Have never been and need some guidance on best area to stay. 7 mile beach or Rum Point? Family of 5, 3 kids range 5-11 who love to snorkel, play at the beach and swim in a pool. We did Turks last year and stayed in a house on Sapodilla Bay with family and they loved it. That trip has ruined all future trips as we've typically done Mexico but obviously the ocean water was far superior in Turks- so now we're on the hunt for something else. Budget is $4k for the accommodations + rental car.

Run Point has a small beach and you will have to find a house probably with a pool. 7 mile has more of the resorts along with a much better beach area. 7 mile is probably closer to shopping and restaurants too. Fairly easy island to drive though but if you are at Rum Point you will need a car.

Seven Mile beach is one of the best beaches on the planet and a very nice resort area. Rum Point is more of a local laid back area. I recommend staying at Seven Mile beach and then doing a day trip to Rum point vs the other way around.

Seven Mile Beach is where most of my clients stay and it's so nice. One of the most beautiful beaches!

+1 for Seven Mile Beach and then daytripping out to Rum Point

We stay at Palm Heights which is on Seven Mile.

https://palmheights.com/

With kids, 7 mile beach for sure. Rum Point has good snorkel areas close-in but the beach isnt all that great. The best of both worlds on 7 mile IMO.

Go to hell

I would stay on SMB, and do a day trip to Rum Point. You can drive or there's also a water taxi from Caymana Bay (shopping area). We always rent a car and it's easy to get around with lots of stores/restaurants/etc. Unless you plan to basically never leave your hotel, renting a car will be much cheaper than other transportation options.

If they truly love to snorkel, then Rum Point is probably better for that. Also, don't overlook the east end. SMB can be chaos. But the beach is nice.

We are divers, so SMB doesn't really do it for us. Are you kids old enough to take lessons? If so, you might look into Little Cayman Beach Resort or Cayman Brac. But note, it is really quiet and secluded on Little and Brac.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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If they truly love to snorkel, I'm Rum Point is probably better for that. Also, don't overlook the east end. SMB can be chaos. But the beach is nice.

We are divers, so SMB doesn't really do it for us. Are you kids old enough to take lessons? If so, you might look into Little Cayman Beach Resort or Cayman Brac. But note, it is really quiet and secluded on Little and Brac.

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Agreed. Diving is better on Little or Brac, but there is not much of a beach outside of Point of Sand. For a family with young kids, I would not recommend them if they are not going to be diving.

The kids are ages 5-11, they aren't professional snorkelers. There really is no reason to not stay on SMB.

Agreed.

We stayed at Sunset House for 3 nights after Kids Sea Camp last July, but that was because they had a shallow dive boat each morning that could accommodate our C Monster. (She's 11, certified, but can only go to 40 ft.). And we could shore dive. They do not have a beach.

As far as where to stay on SMB, I haven't stayed there other than 1 night at the Hampton SMB when a flight to LC got cancelled on us. What I would recommend though is look at properties in the middle or northern part of SMB. The beach in the southern portion has been steadily eroding over the years and there is very little left in front of some of the properties at the far south end of SMB.

Seven Mile Beach is really amazing and compares closely to Grace Bay in my opinion. Also, both T&C and Grand Cayman have amazing dining options. We did a rather impromptu trip to Grand Cayman recently and stayed in the Kimpton Seafire Resort. We were impressed and will stay there again. Very nice beach plus some good dining and drinks options on site and nearby. I really liked the Library by the Sea for the vibe and their drink options. I'd also highly recommend Pappagallo's for their Sunday brunch.

Bayou City said:

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Go to hell

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Who was this directed at?

It's a place in GC! You are supposed to send a postcard to yourself from Hell, CI.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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It's a place in GC! You are supposed to send a postcard to yourself from Hell, CI.

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Oh. I was like dang!

Thanks for the tips. Will start an Airbnb search and compare to Turks.

https://www.visitcaymanislands.com/en-us/things-to-do/popular-attractions/hell

Also look into booking one of the condo properties directly vs. through Airbnb, etc. Caribbean Club is great if it's in your budget (and one of the owners is an Aggie and they fly an A&M flag). We also like Casa Caribe next to it. It's more no frills, but you are literally directly on the beach, in one of the widest parts of SMB.

7 mile Marriott is where we always stay

Thanks for the specific recs. Casa Caribe looks about perfect. The other one is $8k+ so definitely can't afford that!

Do go eat at the Grand Old House. It's pricy, but a damn good special occasion dinner. Make a reservation if you do so.

Coral Stone Club. Three bed three bath condos right on SMB. Right next to Ritz. Easy walk to many restaurants and liquor stores.

https://www.coralstoneclub.com/

Tillies is a great restaurant.

Paradise Pizza for Mambo Itlaiano on Saturday nights. Family style food with a MC/DJ. Lots of fun.

Bayou City said:

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Go to hell

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I see what you did there...

If you know; you know...

maroonpivo said:

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Thanks for the specific recs. Casa Caribe looks about perfect. The other one is $8k+ so definitely can't afford that!

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If we're giving dining recs now, you've got to have Sunday brunch at Luca next door at the caribbean club.

David Carr said:

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Coral Stone Club. Three bed three bath condos right on SMB. Right next to Ritz. Easy walk to many restaurants and liquor stores.

https://www.coralstoneclub.com/

Tillies is a great restaurant.

Paradise Pizza for Mambo Itlaiano on Saturday nights. Family style food with a MC/DJ. Lots of fun.

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I second Tillies. Split the snapper with the GF which was enough to feed 3 people and had dinner right on the beach. We do the pizza place at Palm Heights the last night of the trip.

uujm said:

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We stay at Palm Heights which is on Seven Mile.

https://palmheights.com/

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One of the wife and I's favorite hotels anywhere.

Love Cayman. Pray for it, this Melissa business could set the islands back 50 years

EliteElectric said:

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Love Cayman. Pray for it, this Melissa business could set the islands back 50 years

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The current path has the storm turning north in the next few hours and going over Jamaica instead. So the Caymans should just get brushed with the outer bands on the western edge. The sister islands will get it a little worse than Grand, but they should be fine. Jamaica is where the prayers will be needed. 160+ mph winds and 30+ inches of rainfall on mountainous terrain is a nightmare scenario.

OilManAg91 said:

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Seven Mile beach is one of the best beaches on the planet and a very nice resort area. Rum Point is more of a local laid back area. I recommend staying at Seven Mile beach and then doing a day trip to Rum point vs the other way around.

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This