Tuesday Travel: The Cayman Islands

Have you ever had the desire to visit Tortuga?  Ever wondered if the place really exists?  Yes it does and the Cayman Islands are it…technically.  This is a place I have been six times with and without children so I know it well and it's probably my favorite place in the Caribbean.

The Cayman Islands were first sighted by Christopher Columbus on May 10, 1503  (the guy really got around).  He named the islands Las Tortugas after the number of sea turtles there.  That's right, "Sea Turtles Mate".  They were later renamed by Sir Francis Drake in 1586, The Cayman Islands after caiman which means alligator.  The man must have been drinking a lot of rum to mistake an iguana for an alligator but the name stuck.

The Caymans were largely uninhabited until the 17th century when an eclectic mix of pirates, English, Spanish, Africans and whomever was ship wrecked began to colonize the islands.  The nation was under British rule (wasn't everybody) until 1962 when they became a separate Crown colony.  They are a tax exempt destination thanks to rescuing a group of 10 British merchant ships stuck on the reef.  King George III promised to never introduce taxes, which means I'm moving there next.   The Caymans enjoy the highest standard of living in the Caribbean.

There are three islands in the chain:  Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac,  and Little Cayman.  They are located south of Cuba and west of Jamaica on the Cayman Ridge.  That drop off is about 8,000 ft. and makes for some cool wall dives.  The Caymen Trench was the setting for the movie The Abyss.  It's one of my favorites.  The main population of the app. 55,000 residents lives on Grand Cayman where the bulk of the tourist development is.  Weather is warm to very warm with hurricane season occurring from June-October.

These are all small flatish islands but so much fun, so where to start.  For me that's always underwater.  The  Caymans offer some of the best diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean with healthy protected reefs and wonderful visibility.  No worries if you don't want to get your face in the water as there are operations that offer a shallow submarine and semi submersed experiences.  One of the funnest things I have ever done there was a swim with the stingrays at Stingray City.  The water is shallow and you shuffle around while the behavior conditioned stingrays come in to feed on bait scattered around you.  My kids have done this and the risk is very low.

Above water there is also much to do.  Little Cayman is chilled and laid back so relax is the order of the day.  Cayman Brac has a lot of hiking terrain and caves where residents used to hide from the hurricanes. On Grand Cayman, variety is the spice.  You can go to Hell and send yourself a postcard which arrives a couple weeks later at your home in the arctic tundra and you can reminisce about being in Hell.  It's really a cool landscape of erie rocks and such or an extended trip with kids.  Kidding, but it's fun to say you have been there.  There's also the Turtle Farm where turtles are raised and Seven Mile Beach with gorgeous powder white sand.  For a slice of laid back paradise, drive all the way around to the other side of the island to Rum Point and find yourself in much more solitude.

In Georgetown my must visits when I visit are the rum cake shops where samples rule (the closest I've ever come to drinking), and a jaunt through the shops where I don't spend money because I hate shopping except for T-shirts.  Restaurants are plenty, good and diverse, but plan on spending a bit more than say Cozumel because the exchange rate isn't favorable to most currency.  Every November, if you can swing it, the islands have a pirate festival and all things pirate abound. Dressing up is good fun as are all of the activities for 1 1/2 weeks.

This review barely skims the surface.  So come by cruise ship or plane and discover it for yourself.  It's my quintessential Caribbean.