Goodbye 2019!

What a year it has been. Good bye 2019 and we look forward to seeing you all for a visit here at Silver Sands in 2020!!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Silver Sands!

Cayman Cocktail Week

When planning your stay at Silver Sands, consider coming to visit us during Cayman Cocktail Week is one of those magical weeks here in the Cayman Island filled with cocktails, creativity, laughter and more cocktails!

"Cayman Cocktail Week is a celebration of all things cocktail-y and sip-worthy in the Cayman Islands. 2019 will mark our 7th year running and as usual we hope to make it the biggest and best cocktail Week yet!

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This year's cocktail week ran from October 25th to October 31st (that's right, HALLOWEEN!) with fun and interactive events almost every day. You could meet some of the top industry professionals, make-your-own Gin or go on a historical cocktail tour!"

With so many different venues each location had a theme and branded cocktails featuring a variety of different alcohols and liquors. Some of the participants in this years Cocktail Week included Agua, The Ritz Carlton, The Westin, Backroom, Kaibo, Saltwater Grill and more.

A Dia de los Muertos and Halloween celebration at one of our favorite sea side restaurants Agua! They were very on point with their super spooky food and cocktails!

All photos courtesy of Blue Dot Studios

Pirates Week 2019

The Cayman Islands have just finished their 42nd Pirates Week Festival celebrating Cayman Culture and Pirate Folklore. The festivities are held on all islands but Grand Cayman hosts the most famous of events with five fun filled days of music, street dances, competitions, games, food festivals of traditional dishes and drinks, a Pirate Pooch Parade, a children’s fun day, teen dances, two glittering parades, sporting events for all ages, a pirate invasion and spectacular fireworks displays! Thousands of people line the streets to watch the spectacle and its good-natured swashbuckling fun. It's the only event of its kind in the Caribbean region and it caters to everyone in the family! 
At Pirates Week, there is something for everyone. Come stay at Silver Sands and don't miss out on the pirate fun!

Past posts on one of our favorite holidays!
Doggie Parade 2016
Pirates Week 2015 Featuring the Jolly Roger
Pirates in the Caribbean Cayman Style

Photos Curtesy of the Pirates Week Festival Photo Gallery:
https://www.piratesweekfestival.com/gallery/photo-gallery/

Sunshine and Scenic Views at Silver Sands

Come stay with us at Silver Sands. We will put you in front of one of our many killer views, stick a drink in your hand, and let all your worries melt away.

Photo Credit: Heather Holt Photography

Cayman's Hardy Hermit Crabs

As you adventure out from Silver Sands you will most certainly come across some of Cayman's resident hermit crabs, the Caribbean Hermit Crab or sometimes called Soldier Crabs. A few quick facts:

-Hermit Crabs take their homes with them. They scavenge empty shells to use as their home and when they grow too big, they exchange it for a bigger "newer" model.

-Hermit Crabs are herbavores but are also scavengers making their diet full of variety.

-Hermit Crabs can live for decades!

-Hermit Crabs only breed in the wild. Once they mate and the eggs are ready, they go to the sandy shores of the sea and release their eggs into the water.

-Hermit Crabs are often for sale in a pet store. Sadly because hermit crabs only breed in the wild, most certainly all pet store crabs have been ripped away from their natural home and family. They also tend to not do so well in captivity. So perhaps it is best to only visit hermit crabs here in Cayman rather than buy them and try to keep them as pets.

The above crab is from the Mastic Trail here in Cayman and it was HUGE! Probably one of the biggest crabs I have ever seen.

Hermit crabs are social creatures and congregate for mating, shell swaps, or even to forage for food together.

Living here in Cayman they are found on the beach, in the bush and on my aloe plant in my garden!

With all the plastic polluting the oceans and people taking natural shells as souvenirs, there is a hermit crab housing crisis. These crabs have had to find what they can to protect themselves.

Photos by Heather Holt Photography

Whats the deal with the Sargassum?

You might be wondering what that orangy-brown seaweed is that is seen across the island. Sargassum is a type of common seaweed that floats on ocean currents in large matted areas that can stretch for miles. It is found in temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs. It is free floating and once it gets near shore it will wash up on the beach, dry out and produce a stinky odor.

While it is a nuisance on land when it washes up on our beaches in massive quantities, floating rafts of sargassum in the open ocean form rich ecosystems that provide critical habitats for a diversity of marine species.

This year especially, but in the past few years sargassum has become a large problem in the Cayman Islands and throughout the Caribbean and it is unknown why this seaweed has become so prevalent.

Here is some further info on the sargassum issue in Cayman:

Department of Environment: Media Release

Cayman Compass: Cayman coastline hit by stinky seaweed, again

At Silver Sands we are diligent about keeping our beach clean, and maintaining the pristine beauty of our shores. Once it washes up we try to get rid of it asap. During your stay on our beach you will not be bothered by this stinky seaweed.

Photos by Heather Holt Photography

Stingray Serenity

In our eariler post we mentioned that Starfish Point was a must see while staying at Silver Sands. Well you are in luck because the infamous Stingray City is also a must see and most boat trips combine the two amazing animal encounters into a fun day trip out on the North Sound of Grand Cayman. Nothing to be afraid of with these big lovely puppy dog like fish, they know the drill, cuddle/kiss a tourist, get a piece of squid and everyone is happy. 

For another post on Stingray City and other must-see snorkel spots check out:
Grand Cayman's Snorkelling Secrets

Photos by Heather Holt Photography