TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Back from Grand Cayman

We recently returned from two weeks on Grand Cayman Island instead of our usual two weeks at our time share, OBBR, in Sint Maarten. We stayed on Seven Mile Beach at the Comfort Suites. Very disappointed in Grand Cayman and the Seven Mile Beach. The beach lounges were VERY close together, much more so than Dawn and Orient beaches. And it wasn’t particular to the beach in front of the Comfort Suites, it was the same next next door at the Marriott and as far down the beach as we could see.

Because the Cayman Islands are closer to North America than are the Leeward and Windward Islands, it was cold and very windy the first week of our vacation because of how cold it was up north. Too cold and windy to go on the beach. Another reason (one of many) to vacation in Sint Maarten.

Comfort Suites was a very nice place to stay with a great buffet breakfast and 24 hour-day-coffee included in the cost. However, we paid almost twice as much to stay there compared to the costs, including maintenance fees, at our time share and did not have a kitchen. But all of Grand Cayman is expensive. We were conveniently located for short walks to many restaurants. Coconut Joe’s was our favorite.

We won’t return but will be back to OBBR next year.

TY for your honest assessment of an Island I’ve often thought about, and funny thing, the two negatives you cited - cost factor and closeness of beach lounges - are the two things that have always caused us to say ‘maybe next year’ with regard to the Caymans.

And with regard to the cold, we spent New Years on St John and the USVI one year and couldn’t believe the differences in water temps between there and St. Maarten. But it was still a very pleasant vacation.

Before we settled in on Sint Marteen, we visited the Caymans several times. We generally enjoyed the entire Island and SMB. However we have come to prefer St Martin by far. Cayman is far more expensive in every aspect and quite honestly it does not have the diversity that Sint Marteen has (Food, people, beaches etc...). But to each his own.....

We've been to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman several times. Beautiful. Entirely different than Grand Cayman. Real places with real people. Excellent diving too on the Bloody Bay Wall.

Grand Cayman is much more expensive than SXM for sure. I don't enjoy paying $45 for a case of beer...BUT the rest depends on where you stay . We stayed on the East end (Wyndham Reef Resort, one BR, full kitchen, ocean front, balcony) which most would consider way out there but it was quiet, had a gazillion, reasonably separated beach lounges with umbrellas, nice beach to walk and the most tropical fish I have ever seen in one place. Nightly feeding of the Frigate birds was also interesting. Short drive to an area where you can watch huge sea turtles swimming near shore.

Definitely need a car but that gets you to VISIT Seven Mile Beach which I found to be another great beach to walk.(think Aruba)...and visit Rum Point which is the most like a SXM comfy toes-in-the-sand place the have drinks and food. There are also quite a few roadside local stands selling some great, reasonable priced food. Great roads and friendly people.

It's hard to dislike a whole Island because of your choice of accommodations. If I had stayed in the Comfort Suites I might also be jaded.

Definitely not SXM....but a different place to go with different reasons to go .and...at a TS exchange rate of $189 for a week makes it a no-brainer. Going back in May

Pluses of Grand Cayman
Sidewalks
Paved, comfortable, well lit roads
No burning garbage stench
Relative peace in tourist areas
Great beaches
All modern conveniences
Over the top diving and sea life
Excellent fishing


Missing in Grand Cayman but found in St Maarten
Mountainous scenery
Nearby islands
Mixed cultures and languages
International food
Amazing yacht culture
Nude and topless beaches
Friendly locals

You misunderstood. I didn't say I disliked the whole island because of the accommodations, I said "Comfort Suites was a very nice place to stay with a great buffet breakfast and 24 hour-day-coffee included in the cost." What I didn't like were the crowded beach at SMB (which as I said, was not just in front of the Comfort Suites), expensive, and the proximity to North America which made it colder than Sint Maarten. We went to a couple other beaches on GC, but weren't impressed. Couldn't find a beach where the sea didn't have a lot of rocks and coral. Maybe missed them.

Clearly, GC is more of an upscale island than most Caribbean Islands.

I never smelled burning garbage in SXM. Must be because of where we stay.