# Grand Cayman driving



## MelBay (Jul 4, 2009)

We got an exchange to the Morritt's Grand for 2011.  We like quiet and off-the-beaten-path, so I think this will be a good, relaxing trip for us.  I'm reading lost of posts about the necessity of a rental car.  Neither of us like driving much in a strange city (but we do it), and the thought of driving on the left side of the road makes my palms sweaty, even almost 24 months out...

So, if we don't rent a car, how would we get to the resort from the airport?  And will we have enough dining choices on that end of the island to keep us from getting bored?  We are pool/ocean rats and can easily lounge for days on end.  But the feeling of being trapped may overwhelm us.

And if we do rent a car, how hard is it to drive on the left side of the road? 

Are cabs easily available?  Just thinking ahead, as I always do which is why timesharing is such a good fit for me.


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## mecllap (Jul 4, 2009)

It's pretty easy to get the hang of driving on the left on GC.  And it's really nice to have one to go see all the various parts of the island.  The roundabouts are slightly tricky to get the hang of -- just don't go into one when there's a car already in it coming your way (go in and follow one that goes past you).  The signage is not always great, but it sounds like you have plenty of time to learn about the island (there's even an atlas online that you can google and print off the pages you need, and they will give you a map at the rental place.  Do a search on this site and you will find lots of info about car rentals, and how to get to the east side TS's.  The rental cars license plates are a different color than the residents, so they know you are a tourist, especially when you turn on your windshield wipers, instead of your turn signal.  Don't get the smallest size car unless you travel really light.


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## tim (Jul 4, 2009)

We were at Morritt's Grand in April and had a great time.  I rented a car and it was an absolute necessity.  Morritts is pretty much isolated on the east end.  It is about 20 miles or so from one end to the other.  We did lots of stuff on Seven Mile Beach and went to Rum Point and several snorkel and dive spots.  Again, the rental car was a necessity.  It may sound unbelievable, but I put 400 miles on the car in one week.  Driving on the left is not big deal.  Interestingly, the rental car I had was an American built car with the steeling wheel on the left.  So, driving on the left was a bit more of a challenge, but still pretty easy.


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## stevedmatt (Jul 5, 2009)

You will really miss out on seeing the island without a car. I agree that it is a necessity. 

Driving on the left was easy. The only real time I had an issue with it was leaving the airport the first time. There is a circle (roundabout) and you have to go around it clockwise instead of counter clockwise. Just seemed strange to me, but after that, it came easily.


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## caribbeansun (Jul 5, 2009)

MelBay said:


> So, if we don't rent a car, how would we get to the resort from the airport?



Cab - figure on about $100US each way.



> And will we have enough dining choices on that end of the island to keep us from getting bored? We are pool/ocean rats and can easily lounge for days on end.  But the feeling of being trapped may overwhelm us.


It will be a bit of a stretch but not bad for only 7 days if you plan on doing some of your own cooking.  Of course the bigger issue is that you won't see any other part of the island but that's up to you.



> And if we do rent a car, how hard is it to drive on the left side of the road?


It's not hard at all, particularly out on east end - rent from McCurley's and they'll drive you out to the resort so you don't have to deal with the traffic coming out of the airport on your first day.



> Are cabs easily available?


Nope, the only cabs I've ever seen are the ones from people coming in from the airport and there aren't many of those.


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## escargot (Jul 5, 2009)

If you really want to totally veg on the beach / at the pools and are staying one week,   you could possibly do fine without a car.

There is a casual dock restaurant/bar at Morritt's and a nice indoor restaurant.   Next door at The Reef in another dining option... indoor/outdoor.

About 2 miles away is Portofino (Italian) Restaurant.   They provide complimentary shuttle service for Morritt's guests to their restaurant at night.

There is a Foster's Express Market right across the road that actually has a pretty nice selection.   There are outdoor charcoal grills around the Morritt's Property for guest use.   You can "order" specific things you might want to grill from Foster's Express (chicken,  steaks, etc ) and they will deliver it from the main store out to East End the next day.

In the same centre as Foster's, there is an Olde English Bakery that has great fresh bread for sandwiches and excellent breakfast croissants.  There is also a liquor store in the same centre as well as a gift shop.

Now,  all that said,  as mentioned above,  if you rent from McCurley's they will drive you out to Morritt's from the airport and deliver your rental car there.  You can explore the east end,   go to Kaibo (eat casual lunch/dinner on beach and nice upstairs on weekends) ,  Rum Point (swim ,snorkel, beach, eat casual during the day and nice restaurant open at night)  eat at Over the Edge, etc .

I would definitely recommend renting a car.   If you're not comfortable driving,  just stay on that end of the island.  Either way, you'll have a great time.   A few years ago, I was so stressed when I arrived,  I only left the resort twice in a week and had a wonderful trip !!


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## itgrafix (Jul 13, 2009)

*Need help for my reservation*

I'm also planning a trip to the Caymans at Morrits but for next year and chose 2 week vacation since it's far away, so from those that have gone, is there any tours available from the resort or no?

Also, other than beach and pool, what does anyone suggest? Was a car expensive? 

If Cayman doesn't turn out to be good idea, has anyone been to Punta Cana and how did you like it? Is there more to do there than Grand Cayman?

Appreciate the help!


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## Judy (Jul 14, 2009)

tgrafix said:


> I'm also planning a trip to the Caymans at Morrits but for next year and chose 2 week vacation since it's far away, so from those that have gone, is there any tours available from the resort or no?
> 
> Also, other than beach and pool, what does anyone suggest? Was a car expensive?



Everything is expensive in Grand Cayman, but Morritt's is more so than a lot of places.  A car can save you some money if you aren't stuck at Morritt's.  Ours cost us $270 US from Hertz and renting it saved taxi fare from/to the airport.

Red Sail Sports is on site at Morritt's.  They will be happy to set you up with water-related tours, such as a sunset sail and snorkeling trips.

Any other tours arranged at Morritt's are handled by your "Resort Representative".  Since they don't work on Saturday and Sunday, you might want to contact Morritt's on a week day prior to your arrival to book something.  CAREFUL!  The "Resort Representative" is really a timeshare salesperson  

What else do I suggest?  SCUBA diving.  (see my review)


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## mecllap (Jul 14, 2009)

There are lots of different beaches, and various sites/sights to see, depending on your interests.  If you want to slog through my travel blog from my last trip, it's at http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mecllap/page-2.html
 -- and there are a few things we didn't do this time (we won't bother with the Boatswain's Beach/turtle farm again -- did that on a previous trip).  

Definitely go to the stingray sandbar; you can get a tour to it from Rum Point -- which can be a nice place to watch the sun set.

Added:  You got me longing for GC, so I went to check on the caymanactivityguide site and found this excellent trip report from a family that did more in a week than we've done on all of our trips:
http://www.caymanactivityguide.com/forums/Trip_Reports-topic9031.html


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## Jamerican71 (Jul 15, 2009)

Well, I am one that says a car is not totally necessary especially if you plan to vegetate.  I was last there in 2004 and did not rent a car.  We still made arrangements with the front desk for a day tour and saw just about the entire island except for Rum Point which will be on my itinerary for my Nov 2009 trip.  I can't remember the cost of the cab from the airport to Morritts but it was 4 of us and I remember it being fairly reasonable and we also stopped at a grocery store in between.  

Here are some quoted rates for transportation for my upcoming trip:

(it's a large group with different arrival times)

5 people  -- $95
4 people -- $80
3 people -- $60
2 people -- $50

Morritts also provides a few days of a shopping excursion to Georgetown and a separate day of island touring.   If I remember correctly, it was $40 per person.

Cabs are not easily available on that end of the island so your dining options are limited unless you make friends there who have a car.


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