Grand cayman

Beach bums and bankers. Lobster soaked in truffle butter and spicy jerk chicken. Whitesand beaches and crystal blue waters. Conventional wisdom regarding Grand Cayman is, well, conventional: It’s an island paradise. But beyond the tourist meccas of capital city George Town, teeming with day trippers off cruise ships, and the famed Seven Mile Beach, with its sunblock-slathered ROAD TRIP ³ Miles: 49 O Days on the Road: 1 O Great Snorkeling Site: Devil’s Grotto O Local Shopping: Farmers and Artisans Market at Camana Bay On Grand Cayman’s North Side, Rum Point is decked out with a colorful, globetouting signpost. holiday makers, there’s a whole host of sites to see. On the other side of the island and tucked into the undeveloped interior, discover blue iguanas, hidden beaches, shipwrecks, blowholes, and surprising sculpture. Despite its name, Grand Cayman, mostly unaffected by recent hurricanes, is easy to explore in a daylong road trip—leaving time to revel in more classic island life.

Hip Hangout

On the north end of Grand Cayman’s renowned Seven Mile Beach soars its newest boutique resort, the Kimpton Seafire, 10 stories of glass and wood overlooking curving pools fringed by palms. The decor nods playfully to the island setting, with seagrass rugs, driftwood chandeliers, and pops of color, from lipstick-red pool chairs to cool blues and greens in the spa. Outside, paths wind to the white sand and cerulean waters, where seaworthy toys— kayaks, rafts, a sailboat—await.

Flora and Fauna

The monarch herself attended the 1994 opening of the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, a 59-acre swath of varied beauties, from cacti to orchids. See heliconia at the Floral Colour Garden, where the bright blooms are arranged by hue, and discover a protected local treasure on the Woodland Trail: the endangered blue iguana, endemic only to the Cayman Islands—and, yes, really a hypnotic shade of blue.

Ocean in Motion

Head east on Sea View Road toward an unusual rock formation called the Blowholes, where waves crash into sea caves and shoot water up through fissures. These geysers, which blast as high as 20 feet, are most dramatic when an easterly wind blows. Continue the drive around the island’s eastern end and look for the sign for Wreck of the Ten Sails. A trail leads from the road to a windswept cliff overlooking the treacherous reefs where, in February 1794, 10 British ships crashed and sank. Islanders saved more than 400 sailors; a small park with 10 stone markers commemorates the event. Allegedly, King George III was so grateful, he granted the island its tax-free status.

Hideaways

Looping back along Grand Cayman’s north shore, you’ll find hidden coves, quiet beaches, and tiny hamlets. One favorite: Old Man Bay, a crossroad marked by a pastel pink grocery cottage dating to 1945—and a green-andturquoise picnic table for a toes-in-sand lunch (the Seafire will pack you a gourmet one). Also here: Davinoff’s Concrete Sculpture Garden, whose menagerie features a giant octopus, a 17-foot-long crocodile, agoutis, sand snorkelers, and a zombie— all the work of David Quasius, a retired Wisconsinite and longtime Grand Cayman vacationer. If you get lucky, Quasius will be there to share stories about his favorite island and his quirky creations.

Seeing Stars

Continue west along North Side Road. When it turns into Rum Point Road, you’re closing in on Wreck Bar, the self-dubbed “home of the mudslide.” Stop at the colorful beachside shack to sample the cinnamongarnished concoction of vodka, Kahlua, and Irish cream over ice. Back on the two-lane road, drive until you can’t go any farther: You’ll be at North Sound, the large bay that scallops west Grand Cayman, and Starfish Point. The namesake critters— big red cushion sea stars— gather here in knee-deep water to feed. Avoid the crowds by visiting on a Sunday, and take time to read the posted sign. One of its fun facts: “Starfish eat with their stomachs inside-out. Gross!”

sourcehttps://issuu.com/lidiamontermini/docs/national_geographic_traveler