My wife and I (in our mid-late 20’s and no kids) stayed at Plantana #40 the week of May 8th. We have traveled to a number of Caribbean/Mexican destinations (Aruba, St. Thomas, Cabo, Cozumel, Bahamas) but this was the first time we’ve stayed in a condo rather than a hotel. We had an enjoyable time and have some possibly helpful comments on Plantana – overall we were very satisfied, but there are some issues to consider – and Grand Cayman in general.

I would add a caveat to the most recent review that all units at Plantana are privately owned. Though the layouts may be the same or similar, the décor and upkeep could significantly differ. Our unit had a well appointed kitchen, satellite/cable TV, and nice furniture. Another unit could differ. If you consider #40, be warned that the bed is like a rock! We’ve stayed in Mexican hotels – known for hard beds – but this was something else. Again, other units could be completely different.

Plantana seems to have one of the very best stretches of SMB. There is a wide and deep expanse of soft beach with very clear, calm water. I never did figure out how the sand never got burning hot like the beaches in Florida, Aruba, etc. There are two other higher-end newer condo projects on either side of Plantana (which was built circa 1981) so you have a huge stretch of beach with almost no people on it other than passers-by. (Several days there were fewer than a dozen beach dwellers in the immediate area, though as a caveat the property was <50% occupied.)

There is no obvious hurricane damage to Plantana (though some big downed trees remaining across the road; the road is really close to parking lot-facing units) other than several formerly large trees on the beach which we thought used to provide major shade in front of Plantana. As a result, there is not a lot of shade available (no palapas or umbrellas unless you bring your own umbrella.) The tropical vegetation has grown back quickly and the only noticeable damage is to the more evergreen-type trees.

We rented a soft top jeep-type vehicle from Andy’s for the first half of our trip (you can pick up from the airport and drop off at their location across from the Marriott and get a ride back to your hotel/condo for no charge.) This was a must to get groceries, etc. – the Foster’s IGA was probably within a distant walking distance, but you wouldn’t be able to drag much back. (And whoa what people say about prices is definitely true, even more than we expected! – bring what small dry stuff you can in you luggage and trash what you don’t use (condiments, crackers, tuna, soup, etc. - maybe take an extra small bag and consolidate into a larger one on the return.) Hell was pretty lame unless you wanted to send a postcard from Hell. If you have rented a car, go ahead and see it but don’t make a special trip. Tourist trap!!! It was amusing to drive there and see the busloads of curise trippers parade through to buy their precious reminders of their day on Grand Cayman.

We drove all over the island to the east end and Rum Point (not too impressed; very commercialized and beach at Plantana is better.) It didn’t seem that the ferry to Rum Point was running from the Hyatt yet. It was interesting to drive around and peaceful once you passed Bodden Town. Traffic gets somewhat confusing/congested around the airport but drivers seem to give each other more breaks than in the US.

Unless you have a car, there are not too many restaurants within walking distance of Plantana. Eats Café (across from the Westin) is about a 5-10 minute walk along West Bay Road and we went there a couple of times when we didn’t feel like cooking. It was pretty good. West Bay Road is somewhat inconsistent w/r/t lighting and sidewalks so I’m not sure we would have ventured much further for restaurants while walking – if you want to eat out a lot and stay at Plantana or the other condos nearby you need to plan on renting a car or calling for a taxi. Oh, there is a Big Daddy’s (I think) liquor store in the same center as Eats so it is walkable. We were pretty surprised at the prices at all such liquor stores so if you plan to consume, be ready to pay more than U.S, even for local brands! Maybe there is a significant duty/tax on that stuff. Really cheap at the airport though - same bottle of Tortuga's rum is $9 there (US) vs. $20 on the island!

We took an afternoon snorkel trip with Capt. Marvin’s. It leaves from an inlet to the North Sound but you get included bus transportation. Definitely go in the afternoon to avoid cruise-shippers clogging the sites (most cruise ships depart at 4-5 so afternoon trips won’t work for them.) We had about 18-20 people on a boat (not catamaran) and it was pleasant with 2 snorkel stops and a stop at the Stingray City sandbar. It was somewhat annoying that they had an independent person on board shooting above & underwater video with the intent of selling you it for $60 (I think) at the end. It somewhat made the trip all about getting you in the video so you would buy it.

If you are staying on the island, definitely figure out when the cruise ships are NOT in port – check http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm. I think they are usually in Mon-Thurs. with the most on Wed. – Thurs. We went into George Town on Sat. and it was nearly completely deserted. It is your typical cruise ship port town of gift shops (wow! that same item made in China was $5 there and is $10 here!) and jewelry stores. Take the bus ($2 CI/pp and save some money – there is a bus stop near Plantana).

We would have to agree with one of the other posters that management/staff at Plantana is less than helpful. The housekeeping staff (they come each day but Sun. to gently clean, provide new towels, etc.) was great but management was unpleasant - or just incompetent? For example, before arriving we sent the manager several emails with basic questions (Are you walking distance to restaurants? Grocery? Etc.); however, these emails were responded to (if there was any response) with a few, unhelpful words at best. (With only 49 units, can’t you help your potential/actual customer?) Plantana requested a credit card to reserve our reservation but there was no secure web site to do so. We called Plantana and gave them the credit card information after asking whether there was a secure way to give a card # via the Internet. Of course, our reservation confirmation email (which we had to ask for 3 times) included what? Our entire credit card number – after indicating why we did not want it broadcast over the Internet!!! Oh well. The last item I will mention is an experience with the beach towels. We had 4 towels (they weren’t oversize) provided; after 4 days I went to exchange them for clean ones and was given 4 new ones – only to have 2 of them quite literally ripped out of my arms after the towel lady (with manager present) realized that we were in 1 bedroom unit – and thus quite rudely explained to me that we were entitled to only 2 precious towels. Apparently there was a mistake in our previous allotment. Come on!!! When paying decent $ for a nice vacation this type of action doesn’t ruin your trip (at least not for me) but really makes you wonder whether there is any appreciation for the customer.

Hope something in this is helpful to you. Oh and one more thing – we were on Delta which has one of the earlier return flights to the US (Atlanta – 12:45ish). Upon arriving in GCM Delta told us to come to the airport 3 hours early for the return flight. This was really unnecessary – although there is a hand search of your checked luggage so if you’d rather show up early and sit in the lounge than stand in line – that’s your call. Have fun!