Why the Cayman Islands for a Honeymoon
Cayman suits couples who want the sea to be the main event. Visibility underwater regularly runs past 100 feet. The reefs are protected by a long-established marine parks system, so even a snorkel off the beach in West Bay can turn up turtles, eagle rays and schools of blue tang. Certified divers come for the walls. Non-divers get the same water from a glass-calm sandbar or a kayak at night in a bioluminescent bay.
The other selling point is how little friction there is. English is the only language you need, US dollars work almost everywhere, the roads are paved and well signed and medical care on Grand Cayman is good by regional standards. You can land at noon and be in the water by two.
The tradeoffs are real. Grand Cayman is busy and fairly built up along its west coast, cruise ships crowd George Town on many days and the scenery is flat. Couples hunting for jungle hikes and dramatic mountains should look at St. Lucia or Dominica instead.
Best Time to Visit
Temperatures barely move through the year. Daytime highs sit in the low 80s Fahrenheit in January and climb toward 90 in July and August, with the sea warm enough to swim in every month. What changes is rain, humidity and hurricane risk.
The dry season runs roughly November through April. December to April is high season, with low humidity, steady breezes and the highest room rates of the year; Christmas and spring break book out early. May and June are a smart compromise. The rains have usually only just started, the sea is often at its calmest for diving and prices drop.
Hurricane season runs June through November, with the greatest risk from August through October. Hurricane Ivan hit Grand Cayman hard in 2004, so this is not a theoretical concern. If you travel in those months, buy travel insurance with hurricane cover and book refundable rooms. Pirates Week brings parades and fireworks in November. The Cayman Cookout food festival has traditionally drawn chefs to Grand Cayman in January.
Where to Go
Most honeymoons here combine two places. We cover both in detail.
- Grand Cayman: the main island and the base for nearly every trip. Seven Mile Beach on the west coast has the big resorts and the easiest swimming. West Bay has quieter snorkel coves. The North Side and East End feel like a different island, with private villas, the Rum Point sandbar and far less traffic. See our Grand Cayman guide.
- Little Cayman: ten miles long, about a mile wide and almost entirely undeveloped. It is famous among divers for the Bloody Bay Wall and loved by everyone else for empty beaches, bicycles instead of cars and a nature reserve full of nesting red-footed boobies. See our Little Cayman guide.
Cayman Brac, five miles from Little Cayman across a narrow channel, is worth a day or two if you like caves, rock climbing or shore diving. Its 141-foot bluff is the highest ground in the country. A Soviet-built frigate, sunk on purpose as a dive site, lies off its northwest coast.
Sample 10-Day Itinerary
- Days 1 to 3: Seven Mile Beach. Settle in, swim and snorkel the reef at the north end of the beach. Spend one evening at a sunset dinner in West Bay.
- Day 4: Morning boat trip to Stingray City and the North Sound sandbar, then lunch at Rum Point and a lazy afternoon on the hammocks.
- Day 5: Drive the island. Stop at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to see blue iguanas, visit the restored Pedro St. James great house and end with a fish lunch on the East End.
- Day 6: Fly Cayman Airways Express to Little Cayman.
- Days 7 to 9: Little Cayman. Snorkel or dive Bloody Bay, paddle to Owen Island, picnic at Point of Sand and watch the boobies return to their nests at dusk.
- Day 10: Fly back to Grand Cayman to connect home, or spend one final night on Seven Mile Beach if your flight leaves early.
On a shorter trip, drop Little Cayman and add an East End villa night instead. The change of pace is surprisingly large for an island only 22 miles long.
Budget and Costs
Cayman is one of the most expensive places in the Caribbean. It is better to plan for that than be surprised by it. These ranges are approximate and vary widely by season.
- Rooms: midrange hotels and condos on or near Seven Mile Beach often run about $350 to $600 a night in high season. The top beachfront resorts commonly pass $1,000. Little Cayman dive lodges often sell packages that include meals.
- Food: dinner for two with a cocktail each at a good restaurant can easily reach $150 to $250. Groceries cost far more than at home because nearly everything is imported.
- Activities: shared boat trips to Stingray City are moderately priced, while private charters and two-tank dives cost noticeably more.
- Transport: a rental car for a few days is usually cheaper than taxis, which are metered by set rates rather than haggled.
Condo stays with a kitchen are the classic money saver. Many restaurants also add a service charge to the bill, so check before you tip again.
Getting There and Around
Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) on Grand Cayman is well connected. American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest and the national carrier Cayman Airways all fly from the US, with year-round service from hubs including Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta and Houston and a long list of seasonal routes in winter. Schedules change often, so check current routes when you book.
Grand Cayman is easy to drive. Traffic keeps to the left, roundabouts are common and rush hour along the West Bay Road and into George Town can be slow. Rental agencies handle the visitor driving permit at the counter. Public minibuses run along the main routes during the day. Taxis wait at the airport and the larger hotels.
To reach the Sister Islands, Cayman Airways Express flies small turboprops from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman several times a day. There is no regular passenger ferry between Grand Cayman and the others, so the plane is the only practical option. Expect stricter baggage limits on these flights.
Culture and Etiquette
Caymanians are proud of a seafaring heritage that predates the banks. Older islanders still talk about the men who went to sea as merchant sailors and turtle fishermen. The population today is very mixed, with large communities from Jamaica, the Philippines, Britain and North America.
The mood is courteous and a little conservative. Greet people with a good morning or good afternoon before asking a question; launching straight into a request comes across as rude. Swimsuits belong on the beach and by the pool, so throw on a shirt and shorts before walking into a shop or restaurant in George Town. Sundays are quiet, with many businesses closed and church attendance high.
Try the local food at least once. Cayman-style fish is stewed with tomato, onion and hot pepper, conch turns up in fritters and stews and heavy cake, a dense cassava or coconut sweet, is a traditional dessert. Turtle meat is also served, mostly from the island's farm; it is legal here, though some visitors choose to skip it.
Quick tips
- Menus often quote CI dollars: a CI$100 dinner costs roughly US$120 to US$125.
- Do Stingray City early in the morning or on a day with few cruise ships in port.
- Small planes fly to Little Cayman, so pack soft bags and travel light.
