Cayman Islands

Seven Mile Beach is where most visitors stay, and the strip runs the full spectrum from luxury to mid-range. The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman anchors the luxury end with beachfront rooms from around $700 a night in high season, a Greg Norman-designed golf course, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Blue restaurant. The Kimpton Seafire Resort, opened in 2017, brought a more contemporary design sensibility to the strip, with rates from $500 and an excellent spa.

For families, the Westin Grand Cayman and Marriott Grand Cayman are reliable choices in the $300 to $500 range with pools, kids' programs, and direct beach access. The most interesting mid-range option is Sunshine Suites Resort, set a block back from Seven Mile Beach with rates from $180 that include breakfast and a free shuttle to the sand - it is the best value on the island.

Budget travelers face a challenge in Grand Cayman, which is one of the Caribbean's most expensive destinations, but guesthouses and Airbnbs in Bodden Town and East End start around $100 to $130 a night. For divers headed to Little Cayman, the Little Cayman Beach Resort is an all-inclusive dive package property from around $350 a night including meals and two-tank dives. Cayman Brac has the more affordable Cayman Brac Beach Resort from $200 with solid shore diving directly off the property.

Cayman cuisine blends Jamaican, British, and Central American influences, with turtle stew as the traditional signature dish - still served at a few local spots, though increasingly controversial. The everyday Caymanian staples are fish rundown (a coconut-milk stew), heavy cake (a dense cassava dessert), and conch fritters.

On Seven Mile Beach, the dining scene has grown increasingly sophisticated. Blue by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton is the island's fine dining pinnacle, with a Caribbean-French tasting menu priced around $150 per person and a wine cellar that rivals mainland restaurants. Agua at the Kimpton Seafire serves excellent wood-fired seafood with a Peruvian accent. For something more relaxed, Coccoloba at the Kimpton does beachfront lunch and dinner with creative cocktails. Off the resort strip, Brasserie on the waterfront in George Town serves polished bistro fare with harbor views.

The real flavor of Cayman lives in the local spots away from Seven Mile Beach. Vivine's Kitchen in the Bodden Town area serves authentic Caymanian plates - oxtail, stewed turtle, and fish rundown with rice and beans for $12 to $15. Heritage Kitchen in West Bay is a wooden shack behind the owner's house where Captain Herman serves fried fish, conch fritters, and cold Caybrew beer at picnic tables under an almond tree. Chicken! Chicken! on West Bay Road does excellent jerk and rotisserie chicken at prices that feel merciful after the resort restaurants.

Kaibo Beach Bar on the North Side is worth the 30-minute drive for the sunset happy hour, conch ceviche, and a more local atmosphere than anything on Seven Mile Beach.

Grand Cayman's peak season runs mid-December through April, with warm days in the low to mid-80s Fahrenheit, low humidity, and almost no rain. Hotel rates hit their maximum from Christmas through Easter, and Seven Mile Beach restaurants book up weeks in advance for dinner. The shoulder months of May and November offer warm weather and reduced pricing.

Hurricane season runs June through November, with September and October carrying the highest risk - Grand Cayman took a catastrophic hit from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and the island takes storm preparedness seriously. Summer brings hotter temperatures in the upper 80s with occasional afternoon showers, but hotel rates drop 30 to 40 percent and the diving conditions remain excellent.

Pirates Week festival in November is a uniquely Caymanian celebration with parades, fireworks, and a mock pirate invasion of George Town harbor.

Rental cars drive on the left. Public minibuses run on Grand Cayman. Taxis available at the airport and cruise terminal. The islands are compact and easy to navigate.