# If you had to choose ... Aruba or Grand Cayman?



## krmlaw

Im going to start searching for our next TS trip to the caribbean. We already have St Martin and Cabo, Mexico booked. 

DH and I want to try Aruba and Grand Cayman, so we are looking for advice ... Which would you pick and why?

Thanks!


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## Htoo0

We recently spent two weeks in Aruba. The first was in the low-rise area which we really enjoyed. Walked out our ocean front ground unit on to a great beach. Second week was in the high-rise area which we didn't care for as much although there was much more choice for restaurants and stores. Traffic downtown was mind-boggling so we didn't drive much. Did rent a Jeep to see the undeveloped side (the caves, etc.) Nice island but we found the water pretty cool. From what I can find it really isn't much different than Cayman but it definitely felt colder. If you like gambling this is the place to go and we heard there was more night life too.
 We've been to Grand Cayman quite a bit as we own at morritts on the east side and BIL owns at 7milebeach. We really enjoy the island and DW thinks the diving is better. Much more activity in the 7 Mile Beach  area although I don't believe there are any casinos or much nightlife. The east side is much less developed which is something we like. 
So I would say if you like diving, snorkeling, swimming, relaxing on the beach and taking it easy I would recommend Grand Cayman. You can do that at Aruba as well but as I said we thought the water somewhat uncomfortable. If gambling and/or partying is important then go with Aruba. We certainly don't regret visiting Aruba but we are in no hurry to go back. That's just our 2 cents however.


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## lprstn

I would chose the Cayman Islands because the beaches are much, much better.  We enjoyed Aruba also, but we are beach people and were dissapointed at the beaches.


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## Smooth Air

We loved Aruba the last time we were there & are going back on Saturday!! I will send you a report when we return.

We are considering GC for 2010. What are the top 2 or 3 Timeshare/Interval International properties on 7MB? 

Smooth Air


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## caribbeansun

You're going to hear from both camps so I'll wade in as pro-Cayman.

We enjoy Cayman because it's quite, relaxing, a short plane ride, clean and relatively crime-free.  The diving is first rate and we can drive to seven mile beach if we want a night out.  We also own a condo there.

Aruba was okay to visit but never again - the 6am beach chair trolls, the never ending wind, the Americanization (read that as any place with a Hooters is not of interest), the sheer volume of people on the beaches were a turn off.  We did enjoy the restaurants and casinos though.


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## krmlaw

Whats more expensive, ie, eating out, groceries?


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## lll1929

I have only been to Grand Cayman once and I think their prices are higher than Aruba.  I am fairly young (under 40) so nightlife is a must, therefore I prefer Aruba.  Although Palm Beach is not the best (overcrowded and smells sometimes), there are some nice beaches in Aruba.

Driving in Aruba isn't difficult as long as you get directions.  You really can't get lost since the island is soo small, but it can be adventurous.

Good luck on your choice and enjoy your many trips!!


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## scotlass

Speaking of driving, be aware that on GC they drive on the left.


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## Htoo0

Grand Cayman- home of the $10 hamburger. Not that Aruba was super cheap. I don't mean to imply $100 a plate meals at either place although you can pay that without much trouble if you wish. We stayed at Aruba Beach Club which is in what they refer to as the low-rise area the 1st week and the beaches were very nice and not overly crowded during our stay. We were able to get a beach chair under a palm cabana any time. The high-rise area on the other hand was very crowded with little chance of relaxing in solitude. (Beach chairs were packed tightly together in long rows with barely walking room between ends.) We didn't even try to get one as we like to sleep in. Both are fairly small islands. Perhaps we arrived in Aruba at rush hour but the taxi ride through downtown was a hair-raising experience. Everyone "pushing" their way through intersections with only millimeters to spare. Several times we thought a bus or truck would crawl right over us. In fact, one car was crushed by a bus while we were there. The maps we found were woefully inadequate with few streets marked but we had fun driving the back 'roads' (trails?) in what might be described as the outback. Grand Cayman traffic can be very slow (especially downtown) but most seem to drive quite safely. The many traffic circles can be challenging because of they do drive on the  left. Aruba does have constant winds which seems to help with the heat whereas Grand Cayman can be pretty hot during it's summer months.


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## mecllap

There's a link to my travel blog about Grand Cayman in this thread:  http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88685

And my reviews of The Grand Caymanian II resort and Seven Mile Beach resort are in the reviews section.  No gambling on GC; lots of watering holes with varying amounts of activity (The Wharf on Friday is pretty hopping; The Reef is usually busy, etc.).  

Haven't been to Aruba, but don't think I'm tempted to go there either.


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## krmlaw

thanks everyone - looks like I have to put BOTH of them on my to do list  DH is gonna kill me! haha.


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## Judy

krmlaw said:


> DH and I want to try Aruba and Grand Cayman


Grand Cayman is by far the better choice for diving and snorkeling, but if you don't dive or snorkel, then search for both and pick the one that comes up first. Or check airfares and go where you find the best bargain.  Next vacation, go to the other island.


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## judyjht

I would not go back to Aruba - I hated the wind!!  It never stops.


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## Smooth Air

For what it's worth....the last time we were in Aruba, it was not windy & there was  no odor from the water @ the beach. This was during Christmas week 2000. We spent every day....all day...playing in the water....swimming, floating on "floats", water football, Frisbee, etc & going for long walks on the beach. There was no problem finding a chair @ the beach.

We are going back on Saturday so I will report when we return.

Smooth Air


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## krmlaw

Odor from the water? Fill me in ...


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## lvhmbh

A while ago they had some problems near the Marriott and HI with an overabundance of bottom "grass" which could cause an odor.  They have since dredged and don't have that problem - I'm sure I would have heard as I'm in Aruba now.  We come of Aruba every year.  We were only in Grand Cayman for a day and there were 5 ships in so it was pretty much a zoo.   We took a helicopter ride to see Stingray City (it was closed due to high seas which the tour operators failed to disclose as they sold their boatrides - mgr. said they'd have to give the money back but.... we used Soto Tours and they told us right away that it was closed) and then went out to Seven Mile to have a - very expensive but very good burger at Hemingways.   We also enjoyed ourselves at a bar called Rackams on the harbor.  We pretty much decided that Grand Cayman was okay but prefer Aruba.  I actually like the wind which helps when you're golfing.  JMHO, Linda


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## lvhmbh

Should add that I know one day is not enough to judge an island.  We've been coming to Aruba for 13 years and never get tired of it so I'm very prejudiced!


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## stmartinfan

We've made several trips to Grand Cayman and one to Aruba.  Vacations at both locations were good, but I'd go back to Cayman before returning to Aruba.  (That said, we prefer St. Maarten to either of them.)  Both Cayman and Aruba seem much more Americanized, with some of the chain restaurants, etc.  Cayman wins on beaches to me, and we found the Aruba wind annoying to be wearing after a week.  I think it's pricier in Cayman, but if you're timesharing, meals in can help some.


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## rachel

I Love Aruba. We go back every year.


rachel


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## MuranoJo

We've been to both, and had fun at both locations, honestly.  Never noticed the winds on Aruba, but we were at Casa del Mar in the summertime, and had a blast.

At Cayman, we were at Morritts Grand during a quiet time and felt a bit isolated, but it was a great resort and marvelous unit with full view of the ocean from a huge deck.  Years ago before timesharing, we had a rental downtown at the Plumtree (?) resort and had a riot so close to town and nightlife.  From our groundfloor unit, we could walk 40 feet and be in a pool, or 80 feet and be on the beach.  I think they've completely renovated that area since then, as I didn't recognize it last time we were there.


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## Larry

*Love Aruba and would try Grand Cayman again*

Here is another Aruba lover. Been to both and clearly feel the weather in Aruba is far superior to Grand Cayman. As a matter of fact when we were in Grand Cayman a couple of years ago in mid December the wind was the worst that I have ever experienced anywhere and it rained 3 out of the seven days we were there including one day of non stop rain from morning till night. It almost never rains in Aruba from Mid December through March which is our favorite time to go. Whenever we have been to Aruba the weather has been 80-85 with a refreshing constant wind that is the closest thing to outdoor air conditioning I have ever experienced and find the wind refreshing.

When it has rained it never lasted more than 1/2 hour followed by glorious sunshine. We also enjoy nightlife which is far more abundant in Aruba than Grand Cayman and think the beaches in Aruba are fabulous so don't understand why anyone could hate the beaches there. 

I will say that Grand Cayman has the clearest water that I have ever seen and is great for snorkling but we don't dive so if you do dive Grand Cayman would be better from what I have read. I also thought the choice of fine dining was much better in Aruba with a lot more variety of restaurants. 

Bottom line is we love Aruba and would give Grand Cayman another try because we did enjoy the 4 days of good weather that we had, so maybe we just picked a bad week and next time weather will be better.


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## m61376

Another vote for Aruba here. We went to Grand Cayman once and it was enough for us.

While I notice that many here have complained about the wind on Aruba, that's actually a real positive for us. I can lay on the beach, read a book, and not feel like I am roasting. Sun-worshippers may feel differently.

Aruba has it all- not too far a flight from the Northeast at least, great weather year around (below the hurricane belt, so that's a biggie depending upon time of year), comfortable breezes, beautiful beaches with some good snorkeling, great sunsets (a personal favorite), nice resorts and great restaurants. Driving is easy, imho- even if you get a little lost, it's a small island so you find your way relatively easily. Maybe it is because we drive frequently in NYC, but we never encountered the crazy driving mentioned above. Also- while it may not be on a highlight list- there is some great jewelry shopping if you are so inclined   ....


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## Kel

*I like both!*

I think it's good that you added them both to your list!  We've been to Aruba five times and Grand Cayman three times.  We prefer the east end of Grand Cayman.  They are both great places to visit.  

Cheers!


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## krmlaw

Well, i think im gonna start looking and grab whichever comes up first. with the second place for the next year.


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## questor4evr

Head-up on Grand Caman Island; No one has mentioned this but a few yrs ago we exchanged into a 3 bdm O/F @ Plantation Village Resort (PLV) thru II & were shocked at check-in when PLV told us we had to pay a $235.00 (U.S.)
 "Gov't Energy Island Tax"  before we'd get our condo
keys! It's a considerable vacation expense all should be aware of/budget for before plannning your vacation. That said, we loved PLV (on 7 mi. beach)! It was clean, quiet, & we rode the free bikes into Georgetown (GT-the Capitol) & for groceries. If you visit the island, go swimming w/the stingrays at stingray city" it's wild! Go on the "The Thriller" off-shore 53 seater/53 footer/twin Yanmar diesel engine-1,000+hp speed boat that sprays 60' rooter-tails! It's a RUSH! You buzz the huge cruise ships/buzz from SW side to the North side/stop & swim/food/ drinks (byo) at the most beautiful "Public Beach" /then fly back to GT.  Leaving at the airport can be slow/hot/hectic & oh yea; I think the Gov't hits you w/a small departure tax too.


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## Htoo0

Some years ago Grand Cayman started a timeshare tax. Think it's $10CI or $12.50USD per night. Think the departure tax at the airport is still $10CI as well. However, our stay in Aruba had both a nightly tax and an energy charge. It added up to $8USD per night but I understand it varies. 
Provided you don't scare easily I wouldn't miss 'Stingray City" in Grand Cayman. The story goes fishermen used to stand on the sandbar (about waist deep) and clean their their fish. Now visitors can interact with the stingrays which are quite tame. (I do shuffle my feet through the sand to avoid stepping on them.) There's a deeper area divers enjoy as well.


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## irish

1st of all, what time of year are you thinking of going?  cayman is prone to hurricane activity at a certain time of the year.. so if that is when you are thinking of going on vacation then ARUBA because it  is not in the hurricane belt.
anyway, i have been to both and i liked ARUBA better. JMO


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## scotlass

We paid a timeshare tax and a utilities fee at Morritt's last month.  I think the utilities bill was about $65 a week.  Lots of people were complaining that it was too high.  RCI had warned us in advance about this cost.


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## shagnut

I liked them both. Aruba was definitly more memorable. I met so many tuggers and the people of the island are some of the most warm and genuine people I've ever met. I also got to test their supurb medical hospital as Kelli & I got food poisoning and a few days later I got caught in a rip tide and almost drowned but was rescued by the tour guide. These two incidents are how I met the warm and genuine people.  It was definitly the most adventourous (SP) trip I've ever been on. 

I also loved the Caymans as I am an avid snorkeler. It was more expensive by far. I would choose the Caymans, Kelli chooses Aruba.  

Guess this wasn't any help as it was a split  shaggy


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