Grand Cayman’s most popular area is on the west side where you’ll find Seven Mile Beach. There’s lots of restaurants, places to stay, and it’s in close proximity to the airport. You can easily spend your whole vacation on that side of the island, but if you want to see the lesser visited side, head to East End Grand Cayman.
We actually stayed near Rum Point, which is in the central, north part. Since we were relatively in that vicinity, exploring the other side was easy for us to do and there are several highlights along the way to see.
How to Get There
There are six districts in the Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman has five districts: West Bay, George Town, Bodden Town, North Side and East End. The two smaller islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, make up the 6th district called Sister Islands.
Grand Cayman is a very flat island and there isn’t much to be found in the center of the island because of the landscape, which can be swampy. In fact, more than 50% of Grand Cayman is made up of swamp communities.
You can get around Grand Cayman by following a few main roads that are along the edge of the coast. And there’s one main road that cuts through the center of the island near the East End (seen below) that will take you up to the north coast. The light colored lines are main roads throughout the island.
To get to the East End, you’ll follow the coast all the way around to the north side. You can (and should) explore the North Side district before finishing the loop and heading back down Frank Sound Rd.
Getting Around
The roads around the island are mostly paved and you don’t need to have a 4×4 for any reason other than that they’re fun to have. There are many beach access roads that are dirt and a little bumpy, but nothing that a normal car wouldn’t be able to handle. The road below (which was a random dirt road we pulled off on) was probably one of the bumpiest and it was still fine.
If you don’t have a rental car, there are bus routes that will stop along different parts of the island. Though you might have to wait a bit, they can take you all the way up towards Rum Point and back.
Exploring the East End of Grand Cayman
If you’re doing Grand Cayman on a budget, one of the good things about the East End is that most of the things to do are free.
You can either start along the south coast of the island and explore the East End counter clockwise, or head north up Frank Sound Road to go around clockwise. We happened to be staying on the bioluminescent bay near Rum Point, so we started along the north coast to go clockwise. If you’re staying on the west side, I’d suggest starting along the south side so you can end up at Rum Point for sunset.
Lovers Wall
The first attraction you’ll come across if you’re starting out along the south coast is Lovers Wall. It’s a long stone wall right next to the road that’s marked on both ends with a red, wooden sign in the shape of a heart.
I’m not quite sure the significance or how it got its name. But it did land a coveted spot as an attraction on the Grand Cayman tourist map. And though the view is partially obscured by shrubs and the shoreline is rocky, it’s a cute photo op.
Blow Holes
A minute down the road from Lovers Wall is where you’ll find the blow holes. There’s a short stairway that leads out onto the rocky coast. The tide pushes water through openings in the rocks creating a blow hole. If the tide is higher and the ocean is rough, you’re more likely to get a pretty high water spout.
The ocean was rather calm when we went and this was about as high as it got, but still fun to check out. You’ll also want good shoes on here if you want to walk around the rocks.
Wreck of the Ten Sail
The worst shipwreck in the Cayman Islands was off the East End in 1794. Several merchant ships sailed in the middle of the night against orders and by morning, ten ships had wrecked on the reef.
Now, there’s a monument on the coastline overlooking the ocean and reef in the distance. The main sidewalk has plaques of information and it’s a short walk to the coastline and monument. There’s a large brass propeller outside the gift shop and a short walk through some foliage that leads to the coast. It’s another quick stop along your way around the island.
Dive the Walls
Grand Cayman in general is a hot spot for diving with 240 dive sites around the island. There are 55 dive sites that can be found on the East End with many opportunities for wall dives. You can explore reefs, coral towers or sheer drop offs depending on where you dive.
We ended up diving on the west side of the island to explore Devils Grotto and Eden Rock (which were great dive sites) but I would have loved to explore more areas!
Colliers Beach
If you’re looking for secluded, calm beaches on Grand Cayman, Colliers Beach is a great place to go on this side of the island. It has a wide beach area and shallow water. Though it has a lot of sea grass and the water is not the most scenic, you might just have it all to yourself.
There are shaded picnic tables, a restroom facility and a short dock to walk out on. Parking is right on the sand under some trees.
Stone Wall East End
Along the north coast of the island is where you’ll find a long stone wall and sidewalk right next to a rocky cliff. We stumbled upon this by accident when we turned down a random dirt road. But if you go to Barefoot Beach (below), there are actually stone steps leading up from the ocean around the corner of the rocks.
We took the bumpy dirt road to explore and while the area is overgrown and abandoned, it has some incredible views of the ocean. It also has some of the sinister black rocks along the cliffside that you can see at Hell Grand Cayman. We had to turn around on the one-lane road at some point because the road fizzled out into some bushes, but it’s a complete empty spot to see.
Barefoot Beach
Right after the stone wall is Barefoot Beach. This too, was a completely empty spot with not a soul around. The beach is pretty narrow with not a lot of space between the bushes and the water. And there was quite a bit of sea grass in the water and on the sand. But, the water was calm and shallow.
The road to Barefoot Beach leads to a large dirt section with lots of trees that provide a shaded parking area. It definitely seems like a local spot and we assumed it was a popular party place based on the litter that we found around the ground.
The North Side of Grand Cayman
If you’re exploring the East End of Grand Cayman, you might as well explore the North Side too. That’s because you’ll be traveling along the main road that runs through the island and you can take the coastal road left or right to go to either district. (And technically, the main road runs through the north side.) And if you want to see some of the things to do in Grand Cayman towards the north, it’s an easy detour on the route.
- Good Mood Swing – A lone swing overlooking the ocean off the side of the road.
- Cayman Kai Public Beach – A secluded beach area with picnic tables.
- Rum Point – A lively restaurant and bar on the beach and a great place for sunset.
- Starfish Point – Shallow beach area where you can often spot starfish.
- Bioluminescent Bay – An area where you can see plankton glow in the water with kayak or swimming tours.
- Cayman Crystal Caves – An underground cave system where you can see stalagmites and stalactites.
- Mastic Trail – A long hiking trail through a nature reserve.
- Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park – An outdoor garden and wildlife facility to walk around and explore.
- Blue Iguana Reserve – See Grand Cayman’s largest native animal up close at this reserve where they’ve worked hard at restoring the Blue Iguana population.
Where to Eat on the East End + North Side
I wrongfully assumed that places to eat would be a little more affordable on the less visited side of the island. But they were pretty equivalent prices as some of the places on the west side. But if you’re spending the day exploring the island, here are a few places to check out for a bite to eat:
- Herman’s Fish Fry
- Eastern Star
- Tukka East End
- Over the Edge
- Rum Point Club
- Kaibo
Though it’s further to see and you’ll end up driving a fair share, we liked exploring around this lesser visited area. It gave us more of a sense of the island and we liked leisurely stopping to see what we could find.
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