I've been to scuba-diving hotels all over the Caribbean, but this one's really something special. Partly it's location - it's directly next to shopping, good restaurants, and that rarest of beaches - pristine white sand, yet with reefs for snorkeling. We saw an enormous lobster, a nurse shark, and a huge stingray within fifteen minutes of hitting the water. (Note to newbies: Nurse sharks are not dangerous or aggressive.)

However, what really makes it is the great staff and the beautiful landscaping. There's a pool area with an attached restaurant that serves terrific entrees and you can get your dinner without once going inside! Prices were very reasonable and the food was fantastic.
Also, don't miss the sushi restaurant in the strip mall next to the hotel. Seriously - it's just about the best fish I've eaten.

The rooms are HUGE. The beds very comfortable. I understand the first floor was recently renovated so all of the appointments are brand new.

The one drawback is that first floor rooms don't have balconies or anywhere outside you can hang wet scuba gear, but they do have dunk tanks and gear lockers within an easy walk of the main building. Also, there are hammocks strung out front and gorgeous shrubs from which you can admire the resident curly-tailed iguanas.

Also - FREE WIFI. You just don't find that in the Caribbean, and mostly you don't even find it in the continental U.S. (I'm not sure they're advertising it yet - I noticed their website mentioned you had to pay for wi-fi but we did not and were told by staff it was free.)

The price was terrific. The staffers are all very friendly and easygoing. I'd go back here like a shot and hope to, very soon!!

The location was not too bad if you do not mind walking across the busy West Bay Road. The rooms were smelt very moldy. We could not get rid of that smell. It seemed bread in the furniture. We were on a budget but would opt to spend a bit more next time for a cleaner atmosphere. The Resturant/Bar also had a bad order of mold/or rotted food. Only can smell when we sat at the bar. We were very disappointed as the staff seem to focus on chatting with thier buddies across the bar rather than serving the guest. We had stayed here a few year ago and it was wonderful, not any more. We we arrived they could not find our reservation. They are very unorganized and unapologetic.
Next time will try the Comfort suites or Grand Caymanian.

We decided to head to the Cayman Islands to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of my thirtieth birthday and settled on Sunshine Suites simply because it was about the least expensive thing we could find close to the beach. We could not have made a better choice. Granted, it's not on the beach but it's only a short block and a half away from it. And even though I have a bad leg, I had no trouble at all getting back and forth. The grounds, the room, the bar/restaurant were all first rate. And the proximity to other bars/restaurants makes for an easy walk should you think it's necessary to try other aspects of the Island's culiinary scene. But what we really liked were the staff members. Without exception they were knowledgeable, patient, friendly and helpful. They took what was a good vacation and made it great. I can't think of anyplace else I'd rather stay when we go back.

We stayed at Sunshine Suites Resort May 16-May 23, 2009. We booked the hotel directly on March 23 with their online special rate and got one night free. Our rate was $158 per night for a studio suite with one queen bed. Tax plus service charge was $189.60 bringing our total to $948. They did not offer AAA discount. I received a confirmation via email and also called before we arrived to verify our room. We took a taxi cab from the airport (just go to the taxi stand). It was a very quick ride. I believe the rate to/from the airport to the hotel is about $24 U.S. each way. Upon arrival about 1pm we were checked into our room, however, they tried to charge us an extra $700 dollars and had our check-out date 4 days later than it was supposed to be. We showed our confirmation and the matter was soon corrected. Then the girl at the desk found the correct paperwork. (Don't forget to bring your confirmation and call before arrival to verify: get names, dates, times).

Our room was on the 3rd floor (we requested it) as there is no elevator. The room faced the area towards the golf course/lagoon? Our room was clean, bright, the shutters were nice. The only thing is that it never really gets dark in the room at night so you have to close the shutters tight and the room will still be illuminated. The sun came equally early through the shutters. Just fyi. The kitchenette was useful. Most things were clean but some wine glasses were still dirty from previous guests. The toilet was a low flow which caused some problems, but we just poured a plastic pitcher full of water into the toilet before using it and problem solved. The drain in the shower was slow so my husband took off the drain and cleaned it. Poor guy. So gross. But it drained much better. We just didn't have time to wait on them to do it and didnt want the staff in the room when we were gone so we took care of stuff ourselves. We had some noisy neighbors...late until nearly midnight. People may not realize you can hear others flushing, closing cabinets, tv, etc. I used ear plugs for a few hours each night.

We ate the free breakfast each a.m. in the restaurant. It was nice, but would have liked yogurt or hard boiled eggs or oatmeal packets....for low sodium diets. What did they have? coffee, juice, milk, cold cereals, toast, bagels, waffels, muffins, watermelon, red declicious apples, banannas. That was about it. They could have used more island music playing, but one morning we got a half hour dose of Buffett which was nice for us anyway. Other times is was 70's rock, or mellow rock or pop. But didn't have any island or tropical feeling. The colors of the entire property are beautiful. We were always able to get a table for breakfast when we went at 7 a.m. We ate lunch our first day and had a painkiller. The painkillers are almost $10 U.S. so be prepared. The fish tacos are really tasty! The Caybrews are pricey, but cheaper than some other places on the island. They did not seem to offer a happy hour. One night I had a Cuban chicken dish for dinner and it was very good.

There is a shopping center steps away from the hotel with a liquor store (stock up!), snorkel shop, sushi rest (good!) cafe (variety, good prices and decent drink prices!), and a couple of bars/nightclubs. Traffic can be busy and it seems noone follows the speed limits. We had to wait for a minute or so most times to cross the street to the beach, but it was not bad (see photos). The beach accessed from across the street from Sunshine Suites is primo! We saw nurse shark, eagle ray, sting ray, hog fish, sea turtle, and tons of fish. Who needs stingray city when you can snorkel just the two of you and follow a stingray in the peace and quiet of an uncrowded beach? Coming back from the beach there is a footwash and shower off station at Sunshine Suites which is nice.

We did not rent a car, but felt completely comfortable walking to Georgetown (~2.5 miles) or thereabouts each afternoon and barhopping for happy hour specials the whole way back to the hotel. At night they light tiki torches around the pool property at the hotel. The landscaping is very nice at the hotel. It is quite a shock getting used to the 25% rate US over the Caymanian prices. But there were no panhandlers, prostitutes, drug pushers, homeless that we ever saw and we walked all over frequently. That's the trade off I guess over going somewhere like Jamaica (you pay for the luxury of Grand Cayman). BTW, we saw or heard quite a few car accidents involving tourists. The roads didn't seem too safe for biking either, though we considered it. We would go back if we ever returned to GC.