We had been to Grand Cayman a couple of times before but we were excited to have a chance to visit one of the two smaller sister islands, Cayman Brac.
The Cayman Brac Beach Resort is owned and operated by the same owners as the Little Cayman Beach Resort.
The group used to have a property on Grand Cayman too called Cobalt Coast, but they have since sold that one. It has reopened again with new management.
The Cayman Brac Beach Resort is well known to divers and many of the dive shops in the US that we know have organized dive trips to visit. Next to the dive shop, there is a small area with painted rocks, where dive clubs and dive shops have drawn up various designs on rocks that they have collected by the resort to serve as a kind of “we were here” marker. We saw quite a few names we recognized and even made a new DRYFOB one that we proudly left behind.
Arriving in Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is a small island. Literally 12 miles long and just over a mile wide. The Cayman Brac Beach Resort is on the western side of the island right next to the airport. Our transfer was literally just a few minutes from the airport to the hotel and you can even see the end of the runway from the hotel’s front door.
The hotel itself looks newly renovated and painted and was well kept up. Somewhat of a rarity, the reality was actually nicer than the web photos we had seen. What looked like it could have been a wooden clapboard structure in the photos turned out to be a solid concrete with a stucco exterior.
The room was clean, had nice furniture, was actually bigger than we had first thought. And we got great views of the sunrise. The walking paths around the hotel were nicely tiled.
Checking in was easy and seamless. We got waterproof electronic wristbands which opened the room door. We got punch cards for our drink package, and we were ushered off with a bellboy bringing all our dive equipment up the stairs to our second-floor unit which would serve as our home base for a week.
Cayman Brac Beach Resort amenities
The reception area had a small store where we found a nice little Christmas ornament. We were later told it was not made by a local artist but that they did a local market on Thursday. We did attend but didn’t find much, and in fact the local artisans that were to stay until 6pm were all gone by 5:30pm.
There was also a separate game room next to the reception area and some nice paintings and photos in the hallway that led towards the restaurant and bar. Next to reception was a tennis court which was rarely used (we never saw anyone).
Pool and beach area
There was a beautiful and spacious infinity pool in front of a nice bar area. It’s also possible to climb to the rooftop terrace of the bar where you’ll be rewarded with great views of the ocean and pool area.
Beachfront hammocks and chairs were laid out for the perfect spot to relax or snooze.
There is not much beach per se, and I’m not sure you could really enter the water to snorkel or swim. There was a long rocky, shallow area that could prove to be a real ankle twister or scraper upper. But a great spot to see aquatic birds.
Next to the dock, there was no real swimming entry either. Unfortunately, there was also quite a bit of rubbish washed up ashore there which we would have hoped someone would have cleaned up. I think this was a public area, but still frequented daily by the guests at the resort.
Cayman Brac Beach Resort accommodations
The rooms themselves were quite spacious and the air-conditioning worked great.
We were pleased to find a nice and comfortable king size bed (you must request either one king or two double beds). There was also a mini fridge in our room. We were also told that there are not enough for all the rooms, so this should be requested when you make the reservation.
The drawers and cabinets were all modern and there were sufficient plugs to recharge our electronics. Inside the closet there was a good size safe large enough for our big camera and a laptop.
The bathroom had a large shower with dual shower heads. I had a new hair dryer that worked well. The internet was good (and was sufficiently fast for uploading pictures to the cloud).
The only real negative was that there should have been more hooks and hangars for our dive gear. The balcony had a sign that said guests should not hang their dive gear which we found odd as the place is primarily a dive resort. I doubt anyone would complain about the esthetics. That said, there was a spot by the dive shop to leave the suits overnight which got locked up and it worked fairly well.
Tip: The room’s A/C hot air outlet was perfect for drying dive boots. Just place them on the table in front of the A/C output for warm toasty boots in the morning.
One surprise was that we had a couple of power failures and after half an hour we realized that the resort didn’t have a generator (at least not for the rooms). These didn’t last long but we had two of them. This made us think about how inconvenient that could have been had we been packing in the dark. They say they are few and far between, but…
Restaurant and Tipsy Turtle Bar
With our meal package, there was a buffet formula for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food was good, and there were ample portions laid out with plenty of choices. We always had a beef, chicken, fish, and vegetarian option. Soup, fresh bread, salads, veggies, fruits, and delicious desserts were also available. You could also order a la carte if not on the meal plan, and perhaps there were even more choices from the menu.
We always had excellent friendly service at all the meals. One highlight was the last night’s BBQ. Many locals also came to this event and it was great. Lots of food and a great ambiance.
We had the 7-day dive package with 3 meals daily and a 21-drink package. We ended up having too many drinks left over and shared some with the boat crew and staff. Another good thing is that if divers order alcoholic drinks during the day, they are not allowed to dive for the rest of the day. Safety first.
Other tips
- We were able to rent a car for a reasonable rate ($49) to go and check out some topside activities on our last day. We probably could have done a taxi tour for about the same price, but we like the freedom of a car. Just remember to drive on the left side of the road! An international driver’s license may be useful. We didn’t need it this time, but we did end up needing it in Grand Cayman.
- For us the drink package was overkill as they always had ample juices, iced tea and water at all the meals. We’d probably forgo that should we do it again.
- Travel insurance is a good idea as there is also no decompression chamber on Cayman Brac anymore, so any emergencies must be airlifted to Grand Cayman.
See our post: Cayman Brac Topside Activities
The diving
The main draw is of course the diving, and just about all the guests were here for that. Reef Divers is on-site, and the boats leave from a dock that’s only a few steps away from the resort.
They have rental equipment available, and the boats were well equipped. Most were 46-feet Newton’s, we had a smaller 42-feet dive special Newton which was just perfect for our group. The boat had dual ladders, lots of room in the shade, and a marine head. They served snacks and had a large jug of water on board.
Notably missing on the boat was a camera bin, but there was a camera table. The photographers on board took over the whole area. Freshwater hoses were available to rinse the cameras.
Check out our post about the diving:
Diving Cayman Brac’s Healthy Reefs and Spectacular Walls
Conclusion
We enjoyed the resort, and all the staff was friendly and kind. Most learned our names and called us by name throughout our stay. We even had a few tearful goodbyes on our last night as we packed up for the 5:15am pickup for our 7am flight.
The good thing with flying on Cayman Air’s 737 is that the arrival is direct from Miami. And you can also bring the usual sized carry-ons. This is great because my dive camera requires its own carry-on. The smaller Saab 900 planes and other turboprops are such that you can barely fit a small personal item in the cabin. Apparently, sometimes luggage may arrive the following day.
While our flight from Miami was direct to Cayman Brac, the early departure had a 90-minute stopover in Grand Cayman. So, we had to exit the plane, clear customs, and reboard.
Would we recommend it? Yes!
It was a great spot for diving. For those with non-diving spouses or family, the non-divers may find it a bit lacking with no real beach and not a lot of topside activities. Of course, if they just want to chill by the pool and enjoy the resort, they would be happy with the large pool and bar area.
We were happy to have been able to visit Cayman Brac and dive the famous Tibbetts wreck. While we did not make it to Little Cayman (occasionally, the boat does do the longer ride out to do the Bloody Bay Wall, but it was too rough when we were there). Perhaps Little Cayman will be a future dive destination for us.
Have you been to Little Cayman? How does it compare?