Stay in a Condo

Stay in a Condo. Relax. Watch the world go by (and dive your brains out)

It is not that Little Cayman is hard to get to. It just takes a little bit of planning and a big desire to have a dial down old style Caribbean vacation.

The number of people who can dive on Little Cayman is limited by the availability of hotel rooms (six hotels and inns, the largest, the Little Cayman Beach Resort has 30 rooms) and seating on Cayman Air. The island can only be reached on their fleet of small prop airplanes from Grand Cayman’s international airport 150 kms away.

Three years ago a pair of small luxury condo developments were built on Little Cayman offering a new holiday option for divers. The Conch Club Condominium and The Club are just a two minute drive from the Island airport and adjacent to the Little Cayman Beach Resort and its Reef Divers shop and dock.

Primarily built for individual owners, a few units in each of the small complexes can be rented on a weekly basis. Taking a one, two or three bedroom condo on Little Cayman is cost effective and a relaxing way for couples, families and small groups of divers to enjoy the island at their own pace.

The condos are built right on the beach and since they all face west offer spectacular sunsets. There are several fresh water pools, private sun decks, outdoor barbecues and groomed sand beaches on site.

The condo provides bikes to all guests (there are a limited number of cars available for rent on Little Cayman). The units have TV’s, VCRs and satellite service. Good news: the air conditioned condos have washers and dryers, and fully equipped kitchens so that divers can clean their own clothes and cook their own meals.

There is a small store on the island, but, the food is expensive (4 frozen steaks for $100cdn) and perishable supplies like milk and butter do run out. However, Fosters, a Canadian style super market is close to the Grand Cayman airport and will send over groceries if your connection is too tight to do a bit of shopping before you leave Cayman. Some travelers bring food with them, others opt to buy a full or partial meal plan at the nearby Little Cayman Beach Resort hotel.

The Little Cayman Beach Resorts administers the two Condo projects and provides both dive and meal packages to visiting divers. The Conch Club Dive shop also offers dive packages and equipment rentals for condo guests. Both shops will come to your door to pick up your gear upon your arrival and returned, all rinsed out at the end of your trip!

Reef Divers, the largest dive shop on the island, conduct Grouper surveys for researchers and this year will be asking guests to help them record sightings of sea turtles. Three species of marine turtles actively nest there: the green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.

The condo units sell anywhere from $300,000 to $800,000 US. The units rent, depending on the season from $250 US a night upwards. Both condos offer weekly and seasonal package deals that can reduce the rate even further.

For information:
-The Conch Club Condo www.conchclub.com.
-The Club at Little Cayman is www.theclubatlittlecayman.com  
-Little Cayman Beach Resort:1-800-327-3835; www.littlecayman.com
-Reef Divers: 1-800-262-7686; www.reefdivers.ky
-Cayman Airways: 1-800-4-CAYMAN; www.caymanairways.com