Waterfront Watering Holes

The Cayman Islands has some of the most scenic places to dine on the planet. Our previous post 3 Restaurant Favorites gives you an intro into places to dine in Cayman, however this post will focus on local (and tourist) favorites to have a casual drink, some good eats, all the while enjoying the unbeatable views of the Caribbean.

Rackams Waterfront Bar and Grill

Rackams is perhaps one of the all time favorite watering holes on the island. It is located just north of  downtown Georgetown in a prime location. If you visit Rackams during the day, you can hop in for a snorkel on the Wreck of the Cali. Once you are done with your swim you may enjoy lunch and refreshments on their large outdoor deck while enjoying those Caribbean turquoise waters.

Come late afternoon the tarpon start congregating at the waters edge awaiting their nightly feeding. The kitchen keeps all the butts and gutts of the fish from the day and throw the scraps to these friendly, and hungry fish.

Not only is this waterfront watering hole good for hanging out by the water and drinking mudslides, it also had great food! The conch fritters and fish and chips are a must.

The front bar is a great hang out for casual drinks and cocktails, the middle section has seats for more organized seated dining and the back area has a more private area for events or just a quieter drink.

Rackams is also a prime location to view the opening and closing fireworks displays from the famous Pirates Week. 




Calico Jacks

This beachfront watering hole is located on the northern end of 7-Mile Beach and is a local favorite. It is fun to hang on the beach during the day, have a cocktail and watch the sunset, and at night there is live music, open mic nights and DJs for entertainment any day of the week. Just be aware that during busy cruise ship days this part of the beach is busiest with cruise ship passengers, but once those ships sail off Calicos is a perfect place to enjoy island life and meet the locals.

My Bar at Sunset House 

In a killer location just south of Georgetown, with one of the island's best shore dives at your fingertips, Sunset House is a must visit. If you are a snorkeler or diver you can hit up the Sunset Divers for some dive or snorkel gear and flop right into the water to see some of the amazing sea life that Cayman has to offer. If water sports are not your thing sitting sea side watching the action can be just as fun, especially over one of their killer Indian curries, Mahi Mahi wrap's and of course a delicious bevvie rom the bar.

The bar has a huge deck and a huge thatched roof covered bar with "indoor" seating as well. 

Sunset House is rightly named as it is a perfect and pleasant place to enjoy a Cayman Lemonade while watching the sky light up into that famous Cayman sunset.

Photo Credits

Rackams:
Rackams

Heather Holt Photography

Trip Advisor 

Calico Jacks:

Heather Holt Photography

Sunset House:

Sunset House

Delta Sky Magazine

Four Square 1

Four Square 2

The Sites of Georgetown: Fort George

"What remains of Fort George stands on the corner of Harbour Drive and Fort Street in George Town, Grand Cayman. The Fort once stood overlooking the harbour, but development has landlocked this historic site. Today's visitor will see its low stone walls adjacent to the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal and may wonder when it was built and why so little is left of it!

The origins and early history of the Fort are uncertain. It is known that in 1662, the new Governor of Jamaica, Lord Windsor, received royal instructions to take charge of the "Caimanes Islands ... by planting and raising Fortifications upon them."Although there was some settlement, however, the task of fortifying the small outpost was not undertaken until sometime around 1790."

This information was taken from The National Trust website, please check out their page on Fort George for more interesting historical facts.

It is always nice to do some island exploring while you are staying at Silver Sands. It is very easy to take a morning or afternoon away from beautiful 7-Mile Beach and check out some of these historical sites in Georgetown. Although do keep in mind, we are a quaint little island and these sites, although very interesting, are very quaint too and a half day exploration, plus a lunch stop will leave you historically satisfied and ready to get back to the beach!

Photos by Heather Holt Photography

The Sites of Georgetown: The National Museum

The Cayman Islands National Museum is a located in Georgetown, in the historic former Old Courts Building on Harbor Drive. The exhibits are ever changing and feature Natural History, Caymanian Culture and Art Exihbits. 

Museum Hours: M-F (9am to 5pm), Saturdays (10am to 2pm) 

There are also events and workshops put on by the museum that will add a more local and authentic flare to your visit to Cayman.

If you are interested in more Cayman History and need to pass your lazy days at Silver Sands, Peggy Leshikar-Denton, the director of the Cayman Islands National Museum, has written the definitive story of the Wreck of the Ten Sail. Photo by James Whittiker, find out more info in the Cayman Compass article. 

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The Sites of Georgetown: The Clock Tower

For such a small island, Grand Cayman has quite a few historic sites, and taking the time from your stay at Silver Sands to check some of them out is well worth a half day in Georgetown.

 The clock tower was built in 1937 in memory of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather King George V.

Photos by Heather Holt Photography

Living the Dream in Little Cayman

There is more to the Cayman Islands than the well known Grand Cayman. The island chain is composed of the largest Grand Cayman, and the smaller "Sister Islands", Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Here we will focus on our favorite "sister" and all she has to offer in the diving and lounging department.

The trip over to this tiny 10x1 mile island is all part of the experience. From Grand you will get on a twin prop Cayman Airways Express plane and fly over the blue waters of the Caribbean for about 40 minutes until you reach the coast of this tropical oasis.

Upon landing on the small but sufficient landing strip, you will see just how quaint this little island is. On the runway you are greeted by all the airport staff as they unload the baggage onto a cart and roll it 25 meters to the "arrivals" at the main airport office, which is also the firestation and postoffice. Yes that is right, one building to house them all. 

In the main "town" of Blossom Village there are lots of accommodation to choose from. You can either stay in the popular Southern Cross Club or Little Cayman Beach Resorts if you want a hotel atmosphere, or The Club offers condos which are great to have the choice to cook. If you would really like to escape there are several rental houses scattered around the island that are also available for renting.

Once you have gotten settled into your home away from home it is time to do what Little Cayman offers more than anything else... chill time...

This can be done in various ways, sitting on a hammock while reading a book and staring at the sea is a most popular choice, however some might choose a lounge chair for book reading and staring, it is all really up to you.

If you are like me and need a little bit of action scattered through out your day you can rent a car and take a drive around the island. There are some really beautiful vistas, little roads to discover and flora and fauna to stumble across. There is a car rental on the island which makes the exploration easy.

As you spend you time on this minuscule island you will be surprised at the abundance of life there is hanging out around every corner.

Above is a photo of the Little Cayman Rock Iguana, it is indigenous ONLY to Little Cayman making it very unique on a global scale. 

There are also land dwelling crustaceans like hermit crabs and land crabs. And of course birds that forage out at sea and also live in wetlands like the Boobie Pond. Some of the birds that can be spotted are ducks, Red Footed Boobies, frigates and various types of herons.

Wherever there is water there will be life and that goes for Little Cayman as well. The above Lemon Sharks and below Terns (sea gulls), take full advantage of the fishermen and their scraps that are discarded off the various docks on the island. 

And now for the main event... one of the main attractions to this wee little island..... SCUBA DIVING!!

Little Cayman has numerous dive operators and dive resorts that make diving here a world class destination. Your day will start with a drive through the turquoise sound, out through the cut, and after a short boat ride away you will tie up to one of the many mooring balls that mark dive sites around the island. If you are a snorkeller you are in luck as the mooring balls are in very shallow water and it is easy to join the divers and hop in the water with them and enjoy the show from above.

Once you descend into the crystal clear water you are guaranteed to be awestruck by the dramatic drop offs of Bloody Bay Wall, and greeted by one or all of the following wildlife: curious turtles, friendly grouper, and reef sharks. 

While you are on your dives keep your eyes wide open as once in awhile you will be graced with the presence of something really special like a sea horse, eagle ray or even a manta or whale shark.

The easy pace of Little Cayman is fun for people of all ages and people with all interests. From a romantic getaway or family reunion, everyone can enjoy a day out snorkelling, diving, hanging by the pool with a book or a trip around the island. If you have planned your stay at Silver Sands it is well worth a few days jaunt from Grand Cayman, "The Big City", to the smaller sister island where you can leave your doors unlocked and your shoes at home. 

Photography by: Heather Holt Photography