Grand Cayman: Hidden Gem

Don't let the Taxi drivers lie to you when you get off the cruise ship. If you say you want to go to the Seven Mile Beach they'll take you to some bar that charges $2 to get to the shore and tell you wherever you go it will cost that much. But the Seven Mile Beach is PUBLIC.
I called their bluff and walked AROUND the bar and onto the beach with NO PROBLEM, to find a place where we could rent chairs and an umbrella. Somewhere NOT crowded with loud tourists.
We SCORED even bigger than I'd imagined!

We hustled up the beach and after a sweaty walk found the CUTEST place, right in front of a boutique hotel called the Beach Suites. Squeeeeeee! (Click here for the Beach Suites beautiful website. I am starting to daydream about staying there.) The chairs and umbrella's belonged to a restaurant/cafe in connection with the hotel called Tillies and weren't for rent BUT if we ordered $25 in food (per couple), we could sit there. YESSSS!!!

We would have spent more than that on chairs and an umbrella, and I'm ALWAYS up for eating,

 so of course we plopped down and got to ordering. 

IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. Click here for their website. We both had piña coladas and a blackened grouper sandwich with lime aioli, slaw, pickled banana peppers and onion on ciabatta. The waitress was friendly and excellent too.

 

It was such a lovely day. (A little stormy so the water wasn't clear, so again snorkeling was a bust, but at least it wasn't too hot.) We swam and sat and ate and I played catch with Adam for a long time—which I very much enjoyed. 

And it wasn't crowded because NO ONE from the cruise ship knew about the place. We totally lucked out. So shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone. This is our secret, between you and me. 

It was beautiful and perfect and as I type this I am yearning to go back for a longer stay at the hotel. Truly. (I mean, when you look at the website, you'll see why. But close your eyes when you look at the booking prices or you'll cry. Click here if you missed the link above.)

 

 Grand Cayman, I hope there is a next time! Tillies, we miss you!