Expert: John Gump - 10/22/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello There,

I have a wife and 2 boys (7months and 2.5 years old) and we are planning on taking a 3 month vacation to cayman islands (7 mile beach) this December. Everything I have seen online seems very expensive. I was looking for a 2 bedroom furnished apartment in the $3000 cnd or usd price range. I would like to be within walking distance of grocery stores and restaurants. I know this is too low to be right on the beach but a 5 minute walk is no problem with us. Oh and high speed internet access is a must.

Do you think I can find something for Dec, Jan, Feb 2008 in this price range with the above requirements.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Jacob

ANSWER: Hi Jacob - Thanks for your question.  Wow, what a wonderful blessing to be going to Cayman for 3 straight months!

As for apartments available, there are tons.  As you said, getting something on the beach would likely be in the $4500 and up range per month. But you never know.  (I listed a few below to call just to see what they might be willing to offer.)

I would suggest you look into available apts in the following areas.  West Bay - north of Georgetown, quiet, and out of the way. Close to beach and grocery stores. Apts can be had for under $3000/month

SouthSound - southeast of Georgetown.  You may have pretty good luck in this area.  I'd say prices will be in the $2000-3000/month range

If you want to get well under $3000/month, you might want to look near Pedro St. James, Savannah and Lower Valley.  These communities are about 20-25 minutes east of Georgetown but you may be able to rent a nice house for under $2500/month instead of an apartment.  

For starters I've listed a few places you might want to call to get some feelers on prices.  

Snug Harbour (West Bay) - 866-978-5908

The Grandview (on 7 mile beach) - 877-722-2114

Laguna Del Mar (on 7 mile beach) - 345-949-8358

There are many places in downtown Georgetown as well, but these are often older places and more run down, but you're close to everything.  

You may also try calling a realtor on island. Re/Max is one of the more popular and many Americans work there to help you find what you need.  345-943-6001.

All in all, Cayman is definitely expensive.  While there's no income or sales tax, there are hotel taxes which often are 20%, so be sure to ask for the "all in" monthly price.  Groceries are around 20-30% higher than U.S., and gas is probably in the $4-5/gal today.

I hope this helps you some with where to look.  I don't know the names of all the available places down there, there are so many.  But hopefully by narrowing down the locales that might help you find something within your price range.

Let me know what you find Jacob and if I can be of any more help to you!

Have a wonderful trip!

John


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi John,

Thanks alot for the awesome information! You are a great ambassador to the Cayman Islands.

Are all of these places close to the beach?

I think the number 1 thing I care about is safety (for the kids) and then proximity to the beach.

For safety which area would you recommend?

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

I think my wife is going to fly down there Nov 2 to find a place. I gave her the numbers you passed on.

Jacob  

Answer
Hey Jacob - glad I could be of service to you!  As for proximity to the beach, each of the locales I mentioned are on the beach, but just like any "neighborhood" there are some places on the water, some near the water, some several minutes from the water.  The higher the price of course, the closer to the water as a general rule.  The few places I mentioned by name to check into are right on the beach, but they will be more expensive.  Seven mile beach (SMB)is the nicest, followed by South Sound and then West Bay.  West Bay is on the North end of the island and there is more ironshore there than beach ( on the true north side ).  There is beach further south toward 7 mile beach in the West Bay area, which is north of Georgetown about 8 miles.  

As for safety, Cayman is Very safe.  There's virtually no poverty even though you may see some pretty poor areas, they're nothing compared to say the D.R., Haiti, Jamaica, etc.  This is not to say that there isn't some crime from time to time, but generally speaking you don't have much to worry about.  Cayman has a full police force and 911 service just as in the states.  Very modernized all in all. The folks that generally are the "criminals" are not Caymanian, but transplants from other Caribbean islands.

The locales I mentioned are all generally safe.  Use your judgment just as you would here in the states.  In all the years I was going there, the worst I had heard of was some looting after a hurricane went through and damaged a lot of places.  That being said, it reminds me to tell you that the further east you go toward Bodden Town (check a map) the more left over hurricane damage you'll still see from Ivan back in 2004, so keep that in mind.  Have your wife drive down that way to check it out.  Bodden Town is past South Sound, Pedro, Lower Valley.  About 25+ mins from Georgetown depending on traffic speed.

A couple other places you might want to check in to are:

Lacovia - right on SMB.  (i'm guessing $4k-5k/month)
Hyatt Brittania - they have rental units that you might find a good deal on.  It's across the street from SMB but on a golf course and waterway.  (i'm guessing $4k-5k/month)
Georgetown Villas - on SMB (i'm guessing $4k/month)
White Sands - northern end of SMB in/near West Bay, right on SMB (i'm guessing $3k-4.5k/month)

I didn't mention looking in the East End or in Cayman Kai/Rum Point area because you mentioned you wanted close proximity to groceries, food, etc. These places are really nice, quiet and a bit more away from it all, more like the way Cayman used to be.  From Georgetown each is about 45-60 mins drive away.  There are stores there but not like in Georgetown and you'd probably have to get in the car.  Georgetown and the nearby communities have grocery stores and other stores that rival anything here in the states.  Not to mention over 400 banks!

When your wife goes there for her "recon mission" encourage her to negotiate.  Generally speaking you can have success in getting prices reduced, especially for a 3 month stay.  The only thing against you negotiation-wise is the time you're going.  It's peak season there, and for December you'll probably pay a premium due to Christmas/New Years eve holidays.  Also - a good place for your wife to stay during her trip that won't break the bank is Comfort Suites.  It's right beside the Marriot on SMB, but back off the beach a bit behind another complex.  It has a lovely pool/hot tub, with tiki bar, and is about halfway between West Bay and South Sound sound, so a good home base for a short trip. Rates are way lower than Marriot and the units are suites with small stoves and fridges that really help cut down on the expense of eating out all the time.

I've attached a doc I give to folks with general info about Cayman that hopefully you find helpful.  You'll need to change the extension from .jpg back to .doc and hopefully it works.  

Another thought I just had was to check out vrbo.com and homeaway.com.  These are sites that have tons of rental units by owner, and often you can get a great deal here by not going through the rental/management companies.  Check it out.

Jacob - I hope this helps.  Let me know if there's other questions you have.  Happy to help.  Drop me a line when your wife gets back to let me know how it went.   If you wouldn't mind, would take a couple mins and provide feedback on the website for me.  That'd help me a bunch.  

Take care!

John