Grand Cayman
A six-mile beach on the west coast, stingrays on a sandbar in the shallows, a wall off Little Cayman that drops a thousand feet, and a runway five minutes from George Town.
- Arrival
- Owen Roberts International · GCM
- To the city
- About 5 minutes to George Town by car
- Private jets
- General Aviation Terminal at GCM, 6 am to 9 pm
- Best time
- December to April
The city
A low island in clear water.
Grand Cayman is low and flat, and people come for the sea around it. Seven Mile Beach runs north from George Town in a crescent of pale sand with the hotels set back among the palms. Out in the shallows, dozens of southern stingrays gather on a sandbar for the boats that come each morning, and on Little Cayman the reef at Bloody Bay drops away more than a thousand feet into the trench. Inland, the Crystal Caves at Northside open into chambers of stalactites and a still underground lake.
The dry season runs from December to April, with highs around 29 to 31 °C and the sea at 26 or 27. Rain builds from May and peaks in September and October, when more than 200 mm falls in a month. The airport sits at the edge of the capital, a few minutes from the beach, so the island is reached in a morning from Miami.
Arriving
One airport, with its own terminal for private flights.
Owen Roberts International is in George Town itself, about five minutes from the centre and the southern end of Seven Mile Beach. A single runway of 8,362 feet takes everything from the national airline to transatlantic jets.
- Cancún 1 h 10
- Miami 1 h 20
- Mexico City 2 h 45
- São Paulo 8 h 10 long-range jet
- Rome 11 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
Hot in every month, with a clear dry season from December to April, when highs are 29 to 31 °C and the water 26 or 27 °C. From May the showers build, and September and October are the wettest months, with more than 200 mm each.
- 29° J 56 27°
- 29° F 44 26°
- 30° M 32 26°
- 31° A 48 27°
- 31° M 132 28°
- 32° J 184 28°
- 32° J 176 29°
- 32° A 171 29°
- 32° S 208 30°
- 31° O 234 29°
- 30° N 118 28°
- 29° D 57 27°
What to see and do
Days in and around Grand Cayman.
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Landmark
Seven Mile Beach
A 6.4-mile crescent of white sand along the west coast, from George Town up to West Bay.
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Landmark
Stingray City
A sandbar in shallow water where dozens of southern stingrays wait for the morning boats.
-
Landmark
Cayman Crystal Caves
Three caves in the woods of Northside, one of them open to the sky, one around an underground lake.
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Nature
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park
About 65 acres opened in 1994, with a Woodland Trail, a Heritage Garden of Caymanian plants and the National Trust's Blue Iguana habitat.
Official site -
Nature
Mastic Trail
A 2.3 mile path through old-growth dry forest in the Mastic Reserve, walked in about three hours with a National Trust guide.
Official site -
Culture
Pedro St James
An 18th century plantation house, the oldest stone building on Grand Cayman, standing on a bluff near Savannah.
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Culture
Cayman Islands National Museum
In the Old Courts Building on Harbor Drive, which dates from the 1830s; over 8,000 objects, from coins to a 14 foot catboat.
Official site
On the calendar
A date to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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14–17 Jan 2027
Luxury & fashion
Cayman Cookout
Food, wine and spirits festival hosted by chef Eric Ripert at The Ritz-Carlton on Seven Mile Beach, with chef demonstrations and dinners.
The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Grand Cayman, about 7 km away
In 2 months
Where to stay
Three doors onto Seven Mile Beach.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman A hundred and forty-four acres between the beach and a lagoon, with a Greg Norman golf course, tennis and Eric Ripert's restaurant Blue, and one MICHELIN Key.
- Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Kimpton's first hotel outside the United States, with 264 clean-lined rooms, suites facing the sea and kitchens the guide ranks with those of an established food city; one MICHELIN Key.
- Palm Heights Fifty-two suites on West Bay Road with marble bathrooms, an outdoor gym, a library and a beach bar, and one MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
Three tables at the Ritz-Carlton.
No MICHELIN Guide covers the Cayman Islands. Blue holds a Forbes Five-Star rating; Seven and Taikun are the steak and sushi rooms of the same hotel.
- Blue by Eric Ripert Forbes Five-Star Seafood $$$$ The Ritz-Carlton, Seven Mile Beach, about 7 km north
- Seven Ritz-Carlton restaurant Steakhouse The Ritz-Carlton, Seven Mile Beach, about 7 km north
- Taikun Ritz-Carlton restaurant Sushi The Ritz-Carlton, Seven Mile Beach, about 7 km north
Flying to Grand Cayman?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.