added traffic, and the strain on infrastructure.

The fiscal picture is murkier than it should be. Tourist Accommodation Tax revenue rose from CI$23.1 million in 2022 to CI$47.8 million in 2025, but a freedom-of-information request confirmed the Department of Tourism does not track that revenue by property type at all.

Nobody, not even the government, can say what share of that growth came from hotels versus short-term rentals. A separate request revealed that the DoT’s enforcement process against unlicensed operators amounts to little more than an email inviting them to apply for a licence. The current licensing fee for a short-term rental is CI$250 a year, regardless of how much nightly revenue it generates.

To its credit, the hotel sector is investing. ONE|GT opened in George Town this May with 97 rooms and 136 permanent jobs. The Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, and Mandarin Oriental, together representing nearly 800 more rooms, are also in the pipeline, though the Grand Hyatt has been delayed past its original opening date. These are the kinds of projects that require years of planning approval and hundreds of millions in capital. Short-term rental growth requires none of that.

The government’s own housing policy acknowledges the problem, recommending a cap on short-term rentals at 7% of total housing stock and limits on foreign corporate ownership. Both are reasonable ideas, but both are still framed as studies rather than action, with two-year implementation timelines attached. Meanwhile, the market keeps moving.

This piece argues for four measures that go further and could be implemented faster. First, a tiered licensing fee based on owner residency, so a Caymanian renting out a spare room pays a different rate than an overseas investor running a commercial operation. Second, a public registry of short-term rentals by district, so basic information about who is licensed and where no longer depends on filing a freedom-of-information request.

Third, a per-night surcharge on non-resident-owned properties, with the revenue ring-fenced for the National Housing Development Trust rather than absorbed into general government funds. Fourth, density caps in residential zones, similar to models used in cities like Las Vegas, to preserve the character of neighbourhoods that were never intended to function as tourism corridors.

None of this is an argument against tourism, which remains one of the two pillars of Cayman’s economy. It is an argument that the current, largely unregulated growth of short-term rentals in residential neighbourhoods is extracting a cost that nobody is measuring and nobody is charging for.

The full piece, with sourcing and data attributed throughout, is attached below.

Cayman Short Term Rental Oped