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A "DIY Port Day" in Grand Cayman

A "DIY Port Day" in Grand Cayman


avatar   Scott
Trip Date 01/02/2014
Posted On 10/30/2018 17:38:50

Destinations | Cruises | Cayman Islands | Grand Cayman | DIY Shore Excursions | George Town | Bus | Brewery | Distillery | Seven Mile Beach | Hell



On one of our cruises with a port day in the Cayman Islands we wanted to do something a little different from the crowds - and, just as important, we wanted to do it on our own. We are not afraid of walking as we are always trying to get in our daily steps that are good for our health. We decided to combine the use of the Grand Cayman bus system plus walking to get around the island.

If you are a DIY traveler and might have an opportunity to visit George Town, Grand Cayman, take a look at this post. You'll see how you can visit both a brewery and a distillery for tours, spend some time on the beach and, oh yeah, go to Hell.

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The Bus Station

We started our day at the cruise port in George Town, Grand Cayman. The bus station is located at 68 Edward Street, George Town, Cayman Islands - only a few blocks away from the cruise port. When planning our day, we found these resources helpful:

  1. Information about the bus system including both the rates and routes: How to use the Buses on Grand Cayman
  2. Detailed route maps, hours and other information: Grand Cayman Bus Routes

Buses can be flagged down along their routes for a pick up. We took enough US $1 bills to pay for our rides on the mini-buses. The legs that we traveled were each $2.00 or $2.50 per person. It's important to remember that buses are used by the locals to get to work, and if they are full they will not stop for you.

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Blue Line to the Brewery

From the bus station, we took the blue line bus toward the eastern part of Grand Cayman. Since it passes directly in front of the Cayman Islands Brewery, all you need to know is when to request to get off the bus.

The Cayman Islands Brewery offers regular tours of their facility which describe the brewing process of their many lines of beer. The $10.00 USD tour also includes several samples - you can even choose which beers to try in their pub-like tasting room. The samples were large enough to feel the effects of the beer. Stacy doesn't really drink beer, so I enjoyed double portions. Since I'm not really a big beer drinker, the samples that I tried were more than enough for me!


Bottling

Bottling

A Pirates Life for Me, Today

A Pirates Life for Me, Today

There was only a small group of people on our tour and it was a very enjoyable way to spend a part of our morning. Once we had seen the brewery, the tasting room and the gift shop, it was time to move on to our next stop on the day's agenda.

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Travel to the Distillery

Our plan was to flag down a westbound bus along the blue line to return to the bus station. However, by chance, we began talking with the owner of the brewery in the parking lot and learned that he was from the United States. He offered to take us in his private car to the Cayman Spirits Company. Had we taken the bus the short distance back to the bus station, we would have switched to a dark green line bus and traveled to the area of the Tortuga Rum Company. We then would have walked the few blocks back and forth to the Cayman Spirits Company.


Distillery

Distillery

Although we missed out on the full distillery tour since we didn't reserve ahead of time, we still enjoyed our Cayman Spirits Company visit. If you'd like the full tour experience, check out their website where you can choose a date and time to reserve your tour. The distillery has a tasting room and we were able to sample some of their rums and talk to a salesperson.


Inside the Distillery

Inside the Distillery

Leaving the distillery, we walked to the pick-up point for the bus that would return us back to town. Before returning, we visited the Tortuga Rum Company showroom and again sampled several rums. Of course, we enjoyed them, and even ended up buying two bottles - a cream rum and a vanilla rum.


Two Pirates and Me

Two Pirates and Me

After finalizing our rum purchases, we flagged down the dark green line bus and returned to the bus station.

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Lime Green Line to Hell and the Beach

We did a time check, and since we still had most of the afternoon, we continued on with our island tour. We boarded a lime green bus which was traveling to the north along Seven Mile Beach. (The bus line loops and returns back to the cruise port area.) We exited the bus at the Hell Post Office.

Located on Hell Road, there is a quirky tourist site on Grand Cayman called Hell which is very convenient for bus riders since the bus passes nearby. Hell is a volcanic area where visitors see a field of rough volcanic rocks. The field alone is not much, but with the interesting artwork and gift shop, it is a fun stop. You can take photos in Hell with the volcanic background, take selfies with the Devil, mail a postcard to your friends that is postmarked from Hell and, of course, purchase a variety of souvenirs including funny T-Shirts at the gift shop.


In Hell, Cayman Islands

In Hell, Cayman Islands

The Devil's Post Office & Hangout

The Devil's Post Office & Hangout

From Hell, we walked about 15 minutes to get to Seven Mile Beach in the West Bay Beach area. We hung out at the beach for an hour or so and enjoyed both the sun and swimming in the water.

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Return to the Cruise Port

When it was time to get back to our ship, we flagged down a lime green bus which goes right down the road along the beach and back towards the cruise port. Once back at the port area, we did a little window shopping and got in line for the tender back to the ship after our great day in Grand Cayman.

If you like to do a little exploring on your own and your cruise has a stop in George Town, Grand Cayman, this is an inexpensive but very interesting way to experience some of the island plus the various liquors that the island has to offer. Best of all, no drink package is required!

A "DIY Port Day" in Grand Cayman







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