Beware of the Caymanian Assault Vehicle
May 06 '01
The Bottom Line The best way to explore Grand Cayman is by rental car. Check ahead for coupons or specials. Get a Cayman Temporary Driver's License at the rental car agency.
A rental car is a must when spending time in Grand Cayman, if you plan on doing any exploring. You certainly want to the opportunity to drive to Hell and mail a post card back home. While you're on that side of the island you can stop off at the Turtle Farm. You may also want to drive to the East End of the island where the water is much rougher and there are far fewer inhabitants, at least living above the water.
Wrong Side! Wrong Side!
With this comes a word of warning: You must drive on the left side of the road. This can be especially challenging if the car you are renting is designed to be driven on the right side of the road. (Most of the rental cars we saw were so equipped.)
I spent the first two days of our vacation in Grand Cayman yelling at my husband periodically, "Wrong side! Wrong side!" Admittedly, it is very difficult to change deeply ingrained driving habits. The only thing more difficult than driving on the left side seems to be parallel parking on the left side. Everything just seems totally out of kilter.
It made for a nerve-racking driving experience to say the least -- I not only had to worry about my husband being on the wrong side -- but all the other tourists, as well. I much preferred my role in shouting directions and warnings to that of being the actual driver. Thank goodness Grand Cayman is only about 76 square miles!
Renting a Car
There are about 15 rental car agencies on Grand Cayman. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have only 2 or 3 each. Many of the agencies will not be familiar to you, but you can find Hertz, Budget, Avis, Dollar, and National on Grand Cayman.
You will have to get a temporary Cayman drivers license while on the island. (I believe they charged us a few dollars for it.)
We found a coupon in a dive magazine -- "rent 3 days, get 1 free." We planned to spend most of our time underwater anyway, so we only rented the car for four days while we were there.
Watch for coupons in dive or travel magazines that can save you money in renting a car on the island.
Dive Boat Transportation
We were staying at the Sunset House, so all we had to do was walk out back and hop on the dive boat. This actually was my favorite form of transportation while on Grand Cayman. That and propelling myself around underwater.
Walking Around George Town
Our hotel was about a 15 minute walk to downtown George Town. It was pretty hot the day we decided to walk it, of course.
George Town is very clean, compact and easy to walk around. It was quite easy for us to find our way around this area on foot. There are plenty of shops to explore and more banks than I've ever seen in one place before. Even if you drive to downtown, you'll want to park somewhere and make the rounds by foot.
Exploring the Island
However, to get out and really explore the island, a rental car is a must. We spent one day driving our rental Suzuki all around the island. Grand Cayman is really not very pretty -- quite flat and not too scenic.
However, watching the shoreline is always a treat... there are some great blowholes out toward the East End. Here you can watch the water shooting straight up through holes in the rocks. You can also hear it as it blows through the holes.
Of course, no trip to Grand Cayman would be complete without a trip to Hell. There's not much there except some scary looking lava fields, a post office, and a souvenir shop. Everyone has to buy and send postcards from Hell.
While you're on that side of the island, be sure to take in the Turtle Farm. There roads well maintained are marked with signs that will get you both to Hell and the Turtle Farm.
What is a Caymanian Assault Vehicle?
We had gotten to know two other couples pretty well after diving with them for several days. We had heard them mention the Caymanian Assault Vehicle and wondered what kind of big 4-wheel drive they had rented. It was obviously much larger than our little Suzuki Samurai, but we we still didn't know exactly what the Caymanian Assault Vehicle was at this point.
Taxi Service to Dinner
The other two couples invited us to join them for dinner the evening after we returned our rental car. That was the only night on the island that we ventured out after dark. After a full day of diving and shopping, we were happy to eat at the hotel and go to bed early.
All we had to do was return our rental car and we get invited out to dinner. No problem. We called a taxi to take us up to 7-Mile Beach where the restaurant was located. It took quite a while for the taxi to arrive as we waited in the hotel lobby.
When it did arrive, I was a bit taken aback. The taxi was a mini-van, complete with half-sleeping child and mother of said child in the front seat. It seems this taxi business was quite the family operation.
The driver was friendly and courteous and gave us his card so we could call when we were ready to return to the hotel. I was hoping we wouldn't be out too late, I would feel guilty dragging the little kid out of bed again.
Note: There are plenty of taxis available to meet you at Owen Roberts Airport if you prefer not to rent a car. Taxis charge a fixed fee per person or vehicle to any point on the island. They are also readily available at the larger hotels.
Forget the Taxi - The Caymanian Assault Vehicle (CAV) is Here
After a nice dinner, we were about to head back to the hotel. My husband excused himself to go call a taxi.
"No way!" the proud driver of the CAV said. "You can ride back with us."
Knowing that both couples had ridden together, I was afraid it might be too crowded for us to join them. "Thank you, but we don't want to overcrowd your car. We'll just take a taxi."
"We insist," the wife added. "Besides, you have to experience the Caymanian Assault Vehicle.
Not wanting to be rude, we graciously accepted their offer and went out to the parking lot as a group. I guess I was a bit curious about the fabled CAV, after all.
"Here she is!" the driver proudly proclaimed as he opened his door.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was the smallest, most foreign looking rental car I had ever seen. I don't know how the four of them could have squeezed into it, much less the six of us. They were serious. They expected us all to pile into the CAV. And pile in we did! It reminded me of the toy cars they use in the circus where all the clowns pile in and out. I just hope there weren't any witnesses in the parking lot!
Because my husband is very tall, he was assigned the front seat. That left me and three adults to squeeze into a back seat that wouldn't comfortably hold two. Luckily, the top was down, so we half-sat, half-stood for most of the way.
Every stop or turn was an experience in togetherness and hilarity. Luckily, we made it back to the hotel without mishap. I was almost afraid we might turn it over if we shifted our weight too quickly.
Many Options for Transportation
I guess we experienced most of the modes of transportation while in Grand Cayman -- rental car, foot power, taxi, dive boat, dive fins, and the CAV!
The only ones we didn't try were the Atlantis Submarine (located at the harbor), bicycles, motorcycles or scooters. I have to admit riding a motorcyle or scooter around Grand Cayman would probably be a lot of fun, but way too nerve-wracking for me with the fear of people being on the wrong side.
Going Between Islands
Cayman Airways has daily jet service to Cayman Brac. Island Air has three flights a day from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. (About a 40-minute flight.) No, the Caymanian assault vehicle cannot transport you between islands!
New On Grand Cayman - Public Transit
In 1998 Grand Cayman launched its public bus system. The new bus station is in downtown George Town and has 38 mini-buses that cover eight routes. Daily service starts at 6 a.m. The cost is either $1.50 or $2.00 either way, depending on the route.
Have Fun, Be Careful!
If you go to Grand Cayman I hope you have a wonderful time. It's really a great place to visit. Stay on the left side and watch out for the Caymanian Assault Vehicle! It may still be on the loose.
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