From: paul.graveline%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Paul Graveline) 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.caribbean
Subject: CARIBBEAN TRAVEL ROUNDUP5
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:19:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online, St. Louis, MO
Reply-To: paul.graveline%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Paul Graveline) 

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place  for  everyone,  but  when  you're ready to party, go there. I  
even  said  before  the  trip  that  I  wasn't  going  to Carlos and  
Charlies, but I'm glad I changed my mind.  
 
My  sister  and  her  boyfriend  had  to  go  home on Monday, so,now  
started  my vacation alone. If you could call it that. I met so many  
people  that I still had a great time. One night I went to the other  
side  of  the island with the American family to see the sea turtles  
lay  their  eggs.  This  was  interesting,  if  not dangerous. It is  
illegal  to  take  the  eggs, la policia are driving up and down the  
road  looking  for  poachers.  So  la  policia  stopped  our car and  
checked  our  trunk,  and  interior  for eggs. When they figured out  
that  we  were just tourists wanting to see the turtles, they let us  
follow  them.  They had a spotlight that they shined on the beach to  
find  turtles.  We saw many tracks and the holes where the eggs are.  
Finally  we  saw  a huge turtle laying her eggs. Everybody went down  
to her, but I chose to leave her alone so as not to disturb her.  
 
The  stars  are  spectacular on this side of the island. There is no  
electricity  over  here,  Hurricane Gilbert took care of that. So we  
could   see   the   swirl  of  the  Milky  Way.  It  was  absolutely  
breathtaking.  It  was  also a new moon so there was no light at all  
to  deal  with.  On  my  last night in Cozumel (for now) I met a guy  
originally  from Florida, who has been on the island for 23 years. A  
great  guy,  who  knows  everybody, and everybody knows him. He gets  
treated  like  somebody  special there. His name is Tiny, and if you  
ever see him when you visit Cozumel, tell him Donna said "Hola".  
 
Well  that is about it, except to say that I wouldn't recommend that  
anyone  go  to Cozumel! You'll hate it! As you probably have figured  
out  that I want my island to stay quaint and quiet. But I know that  
it will never be another Cancun. Thank God!  
 
Grand Cayman by David Clark 
--------------------------- 
We  were  standing at the edge of a deserted sandy beach on the east  
side  of  Cayman  Island.  It  was  mid  afternoon in July, with the  
typical  Caribbean  shower  off  in  the distance. I had just put my  
flippers  and  newly-bought prescription face mask on. My first time  
snorkeling  and  I was bound and determined to do it right the first  
time!  
 
I  dip  my  head  into  the deep bluegreen water. This is great! The  
water  is very clear, and the sea life is right there, like being in  
an  aquarium. The many-colored fish, the coral, and plant life. Live  
conch  and  a  few  (friendly)  stingrays. We swim for several hours  
exploring  the  area between the beach and the barrier reef, several  
hundred yards offshore. This is the place to do that.  
 
The  Cayman  Islands,  while  expensive,  lack the negative elements  
found  on  other  popular islands. There is relatively little crime,  
beggars,  or  peddlers. There is a proliferation of scuba-diving and  
snorkeling  businesses,  as  well  as other water sports activities.  
While  there  are  snorkeling  locations  on  Seven  Mile  beach, my  
personal  preference was on the east side of the island or the North  
Sound barrier reef.  
 
Cayman  Islands  Department of Tourism has very good (and free) info  
in  offices  throughout  the  US,  including  an excellent map and a  
Facts  booklet  with  lots  of  names,  phone numbers and prices for  
hotels,  rentals,  and  tours.  This  info,  along  with  Birnbaum's  
Caribbean  guide  and  the  similar  AAA guide, should help you make  
productive use of your time on the island.  
 
  The  best  bargain  on  the  island would be the all-day (9AM-4PM)  
snorkeling  trip ($30 each including beach lunch) offered by Charter  
Boat  Headquarters  located  at  the  Coconut Place mall along Seven  
Mile  beach.  The  boat  handled  the  8-10  snorkelers  easily, the  
captain  and mate were fun and informative. They took us to about 5- 
6  different places along the Northern Barrier Reef(including String  
Ray City/Sand Bar).  
 
Ramada  Treasure Island is going downhill somewhat, but our transfer  
to  an  ocean  front  (beach)  room  at  Holiday Inn was implemented  
smoothly,  especially  due  to  the  friendly  efforts of the Ramada  
managers.  Ramada's  restaurant  is closed (temporarily), a fact not  
disclosed  to  us  beforehand.  They  have  not had room service for  
about a year. Not what you'd expect of a "Resort"!  
 
Great  restaurants  abound, including the Almond Tree and the Wharf.  
However,  this  island  is expensive for food! $35-50/person is par.  
There  are  inexpensive  alternatives,  including  Burger  King  and  
Coconut  Place (mall) Liquor and Deli (recommended for beach lunches  
during  a  drive around the island). And there are several very well  
stocked  grocery  stores  with  price-stickers  similar to US stores  
(except in Cayman dollars!).  
 
The  various  "chain"  car  rental  agencies  quoted variable prices  
throughout  our  stay,  so  we used Coconut Place Car Rentals, which  
provided  usable transportation at a reasonable price ($40 including  
CDI  insurance).  Many  US  auto  policies  DO  NOT cover car rental  
damage outside of the US.  
 
It  is certainly worthwhile to rent a car for a day, to drive around  
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