I planned my trip to Grand Cayman with Ivana for Peak travel season in late December. If you go during off-peak times, you will likely do much better than I did on prices.
After splitting costs with Ivana, my total cost for 4 nights and 5 days in Grand Cayman was just over $1200. This includes flights, accommodation, car rental, gas, public transportation, food, drinks, SCUBA diving, and other fun activities.
In this post, I break down all the prices and share everything we did to stay on a budget while ensuring we had a fun and comfortable time together as a couple.
Flights on Cayman Airways
$224 round trip from MIA for 1 person
I opted not to use points for this trip. Sometimes, the price is within my ability to pay in full and using points would actually be a devaluation on those points. On short trips like this, it's often worth it to me to pay the full price and save the points for more expensive, long distance travel.
I found flights on Cayman Airways for $224 round trip from MIA. There were other airlines that went to Grand Cayman but this had the best price tag without unnecessarily wasting hard-earned frequent flier miles.
What was interesting about this flight was that the flight there included a quick stopover on Little Cayman. I've never had a flight that stopped at an island, dumped a bunch of people, brought new people on, and then continued on. Ivana and I just sat there and waited for the plan to board again. I didn't mind this for the flight there because it added to the excitement! Plus, I got to see a bit of Little Cayman on the flight in.
The return flight was direct, however. This was nice for getting back early, especially since the flight only took a little over an hour!
Accommodation at Addison Lee
$836.20 total for 2 people.
Through booking.com Ivana and I opted to stay at Addison Lee Cayman Vacation Home for 4 nights from December 28 to January 1. The price included breakfast in the mornings and we had our own private, detached bathroom, housekeeping, and all the necessary amenities. This guesthouse on a quiet street off the main West Bay Road that goes up and down Seven Mile Beach in George Town.
The split price of $418.10 each meant we paid a rate of about $104 per night. All-inclusive resorts can run up to $450 per night or more in some cases.
This nightly rate is extraordinary in Grand Cayman especially during peak season. We got a bang for our buck considering we were right across the street from the resorts and we were still able to access everything we needed,.
Budget Car Rental & Public Buses
About $200 for 2 people.
Due to peak travel time and our lateness with booking, we were not able to reserve bicycles ahead of time. This would have been ideal for getting around the Seven Mile Beach area. But we walked instead and actually enjoyed the exercise. When we became bored, the public bus system was convenient enough. Most rides around the George Town area cost CI$2.00 or US$2.50 per person, per ride. The cost increases the farther you go.
There was one day that Ivana and I planned a road trip to explore the entire island. Because cars were in high demand and limited supply, we paid the price. Budget charged us $69.75 for one day. But our road trip was so worth it! Just keep in mind that you will drive on the left side of the road in the driver’s seat on the right side of the vehicle. I felt like I was back to my days driving around New Zealand!
The island is small to drive around but we did fill up on gas twice which cost about $40 total.
The trip from the airport to seven mile beach was about $20-25 total for 2 people. This was about the same cost as a cab at that time. We took this route 3-4 times due to pick-up and return of the car. Plus, we took some other little trips up and down Seven Mile Beach when we got lazy. All up, it was about $100 each for our transportation around Grand Cayman.
To Eat And Drink
About $260 total for 2 people.
After having dinner and drinks our first night in Grand Cayman, we went right over to Kirk Market. This was a grocery store within walking distance of our guesthouse. We spent $80 at the grocery store. We went wild with wanting to try some Grand Cayman foods and also we splurged to cook a nice dinner one night. Ivana was also getting over being sick so we got some fresh fruit!
Our guesthouse included breakfast in the price. This was great for lowering our food cost, since it can get pricey. The grocery run helped us with lunchtime cravings and gave us things to snack on for our road trip.
In the end, we mostly only spent money on dinner and drinks. We spent New Years Eve in Grand Cayman, so of course we splurged a bit on alcohol!
Factoring in all of our restaurants and drinks, we spent an additional $180. Splitting everything between us, including groceries, this brings our total to about $130 each on food and drinks over the 5 days.
Splurging On Fun
$200-$400 total for 2 people.
Ivana and I were very selective about the extra activities we purchased. We mostly explored beaches, went snorkeling, and checked out other natural sites which was all basically free.
Snorkeling was free for me because I brought my own gear. Ivana brought her own mask but opted to rent some better gear a couple of times for $12.75 (mask, snorkel and fins).
Since we were there for New Year's Eve, we knew certain parties could get very costly. So Ivana and I searched for a local party, instead. We found a free NYE party on the beach next to the Kimpton Seafire resort at Calico Jack's. This is where all the locals were and we had a great time for no cover charge. We only paid for a couple of drink a piece.
My major activity splurge was my 2-tank dive trip ($150 for 2 boat dives). Ivana and I also went on a bioluminescent kayak tour for $59 each. Both of these activities were worth every penny to me!
The total cost for activities was $209 for me because of my dive trip. For Ivana, her cost was less than $100.
In Conclusion
Off-peak season in Grand Cayman is from about mid-April to mid-December. Despite the inflated prices we experienced during the peak season, I still did well with keeping costs low for our trip.
We had a very comfortable place to stay for the two of us as a couple without going overboard. We enjoyed a bit of adventure, exploring food options freely, discovering snorkeling spots independently, and road-tripping our own way around the island.
I really enjoyed every part of this trip and it didn't set me back by too much!
