Seeking paradise? You can pack your mask and snorkel for Tahiti, a sheer 5,536 miles away with a round trip ticket cost of $ 2,500; or how about Hawaii only 4,735 miles away? Or Little Cayman - 72 miles away with a round trip ticket at $120?
We all have our own vision of Utopia. For me, it’s the ideal place to be. In other words, Little Cayman: A place where road signs read, “Iguanas have the right of way”, “Beware Duck Crossing” and a place where seabirds outnumber humans.
On the south shore of Little Cayman there is a lagoon resembling an artist's palette of blues and greens. For this beach bum, South Hole Sound compares to anything I’ve seen in the South Pacific, especially when you affix our often forgotten fourth island, Owen Island. This little Eden is just a kayak paddle away from the Southern Cross Club and Little Cayman Beach Resort. On Owen Island you can be a castaway, a Robinson Crusoe, who by virtue of his own ingenuity, survived on a small tropical island. Owen Island’s perfect white sand beaches gives way to emerald waters where coloured fish animate the coral gardens as they greet rays and waving sea fans.
The late Philippe Cousteau called Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall one of the three finest dive areas in the world. National Geographic photographer David Doubilet and cinematographer Stan Waterman dubbed Three Fathom Wall located in Bloody Bay "The Caribbean's best dive site." Scuba Diving Magazine's Reader's Choice Awards presented Little Cayman Beach Resort the following awards : #1 Top Wall Diving, #2 Top Underwater Photography, #2 Top Marine Life, #2 Healthiest Marine Environment, #3 Top Dive Destination, #4 Top Macro Life, and Most Popular Dive Resort. To further those compliments Pirates Point Dive Lodge has been tagged as one of the best 100 resorts in the Caribbean. Gladys Howard, the owner/manager of Pirates Point Resort, is a chef proficient at creating some of the most delectable cuisine anywhere on our three Islands.
The three main resorts on Little Cayman, Southern Cross Club, Pirates Point and Little Cayman Beach Resort keep a near 100 per cent occupancy rate through most of the year. They are the envy of Grand Cayman’s larger chain-style hotels and it says much for being deficient of “over development”.
If you want even more privacy than the Island’s few small resorts there’s Bob and Suzy Soto’s Turtle Beach Villa. This spacious nautical style duplex villa is situated in a quiet setting and yet within easy cycling distance of restaurants, bars and water sports shops. I have had the honour to staying at the Sotos’ residence often, sitting in the Jacuzzi sipping a cocktail, overcome with the panorama and solitude.
Something more economical is Gary Bodden’s Blue Lagoon Resort at Kingston Bight. The rooms are simple yet clean and comfortable with a/c and a dramatic view of Owen Island. The Blue Lagoon bar is a gathering spot for domino tournaments, karaoke stars and a generous heap of local gossip. Gary’s burgers and fries or local fish dishes are not only tasty but one of the best values for your dollar on Little Cayman.
I’ve heard some say, “but there’s nothing to do on Little Cayman”. Well, these individuals are simply missing the point… and I suggest they stay on the big Island and spend their time circling a roundabout. WH