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Where to Stay
Seven Mile Beach boasts the lion's share of accommodations in the Cayman Islands. You'll find both luxury resorts and budget accommodations, lavish condominiums and economical motels. Not all accommodations are on the beach itself, but, with public beaches throughout, none are more than a few minutes' walk to the water.
Hotels & Resorts
Caribbean Club, (345) 945-4099, fax (345) 945-4443. $$. Eighteen one- and two-bedroom pastel pink villas offer seaside relaxation. Six of the villas are beachfront; others have a garden view. All rooms include a full kitchen, air-conditioning, ceiling fan, TV, phone, dining room, and furnished patio.
Grand Pavilion, (345) 945-5656, fax (345) 945-5353. $$$. One of Grand Cayman's most lavish hotels, resembling a Southern plantation, the Grand might be a little stuffy for some vacationers. The hotel includes two restaurants, two bars, a gym, 24-hour room service, and other services aimed at business and convention travelers. Not the place you want to drag into with the impression of a snorkel mask stamped into your face, dripping seawater and sand.
Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman, (800) 233-1234, (345) 949-1234; fax (345) 949-8528. $$. One of Grand Cayman's most beautiful resorts, the Hyatt is located on both sides of the road. It has a private beach club with full watersports. You may recognize parts of this resort from the movie
The Firm (it's where Gene Hackman and Tom Cruise stayed).
"THE FIRM"
The first look that many visitors had of Grand Cayman was in the 1993 movie The Firm, starring Gene Hackman, Tom Cruise, Holly Hunter, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. The film included 350 local Caymanians as extras and prominently featured sites around the island.
Many of the scenes were shot at the Hyatt Regency. The pool bar, the garden, Loggia Lounge, the front drive, and other spots around the property were included in the film. Except for Tom Cruise, who rented a private home, the stars stayed at the Hyatt Regency and Britannia Villas.
The crew members were stationed down at the Sleep Inn and George Town Villas, and the Paramount offices were set up in what's now the Clarion Grand Pavilion. Other locations that appear in the movie include:
Cheeseburger Reef: Check out the characters of Avery and Mitch scuba diving this shallow west coast site during their first stay on the island. (Hackman and Cruise actually did the dive shot themselves. Bob Soto's Diving Ltd. provided the watersports services for the film and their Holiday Diver custom dive boat was repainted as "Abanks Dive Lodge.")
George Town: The intersection of Harbour Drive and Cardinal Avenue was the location of a phone booth that the Gene Hackman character uses as Mitch (Cruise) first sees the Abanks Dive Lodge advertisement.
Abanks Dive Lodge: This set was constructed on North Sound in Newlands. The site is still standing.
Holiday Inn Pool Bar: Listen for the background music of the Barefoot Man in this scene.
Hyatt Regency Aquas Pool Bar: The Jeanne Tripplehorn character surprises Avery (Hackman) at this bar.
Movie buffs, enjoy!
The 235-room hotel includes many levels of rooms and suites plus luxury villas. With landscaping as beautiful as a botanical garden, the hotel flows from a great main house to grounds dotted with royal palms and ponds filled with colorful koi, and a freeform swimming pool, complete with bridges and pool bar.
All rooms have air-conditioning, mini-bar, satellite TV, coffee-makers, telephones, and more. Resort facilities include four restaurants and five bars, private beach club, pool and hot tub, dive shop, 24-hour room service, watersports, dive shop, golf, health club, beauty spa, and more. Several packages are available.
EARTH WATCH: The Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman offers a unique cultural program to introduce guests to the island's history, culture, flora and fauna. Horticultural tours, led by the resort's landscaping experts, point out sea grape, travelers' palm, silver thatch palm, and more. For a peek at the island's past, visitors can talk with a local historian. For more hands-on experiences, a coconut husker teaches the secrets of obtaining the edible portions of this thick fruit, while local artists show the skills needed to make rope, baskets and hats from silver thatch palms.
The Great House, (800) 235-5888, (345) 945-4144, fax (345) 949-7471. $$$$. This third-floor apartment, used by The Firm filmmakers, includes three bedrooms and a den that can become a private fourth bedroom. It has one king, one queen, and two twin beds, plus two day beds.
Kitchen with microwave, 3½ baths, satellite TV and VCR, dishwasher, icemaker, wine cellar, washer/dryer, dining room, and beachfront balcony are found in the apartment as well. Guests have use of a freshwater pool, tennis courts, and gym on premises. This luxury accommodation is rented with a minimum of a one-month stay and the price is princely: US$30,975 per month.
Indies Suites, (800) 654-3130, (345) 947-5025; fax (345) 947-5024. $$. Although it doesn't have a beachfront location, Indies Suites is a good choice if you're looking for suite accommodations. All rooms include either a king-size or two double beds and a full-size kitchen equipped for four. They also have satellite TV, telephone, storage locker for dive gear, and a convertible sofa bed.
The family-operated all-suites hotel has a dive shop and an introductory scuba diving course is free. There's a pool, hot tub, cabana bar, boutique, mini-mart, and complimentary continental breakfast daily.
Marriott Grand Cayman, (800) 223-6388, (345) 949-0088; fax (345) 949-0288. $$. Located two miles from George Town and about four miles from the airport, this convenient property (formerly the Radisson) sits on a beautiful stretch of Seven Mile Beach. Swimmers and snorkelers can enjoy calm waters and a small coral reef just offshore or learn scuba diving or book dive trips through the on-site shop. Oceanfront rooms include private balconies with good beach views and are worth a somewhat long walk to the elevators in this 315-room hotel. Facilities include casual and fine dining, pool and hot tub, dive shop, waverunners, windsurfing boards, shopping arcade, and a full-service spa.
Sleep Inn, (800) SLEEP INN, (345) 949-9111; fax (345) 949-6699. $$. If you're just looking for a centrally located place to lay your head after a day of fun in the sun, the Sleep Inn is a good choice. This chain motel is just outside of George Town along the Seven Mile Beach stretch (the hotel itself is not on the beach). Rooms have air-conditioning and telephones. The property has a pool and whirlpool, poolside bar and grill, dive shop, and watersports center.
Treasure Island Resort, (800) 327-8777, (345) 949-7777, fax (345) 949-8489. $$. This 280-room resort includes an offshore snorkel trail. Now starting to look a little tired around the edges, the hotel nonetheless has a pretty pool area with waterfall cascading down from the third-floor restaurant. Facilities include two freshwater pools, two whirlpools, tennis, dive operation, shopping, informal dining, bar and lounge.
Westin Casuarina Resort, (800) 228-3000, (345) 945-3800; fax (345) 949-5825. $$$. The newest hotel in Grand Cayman is built on a strip of beach bordered by willowy casuarina trees. The hotel has 340 guest rooms, most with breathtaking views of the sea from step-out balconies. It has the feel of a conference property, with a slightly dress-up atmosphere in the main lobby. Facilities include beachfront, casual and fine dining restaurants, pools, whirlpools, tennis, fitness facilities, beauty salons, masseuse and masseur. Rates are, as would be expected in a resort of this caliber, pricey.
TRIVIA: The casuarina trees found along the Westin's beach have long been used by fishermen offshore to get their bearings.
Condos
Avalon Condominiums, (345) 945-4171, fax (345) 945-4189. $$$$. These oceanfront properties each offer three bedrooms and three baths. Designed with tropical decor and each with a large, screened lanai overlooking Seven Mile Beach, the condos each include cable TV, fully equipped kitchens, and laundry facilities; guests have use of a fitness center, lighted tennis courts, freshwater pool, and Jacuzzi. Daily maid service is available except on Sundays and certain holidays. From mid-December through mid-April, a seven-night minimum is enforced.
Discovery Point Club, (345) 945-4724, fax (345) 945-5051. $$. This beachside condominium complex offers 45 suites. The one- and two-bedroom apartments have air-conditioning, screened porches or balconies, telephone, and TV. Units have kitchens, but some garden-view hotel-type units are available without kitchens. Facilities include Jacuzzi, pool, and tennis. Children under six stay free.
Grand Bay Club, (800) 825-8703, fax (345) 945-5681. $$. This 21-unit complex is quiet and peaceful, with well-furnished rooms that have air-conditioning, telephones, TV, VCRs, kitchens, laundry facilities, and maid service. Tennis, fishing, and snorkeling available.
Plantana Condominiums, (345) 945-4430, fax (345) 945-5076. $$. This 49-unit complex offers elegant condominium accommodations just steps from the beach. Two- and four-guest units are available, all with air-conditioning, ceiling fans, telephones, television, kitchens, maid service and laundry facilities.
Seven Mile Beach Resort and Club, (345) 949-0332, fax (345) 949-0331. $$$. Located inland but with private beach facilities, this condominium property has two-bedroom, two-bath units. Each has private balcony, air-conditioning, telephone, cable TV, VCR, and a fully equipped kitchen. The complex includes a freshwater pool, Jacuzzi, lighted tennis court, outdoor grills, and childrens' play area. Seven Mile Watersports arranges trips to Stingray City and has complete dive facilities, including resort and certification courses. Rates for one to four people (children under 12 free).
Villas of the Galleon, (345) 945-4433, fax (345) 945-4705. $$ (two to six guests). Within walking distance of Seven Mile Beach hotspots, this 74-unit complex is popular for its well-furnished units. Rooms include air-conditioning, telephone, TV, VCR, kitchen, laundry facilities, and maid services.
CRUISE SHIPS
Cruise ship call on George Town, Grand Cayman. Lines include: Carnival, Celebrity, Chandris, Costa, Crown Commodore, Crystal, Cunard, Epirotiki, Hapag Lloyd, Holland America, Kloster, Majestic, Norwegian Caribbean, Premier, Princess, Radisoon, Regency, Renaissance, Royal, Rotal Caribbean, Seaborn, Starlite, Sun Line and Ulysses.
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