Every cruise, I love to take a low-key day to relax on the beach. My favorite spot for that is Maya Chan. This cruise, however, didn’t take us that way. When we went to Grand Cayman this Summer, we booked a day at the Royal Palms Beach Club (RPBC). It wasn’t quiet and relaxing by any means. Instead, it was a high energy day on a beautiful section of beach. If that’s what you are looking for in a shore excursion, this is a great option for you.
The Cayman Islands are incredibly friendly to tourists, so we did not book this excursion through the ship. We contact RPBC in advance to make sure we reserved two cabanas for our group. We walked out of the pier and turned slightly to our left. There were a large number of registered cabs. We negotiated a price, which was a few dollars per person. Transport was safe, and we got there very quickly.
You can access the beaches for free in Grand Cayman. What you can’t do is easily park or use any private facilities. For a fee of $2, RPBC will let you in to use their showers, bathrooms, and changing rooms. Please be aware that you will almost *certainly* spend more more money than that.
What did it really cost?
We rented two beachside cabanas for $125 each. Another member of our group rented a poolside cabana for $75. The beach cabanas came with admission for 6, waiter service, and a shaded place to sit and relax. They were great. However, as the picture above shows they were right by the more densely populated part of the beach.
The beach, however, was beautiful. The sand was white, and the water was perfectly clear. There were also jetskis available for rent. In terms of water quality, this may have been nicer than the time I went swimming in Bali.
We ordered a few beers while we were there, and every plate of food we saw looked great. The food, however, was fairly expensive. The music was also loud, and some of the younger kids in our group wanted to go by lunch time. We wound up eating at Cayman Cabana, a restaurant near the pier. As a result, we didn’t spend very much more than the cabana rental fee.
Would I go again? Maybe. I am a middle aged fat guy, and this was where all the beautiful people went. The kids and I liked it, but my preference is for quieter music and a relaxed spot to sit. None of that makes RPBC bad. If you want music, beautiful beach, and a party vibe, this is definitely the place for you.
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