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West Bay

Introduction

Vacationers along fun-loving Seven Mile Beach miss the "real" Grand Cayman, a place where homes, not condos, line quiet streets. Where children grow up in cozy neighborhoods. Where friends take time from their day to stop and say hello or to sit out in the yard and just enjoy a Caribbean afternoon.

That feeling of real life is found in West Bay, directly north of Seven Mile Beach, but a much greater distance away in terms of atmosphere. Don't look for slick swimwear shops or shipwreck jewelry here. Hotels are few. But West Bay, like the East End, is for visitors looking for the real Grand Cayman.

The shape of West Bay somewhat resembles a hammer head perched atop the hammer handle of Seven Mile Beach. The head of the hammer is the most developed area of West Bay. Here you'll find the Cayman Turtle Farm and numerous dive sites. Traveling north from Seven Mile Beach along West Bay Road, the name of the road changes to North West Point Road and follows the coastline, leading past an area that becomes more and more residential. At the Cayman Turtle Farm, a less traveled road traces the far northern edge of this region, continually switching names along the route: Boatswains Bay Road, King Road, Birch Tree Hill Road, Conch Point Road, Palmetto Point Road. Traveling west, houses become fewer and fewer and the area gives way to a swampy habitat that's a favorite with birds.

Or you can turn away from the coast and head to the inland area of West Bay to a community called Hell, a popular stop on island tours. Located, appropriately enough, on Hell Road, this small town cashes in on its unusual moniker with the expected t-shirt shops and a post office that sends off postcards franked with the obligatory Hell postmark. Nevertheless, it's a small, homey community that's worth a visit.
Follow Hell Road East onto Reverend Blackman Road and then Batabano Road to travel to the North Sound and the fishing community of Batabano. This is home of Morgans Harbour, starting point for many deep-sea fishing cruises and some tours of Stingray City. It's not as glitzy as Seven Mile Beach, but offers an interesting look at a working side of Grand Cayman.

Back to the hammerhead image: The claw of the hammer is the Barkers area of West Bay. Located north of Batabano, Barkers is also popular with birders, who find good sites off Palmetto Point Road on its northern reaches and along its many ponds.