Grand Cayman Hotel Tips by tulajane

I stayed at the Turtle Nest Inn on my first trip to Cayman. I was with my Mom and my aunt, who had rather specific needs for a place to stay. They wanted apartment-style accommodations on the beach and on the ground floor. They did not want to deal with tourist crowds.

I found the Inn on the internet and it looked perfect, so I contacted owners, Marleine and Allain. I told them about the specs and they were easily able to accommodate. We got a 1 BR apt on the ground overlooking the beach and a rental car was included in the package.

When we got to Cayman, everything was just as they said it would be. The car was waiting for us, we had a map to the Inn, and when we got to the Inn the room was perfect -- clean, light and airy and right on the beach. The Inn is small and in a residential area, so we pretty much had the beacha nd pool (on the beach) to ourselves. The owners were gracious and the housekeeper was friendly. We had no complaints and spent a lovely week there.

Unique Qualities: Clean and comfortable accommodations at a good price. The location is not in the tourist area, which was a plus for us, but might be problematic for those wanting more action. Since the Inn is in Bodden Town rather than 7 Mile Beach, there weren't a lot of restaurants around - we had to drive to eat. And this is probably even more the case since Hurricane Ivan hit and destroyed the nearest restaurant to the place.

The hurricane did not destroy the Inn, though. It's still there and is fully operational.

The owners offered 2 dinner nights at the Inn - we took advantage of one of them and had a pleasant and tasty meal on the terrace with other guests.

The beach is clean and white, although there is a good bit of turtle grass in the water, so wading is kind of creepy. But if you're a real beach-person, this wouldn't bother you. There's a reef out about 50 yards and the snorkeling is pretty good. They also have a sea kayak you can use and snorkeling equipment if you didn't bring your own. The pool is small but the beach location is great, so you can sit by the pool and watch the ocean and relax with a beverage. They also have a grill that guests can use.

Our apartment had a full kitchen and we used it some, but it was more fun to go out and eat. We mostly made morning coffee and kept soft drinks in the fridge.

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Theme: Inn
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$120-180  » Currency Converter
Phone: (345) 947-8665
Address: 166 Bodden Town Road, Bodden Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands BWI
Directions: Main road in Bodden Town about 15 minutes from the airport.
Website: http://www.turtlenestinn.com/

I stayed with 2 other friends at this condo complex on the north shore of Cayman in May of last year (2005). We booked through the Turtle Nest Inn and had a rental car included in the package. This was a GREAT place!!

We got a 3 BR, 3 Bath condo with a full kitchen, dining area, living room and large balcony overlooking the ocean. The place was brand new and gorgeous!!! While the 3rd BR was small, the other 2 were nice sized. The master bath was huge! The beds were comfortable and the furnishings were very nice.

There is a pool on the beach with a covered area with a ceiling fan (nice since it's hot and sunny there). The beach was OK - there's plenty of sand and a kind of swimming lagoon that the owner created. Access to the ocean is not good since the north shore has a lot of rocky stuff in the water that's slippery and treacherous to negotiate. But we didn't care - we had a car and Rum Point was a 10 minute drive. We did our share of hanging out on the beach anyway.

Unique Qualities: Beautiful. Completely removed from any tourists and any hustle and bustle. Quiet and comfortable.

Great pool on the beach. Near Rum Point for ocean access and moderate festivity. A 30 minute drive to any action at all.

Pre-Ivan, there was a great restaurant about a 5 minute drive away, but I think it's gone now. Rum Point has a beach bar that serves pretty good lunches, but the Rum Point Restaurant (dinner) isn't that great. There's a jerk chicken stand about 10 minutes away on the south side highway that's probably back in business now. Great jerk chicken and pork at a cheap price for Cayman. And access to the East End is good so there's some eating to be had without having to drive in to town all the time.

Traffic in Cayman can be pretty bad so the north side is a good location if you're trying to get away from a lot of cars. Unfortunately, you have to drive to eat unless you want to cook.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$80-120  » Currency Converter
Phone: (345) 947-8665
Address: Old Man Bay, North Shore, Grand Cayman
Directions: At the intersection of the north/south road and the north road. There's only one north/south road, so it's easy to find.
Website: http://www.turtlenestinn.com/cayman-hotels-OB5.htm