In my opinion, 7 Mile Beach on Grand Cayman Island is THE most beautiful beach (at least of the ones that I have seen), and the Caymans have some of the best snorkeling and SCUBA diving in the world. On top of it’s beauty, the Caymans are also one of the safest places to visit in the Caribbean / Mexico, which makes it a really wonderful destination for families too. I’ve been to the Caymans about 8-10 times (I’ve honestly lost track!)…three times before I had kids, and then several times after with the kids in tow. We’ve explored the entire island, and tried just about every restaurant and excursion the island has to offer. So if you are looking for a new tropical place to visit, let me tell you all about my all-time favorite beach destination!
Here is a sample 7-day itinerary for the Cayman Islands, based on our family trip with kids in March:
This post contains affiliate links. When you book using one of these links, I get a small commission without any cost to you. Thank you!
DAY 1: TRAVEL DAY, STOCK THE KITCHEN, AND GET IN TO ISLAND MODE
The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory that are made up of three Islands; Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Grand Cayman (the largest and main island for visitors). Flights in to Georgetown, Grand Cayman (GCM) typically land in the middle of the afternoon, and if you’re traveling around spring break like we generally do, customs will be packed when you arrive (you’ll need a passport to visit here). There are only a few customs workers and they seem to get flooded with multiple flights at once.
I do recommend renting a car, as there is no Uber or Lyft on the island, and public transportation is not great. Rental cars are expensive (as is gas!), but pretty much a necessity. There will probably be lines to pick your car up too. Everything moves pretty slowly in the Caymans, so try to remain patient…you’re on vacation! It can be tough though when you’ve been traveling for hours and then waiting in lines (especially with kids), when all you want to do is get to the beach!
As far as where to stay, you MUST stay on 7 Mile Beach, and I highly recommend staying in one of the condo complexes further North, versus a hotel or other property closer to Georgetown where the cruise port is. My favorite (great value as well) is the Christopher Columbus Condos, and we also enjoyed the Cayman Club when we had a larger group. It’s so nice to have a full kitchen to make your own breakfast and lunches without having to leave the beach, plus it saves money so that you can go out for a nicer dinner. And best of all, these smaller condo complexes have private beaches that are the same size as the popular hotels, but with a fraction of the people…it’s amazing.
Once you get checked in and settled, find a casual spot for dinner like the Sunshine Grill, and then head to Foster’s Foods to stock up on groceries for the week! Note that if you are arriving on a Sunday, all shops (including grocery stores) are closed, so you’ll have to wait until Monday morning to get your supplies.
DAY 2: EXPLORE THE ISLAND, BLOW HOLES, and RUM POINT
If you’re in Grand Cayman over a Sunday, this is the best day to explore the island, as cruise ships are not allowed to dock on Sundays. I try to avoid Georgetown when the cruise ships are docked because it’s too busy. So save this itinerary for a Sunday if you can, and do a beach day on your first full day if it’s not a Sunday! Here’s a great site that has a map of all the major stops on a trip around the island.
Assuming you are staying along 7 Mile Beach, it will take about 45 minutes to get to the first stop on your road trip, The Blowholes. It’s worth stopping to see the water come shooting up from holes in the ground…it won’t be a long stop, but makes for some pretty neat pictures. Along your route from 7 Mile Beach, you’ll pass through Georgetown and Bodden Town as well. After The Blowholes, you can either continue on the road (there’s only one road) to the East End and pull over to check out some of the beaches along the way (bring sandwiches and have a picnic if you’d like), or you can backtrack a bit and cut up through the Island on Frank Sound Road and head up to Rum Point, which is the next major stop.
Rum Point has a large, public beach, pier, resort, and a couple of restaurant options. It is a nice place to spend an afternoon if you’d like to experience a different beach on the island. The beaches on the East and North sides tend to be really wavy, but Rum Point is generally a little more calm. It’s a great place to snorkel as well! Grab lunch at Kaibo, which is a fun spot right along the beach for casual fare. Rum Point is one of the excursion options for the cruise ships, so it can be busy…another reason to visit on a Sunday if you can!
If you drive just a little past Rum Point, there’s another beautiful little beach called Starfish Point. When my kids were young, we could stay there for hours and not see another person. There’s a huge sandbar there where you often see starfish…you can pick them up, but don’t take them out of the water! In recent years, this spot has become more popular, and many of the snorkel tours stop here now. If you plan to do a snorkel trip that includes Starfish Point, you can skip this stop.
DAY 3: BEACH / SNORKEL DAY
If you didn’t have a beach day on Day 2, plan to spend Day 3 relaxing on the beach outside your condo. If you’re staying at / near Christopher Columbus, there’s an excellent snorkeling spot called Cemetery Beach just a 10-minute walk North of the condo. If you walk along the beach, look for the spot with the large shade trees and likely a bunch of people (or their gear on the beach). There’s a cemetery along the road at this spot, hence the name. This one of just a few public beaches along 7 Mile Beach as well. Some condos do provide snorkel gear and fins (or you can rent it locally), but I recommend buying your own before the trip (Costco has some nice sets for a good price) and packing it in your suitcase.
If you have a water camera or waterproof cover for your phone, be sure to bring it along too…aside from the beautiful coral reefs less than 100 yards from the shore, you’ll likely see a ton of fish, some stingrays, and maybe even some sea turtles. You’re never too young or too old to snorkel either…my kids both started when they were toddlers. Just put some water wings on them and keep them close by! Also, if you would like to attract the fish toward you (I do not!), they love frozen peas…
After a long day in the surf and sun, you will surely be hungry! You’re in luck, because Grand Cayman has some really amazing restaurants to choose from. I’d recommend making reservations at least a couple of days in advance (a couple of weeks for The Wharf), and leave yourself extra time to drive in to Georgetown for dinner because traffic can be tough at that time of day.
The Wharf is a must-do in Grand Cayman…make a reservation well in advance, make it for around sunset, and ask for a table by the water. This is one of the best spots along the water on the island, and if you have younger kids they can feed the Tarpon the seafood scraps right off the dock (they love it…the kids and the fish!). They typically have a harpist that goes around to the tables to perform, and the food is excellent too.
Other restaurants that we love for dinner include The Brasserie (delicious farm-to-table food…ask if they will give you a tour of their garden right onsite!), The Falls Steakhouse (great option when you’re in the mood for steak…dark and moody atmosphere), Ragazzi (great wine list) or Le Vele (beautiful outdoor seating) for Italian food, Ristorante Pappagallo for a unique, tropical atmosphere and food, and Grand Old House which is an old plantation with beautiful ocean views. When my kids were young, the server took them back in the kitchen to meet the chef and make their own dessert!
DAY 4: SNORKEL TOUR INCLUDING STINGRAY CITY
At some point in the trip, you must plan a half-day or full-day snorkel trip that includes a stop at Stingray City. Plan to do this early / mid-week just in case of weather-related rescheduling. There are many options for tours, depending on your preferences and group size. Here are a couple of options through Trip Advisor like this half-day private boat tour, or this half-day option that can be done via jet ski. We have done both and they were great. The jet ski guides go pretty fast, so if you don’t have the need for speed, go for the private boat instead! The tours usually include some drinks, and sometimes lunch as well. On our last tour, we grabbed some fresh conch while snorkeling, and then our captain made a delicious civiche for us right on the boat.
If you have a bigger group (maybe 6-10), a private charter like this one is a really nice option too. We did a private sailboat tour once for six of us and it made for such a pleasant and relaxing day. You can customize where you want to go, if you want to fish, snorkel, etc. The kids even got to drive the boat!
If you’re not in to snorkeling or don’t feel like getting out at one of the stops, that’s perfectly fine too. But in my opinion, the one place you MUST get out is at Stingray City. My kids freaked out the first time we went there, as they thought the stingrays would be behind glass like an aquarium, and didn’t realize we would be up close and personal with them! Your guide will bring food so you can feed them, they will pick them up so you can touch them (they feel like velvet!) and you can pose for pictures with them. It’s worth doing at least once.
DAY 5: BEACH DAY / PADDLE BOARDING OR SCUBA DIVING TRIP
If you have any interest in SCUBA diving, this is the place to try it! If you think you might want to go more than once, be sure to plan this early in the week. Remember, you can’t SCUBA dive the day before you fly, and you want to have some buffer in case of a weather delay. If you’re already certified, you can book a trip out with any of the local dive shops, and customize what you want to see, how deep you want to go, etc. If you are not certified or want to try diving for the first time, find a dive shop like this one that offers a “resort course”. They offer a morning lesson in a swimming pool, and then in the afternoon (or later in the week) you can go out diving with an instructor. Typically, the minimum age is around 10 for the resort course, but make sure your child is really comfortable in deep water before signing up. My son has done it a few times and loved it, and my dad has done this too!
If you’re not in to SCUBA diving, another option to make your beach day a little more adventurous is to rent some paddle boards and/or kayaks. Some of the condos will have them for you to use, but we rented them from a place like this one that dropped the equipment off for us at our condo, and picked it up when we were done. If you’re staying on 7 Mile Beach, the water is generally very calm and you can paddle board or kayak right off the beach there. Tons of fun and a great workout too!
DAY 6: SUBMARINE RIDE AND SOUVENIR SHOPPING
A great option if you end up with a bad weather day, or maybe need a break from the sun (warning, the sun is intense in the Caymans!) a ride on the Atlantis Submarine is a fun thing to do for all ages. They also offer night dives on Mondays and Wednesdays, which would be really cool. You start out on the outside of the boat for a bit (we had dolphins swimming alongside us!) and then eventually you go down the ladder inside and under the water, and the submarine goes down to a depth of 100 feet. It’s a great way to see some of the underwater life without having to get wet. I suggest making a reservation in advance for this outing, and ideally a little later in the afternoon so you don’t have to deal with the cruise crowds.
After your submarine adventure, you can walk around the shops in downtown Georgetown to pick up some souvenirs. You’ll find a lot of the usual things like t-shirts and ornaments, but there are also a lot of neat jewelry shops, as well as beautiful art and framed photography that you can have shipped home if you like. Since you’re in the area, this would be a great night to do dinner at The Brasserie, Le Vele, or Grand Old House.
DAY 7: FINAL BEACH DAY
If you’ve read through my other beach vacation itineraries, you’ll know that I always plan a low-key beach day for the last day to soak in the final rays of sunshine and relax. Maybe take one more walk down to Cemetery Beach for a snorkel, or keep those paddle boards to play around off the shore. You can also use this day as a back-up if your snorkel trip had to be cancelled earlier in the week.
To end the trip, plan your last dinner at a restaurant along the water like The Wharf, Le Vele, or Grand Old House so that you can enjoy one last sunset before making the trip back home.