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I think there are a few people who have been (Anna in particular).
I’ve just booked 2-4-1 outbound 31/5 returning 14/6. Looks like CS config.
I’m not a great hotel points collector, so will probs go for 2 different AirBnb’s-14 days in one place will send us crazy! We will also have a car if not for the whole period, then a decent portion of it.
I would be very interested in any info on the different parts of the Island(s) (in terms of places to stay) and any other general useful info…things to see and do, places to eat etc etc.
It was CS when we went in July.
I certainly have lots to share but tell me what you particularly like doing to narrow it down a bit! Quiet/busy etc.
We usually use Andy’s car rental as they are quite flexible about when and where you can pick up and drop off. To make the most of the (long) CW experience we generally stay in a hotel in the 7 Mile Beach/Georgetown area for the first night and collect the car the next day.
It was CS when we went in July.
I certainly have lots to share but tell me what you particularly like doing to narrow it down a bit! Quiet/busy etc.
We usually use Andy’s car rental as they are quite flexible about when and where you can pick up and drop off. To make the most of the (long) CW experience we generally stay in a hotel in the 7 Mile Beach/Georgetown area for the first night and collect the car the next day.
I would say mostly quiet…….but not deathly quiet! I’m just approaching normal retirement age, Mrs AFKAE 2 years younger.
Eating and drinking is important (not just for biologically staying alive, but for entertainment too!). Any trips you recommend fishing etc would be interesting.
Beach and swimming both important, but not for spending the whole day on the beach. Bit of sun, bit of a swim and then off for lunch…..that kind of thing 😉
Beaches – be aware that the place has been suffering very badly from sargassum grass in recent summers so if you want to avoid this stick to the West side. Also the areas of Rum Point and Kaibo aren’t as badly affected. The sea at 7 Mile Beach is divine, clear, calm and shallow so you can just swim and bob around for as long as you want. If you have a car you can explore other nice ones like Smiths Cove and Spotts Bay (Spotts is known for turtle sightings).
The west side has the most going on but it’s still pretty quiet by European standards, you can always find a quiet spot on the beach, especially in summer which is low season there (but the weather is usually great in May and June). The east end is quieter still – we have a timeshare at Morritt’s Tortuga club but you can rent the units as well – at the moment there are massive bargains via American owners who have loads of spare weeks they couldn’t use during lockdown.
A good option might be to have a week in the 7MB area and then a second week somewhere quieter – there are a lot of rental properties around Kaibo which is lovely. Also have a look at Rum Point Retreat and Rum Point Residences which I’ve got on my own wish list!
Restaurants – absolutely any food you can think of and a wide range of budgets catered for. It will depend where you’re staying as to where you’re likely to eat.
A word of caution – it is jaw-droppingly expensive (though there are plenty of relatively reasonably-priced eateries) so unless money is no object take your own coffee, tea, alcohol and anything else you can fit in your luggage! For comparison, a jar of instant coffee will set you back $10 (everything is generally priced in Cayman dollars, which are currently worth about 90p.) It’s a running joke among timeshare owners to post pictures of supermarket shelves with, say, a box of fishfingers at $12! Although residents don’t pay any income tax, the government does tax everything else to the hilt – so expect a extra charges on top of everything.
We don’t fish but it is very popular and there’s a guy called Captain Hermann who will take you out fishing and also cook what you catch if you want him to! Stingray City is worth seeing once as the stingrays are absolutely free to come and go but I wouldn’t recommend the dolphin or turtle centres (we have visited the turtle centre a couple of times but I got more and more uncomfortable about seeing the turtles crammed into tiny pools with no room to swim).
Let us know when you decide where you’re staying.
Oh yeah – expect your flight to be cancelled if it hasn’t been already and be prepared to move it a couple of days either side!
I’m also very interested in this since being inspired to research GCM after reading Anna’s posts here. We will be travelling at the end of July as a family of 4 with 2 kids (12 and 15)- we were due to go last April but COVID ended that dream. We’re there for 2 weeks, currently got 10 nights on points at Seafire but booked each night separately so some flexibility to change it up and also want to stay in two different places, so need to look for somewhere else – Palm Heights looks interesting. I’ve booked a car through Hertz for the full 2 weeks, which seems really cheap – but will look into Andy’s. Its expensive but figured as the hotel room is covered mainly by points (except for resort fee) can stomach some higher living costs, combined with feeding the kids Pot Noodles!
Beaches – be aware that the place has been suffering very badly from sargassum grass in recent summers so if you want to avoid this stick to the West side. Also the areas of Rum Point and Kaibo aren’t as badly affected. The sea at 7 Mile Beach is divine, clear, calm and shallow so you can just swim and bob around for as long as you want. If you have a car you can explore other nice ones like Smiths Cove and Spotts Bay (Spotts is known for turtle sightings).
The west side has the most going on but it’s still pretty quiet by European standards, you can always find a quiet spot on the beach, especially in summer which is low season there (but the weather is usually great in May and June). The east end is quieter still – we have a timeshare at Morritt’s Tortuga club but you can rent the units as well – at the moment there are massive bargains via American owners who have loads of spare weeks they couldn’t use during lockdown.
A good option might be to have a week in the 7MB area and then a second week somewhere quieter – there are a lot of rental properties around Kaibo which is lovely. Also have a look at Rum Point Retreat and Rum Point Residences which I’ve got on my own wish list!
Restaurants – absolutely any food you can think of and a wide range of budgets catered for. It will depend where you’re staying as to where you’re likely to eat.
A word of caution – it is jaw-droppingly expensive (though there are plenty of relatively reasonably-priced eateries) so unless money is no object take your own coffee, tea, alcohol and anything else you can fit in your luggage! For comparison, a jar of instant coffee will set you back $10 (everything is generally priced in Cayman dollars, which are currently worth about 90p.) It’s a running joke among timeshare owners to post pictures of supermarket shelves with, say, a box of fishfingers at $12! Although residents don’t pay any income tax, the government does tax everything else to the hilt – so expect a extra charges on top of everything.
We don’t fish but it is very popular and there’s a guy called Captain Hermann who will take you out fishing and also cook what you catch if you want him to! Stingray City is worth seeing once as the stingrays are absolutely free to come and go but I wouldn’t recommend the dolphin or turtle centres (we have visited the turtle centre a couple of times but I got more and more uncomfortable about seeing the turtles crammed into tiny pools with no room to swim).
Let us know when you decide where you’re staying.
Many thanks, that gives me loads to get started. The tip on cost of things is useful, might need to add to the luggage.
Will deffo let you know what we end up booking.
Oh yeah – expect your flight to be cancelled if it hasn’t been already and be prepared to move it a couple of days either side!
Booked it at 1pm today…….no changes yet 😉
Hi @NorthernLass – we’re booked into the Kimpton Seafire in July on reward points and I’ve been reading through various comments on Tripadvisor about the Resort Fee. There seems to be varying reports about how much it costs and how the hotel treats payment of them.
As you’ve been there, I wondered if you were able to shed any light on it.
On the payment page there are three different descriptions (below) where you could believe it was 80USD only, or 80USD plus an 11% service fee or $80USD plus both an 11% service fee and a 13% tax.
Other reports suggest that the hotel charge this as 89CI$.
There also seems to be differing views about what currency the hotel asks you to pay in and what conversion rate will be.
The Gov.uk website suggests:
All major credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and local shops. The local currency is the Cayman Islands Dollar (CI$) but transactions using non domestic credit cards will be charged in US$. The US dollar is widely accepted throughout the islands. The CI$ is fixed to the US dollar at $1.25 US Dollars to $1.00 Cayman Islands Dollar.Any insight greatly appreciated!
Breakdown of cost on complete your reservation page
Additional Charges
Additional Charges Resort Fee Of 80usd
Inclusive Of Tax And 11pct Service FeeWhen you click on the information icon next to it
Description of Taxes and Additional Charges
Additional Charges:
80.00 USD per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
11% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
Taxes:
13% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
Additional charges (Resort fee) of $80 inclusive of tax and 11% Service Fee will be added per room each night of your stay.At the bottom of the payment page
Description of Taxes and Additional Charges
Additional charges (Resort fee) of $80 inclusive of tax and 11% Service Fee will be added per room each night of your stay.
13% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
80.00 USD per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
11% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023Hi @NorthernLass we’re booked into the Kimpton Seafire in July on reward points and I’ve been reading through various comments on Tripadvisor about the Resort Fee. There seems to be varying reports about how much it costs and how the hotel treats payment of them.
As you’ve been there, I wondered if you were able to shed any light on it.
On the payment page there are three different descriptions (below) where you could believe it was 80USD only, or 80USD plus an 11% service free or $80USD plus both an 11% service fee and a 13% tax.
Other reports suggest the hotel charge this as 89CI$.
There also seems to be differing views about what currency the hotel asks you to pay in and what conversion rate will be.
The Gov.uk website suggests:
All major credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and local shops. The local currency is the Cayman Islands Dollar (CI$) but transactions using non domestic credit cards will be charged in US$. The US dollar is widely accepted throughout the islands. The CI$ is fixed to the US dollar at $1.25 US Dollars to $1.00 Cayman Islands Dollar.Any insight greatly appreciated!
Breakdown of cost on complete your reservation page
Additional Charges
Additional Charges Resort Fee Of 80usd
Inclusive Of Tax And 11pct Service FeeWhen you click on the information icon next to it
Description of Taxes and Additional Charges
Additional Charges:
80.00 USD per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
11% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
Taxes:
13% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
Additional charges (Resort fee) of $80 inclusive of tax and 11% Service Fee will be added per room each night of your stay.At the bottom of the payment page
Description of Taxes and Additional Charges
Additional charges (Resort fee) of $80 inclusive of tax and 11% Service Fee will be added per room each night of your stay.
13% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
80.00 USD per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023
11% per night not included in rate effective 4 July, 2023 through 5 July, 2023We stayed on points/free night and were charged US $80 pn resort fee. It’s standard practice to bill this kind of thing in US $. No tax was added. If you’re IHG Diamond, the free breakfast is a fantastic perk as it was $94 per day for 2 otherwise!
In restaurants and shops they normally charge in CI $ (and add 15% gratuity in restaurants). CI $ is worth about 95p at the moment. I usually try to avoid FX fees by using Curve or Revolut.
Service is top-notch – they know your name from day 1! The hotel is on a nice stretch of 7 Mile Beach, but you can only see it properly if you get down early and bag a sun-lounger on the front row, otherwise you just get a view of the lounger and umbrella in front of you. You can leave them for 90 mins so we were a bit naughty and went for breakfast after claiming ours!
The studio-type rooms with refrigerated drawers are great as you can store snacks and drinks. It’s a bit out of the way so it’s useful to have a car – valet parking is inlcluded in the resort fee and they bring it to you nicely air-conditioned and with fresh bottled water place inside, nice touches.
Thanks – the 80USD p/d is as expected, but I’d just become concerned that others were mentioning tax/fees on top of this!
Yes, I’m Diamond and I was sat on a pile of IHG points so we’re having a bit of a splurge at what does seem to be a fantastic redemption option. We will have to make use of the social hour though to try and cover some of the resort fee! (along with the parking).
& yes, I’m a Curve metal holder too so should avoid most of the fx fees.
Thanks for the reassurance & tips!
Yes, there is decent red/white/beer at social hour plus the odd amuse bouche – though you have to be quick for those! Also coffee and tea in the morning near reception if you want one before or after breakfast.
You get a dated voucher for breakfast each day, so make sure you use the right one. You can have buffet or a la carte. There are various options which are all pretty good – the only thing lacking really was a wider selection of fruit, plus, oddly, yoghurt!
The resort fee also covers a few other things like morning yoga but it was a bit early for me on holiday, lol. I watched them from my balcony instead!
I’ve actually cancelled our stay for this August as the Holiday Inn was offering us a guaranteed 1 bedroom apartment for 31k points per night with no resort fee so we won’t have to share the room with the teenager again! Hopefully we can do the Kimpton again in 2024, as a couple.
Our family of 4 just recently got back from 7 nights on points at the Kimpton Seafire.
Lovely, forward looking hotel with great staff. Bit of a South American theme going on at the buffet breakfast so don’t be expecting the full English! (although there’s plenty of other stuff too).
Amazing beach, good pool. Paddleboards and other toys and activities were included in the resort fee (which was 80 USD, no ++). Coral pretty disappointing but we saw a ray and a turtle off the hotel beach. Free suncream by the pool although it was THICK!
We didn’t hire a car as we planned to take full advantage of the daily drinks hour! (No beers on offer BTW just red or white wine… 5 glasses our record). Taxis v expensive eg 50 USD for a 10 minute ride.
We liked Heritage Kitchen as a lunch spot, very Caribbean. We also did a nighttime snorkel at bioluminescent bay which was amazing.
Our flight back was delayed 6 hours due to tech problems. We only realised once we got to the airport, so that was another 100USD for a return taxi which I forgot to get a receipt for. I’ve put our claim in for €600 each with BA though so that should soften the blow if we get it.
Overall definitely recommend Seafire.
Thanks for the tips and good to know that we won’t be the first people trying to maximise the social hour! 🙂
We were at Seafire in March. The social hour was pretty poor IMHO. Red or white wine only. No beer, spirits or even a non alcoholic option. Based on this and the fact it was quite early, it was never that busy. My favourite part was the little bags of gum sweets for the kids 😂
It’s Cayman, it would have been paining them to give away even the average wine! When I emailed to enquire about the Diamond breakfast last year I got a very shirty response to the effect that breakfast was not included in our rate, so I just left it to see what transpired. A week or so later I got another email acknowledging the mistake and confirming we would indeed get free breakfast. I imagine there was all sorts of teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing when they realised that this had been introduced by IHG.
@NorthernLass is it correct that there’s no lounge for ClubWorld at GCM?Just left GC after a brief stay, so would not claim in depth expertise that others have.
Of course beautiful beaches etc, but for me lacking in soul and character, perhaps because of the many corporate banking offices. Very quite evening time away from hotel, George Town the capital was dead on Saturday evening.
Each to thier own of course and another perspective and wouldn’t rule out going back, just lots of other places that can compete on beaches but with more atmosphere and
lower costs, not keen on filling a case with coffee and pot noodles.
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