10 things to know when living in Grand Cayman for the first time
Updated by Natasha Valerio
20 Aug 2019
20 Aug 2019
Photo credit to Lisa Reid Photography.
Are you considering or planning a move to the Cayman Islands? Here are 10 things to know if you’ll be living in Grand Cayman for the first time.
City dwellers who are spoiled for choice with the conveniences of eateries, shopping and entertainment within walking distance will be drawn to The Terraces at Camana Bay or the new waterfront community, OLEA, scheduled to be completed in August 2020 (phase one). The Terraces at Camana Bay is a collection of 63 luxury apartments available for long-term lease and OLEA is a for-sale waterfront development made up of condominiums, townhomes and duplexes. Both offer the amenities of an urban lifestyle; restaurants, shopping, wineries, find foods, cafés, gyms, a spa and health facilities are all located in the town. Boaters and families wanting the freedom to design a home that suits their personal tastes, however, may find the canalfront lots at North Creek to be more aligned with their needs. And with homes ranging from cosy, functional studios to stately five-bedroom penthouse suites at The Residences at Seafire, there’s a floor plan to suit any prospective home owner. For even more residential listings, contact our team.
Turning a new house into a home comes naturally to the food, wine and home goods experts at Camana Bay. Fit your interior spaces with designer furniture and furnishings from Design Studio and Bedside Manor, stock up on cookware and accessories at Bon Vivant, settle your pets into their new domain with toys and treats from Must Love Dogs, and purchase your Apple gadgets from Cayman MAC Store.
From tots to teens and beyond, there are several education-based establishments within our properties. Cayman International School, conveniently located at Camana Bay, is a Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools-accredited institution for students from nursery through high school and features an international baccalaureate world school diploma programme for Grades 11 and 12. Also located at Camana Bay are Starfish Village – an innovative enrichment centre for infants, toddlers and pre-teens – and Cayman Music School – excelling students in the fields of music and dance.
At Regatta Office Park, university-aged scholars from near and far travel to the Cayman Islands to attend St. Matthew’s University, which specialises in the schools of medicine and veterinary medicine.
For a comprehensive list of schools in the Cayman Islands click here.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked tasks to check of your to-do list is the opening of a postal box. Postal mail in the Cayman Islands is delivered to and sorted by the nation’s postal service before it is distributed to the various district post offices and Camana Bay-based Mail Boxes Etc. In addition to a private, fully accessible postal box located in the heart of the thriving town, Mail Boxes Etc. also provide shipping services to and from Grand Cayman, US address for online shopping, courier shipping via DHL, FedEx and UPS, printing services, binding and laminating. It is a one-stop shop for your home and business.
Digicel is the fastest-growing mobile operator in the Caribbean. Offering a hassle-free plan for newcomers to the island that appreciates your need to focus on critical decisions: a no-commitment plan, ready-for-pick-up SIM card and best-value package of minutes, texts and data so you can share photos from Starfish Point with your family back home right away. LTE home broadband packages can also be pre-paid so you can freely binge watch your favourite Netflix series while settling into your new space.
Camana Bay’s banking and fiduciary services offerings are far from short. You don’t have a choice of just one premier bank in Camana Bay, but three: Cayman National Bank, Scotiabank and Butterfield, which will open its doors in late 2019. Whether your needs include personal bank accounts to cover your everyday expenses, personal lending options to get you on your feet, the convenience and reliability of an internationally accepted credit card or a mortgage with competitive interest rates, Camana Bay has a full-service banking centre to suit your needs.
Schedule your bi-annual dental consultation and cleaning at Cayman Dental and Cayman Orthodontics and stop by VisionWear to have your eyes tested.
Sign up at CrossFit Cayman or Anytime Fitness to keep your health at the forefront of your mind and visit the professionals at Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa for a relaxing massage or Align if you need physiotherapy, acupuncture, core conditioning or massage therapy.
Mental health, anxiety, sleeplessness, stress management and more are addressed by the team at OnCourse Cayman in Regatta Office Park.
If your linens and delicate clothing are a bit musty from shipping, hand them over to the laundrists at Fluff n’ Fold, the only certified eco-friendly dry cleaning and laundry service provider in the Cayman Islands. Stop by their Camana Bay location or take advantage of their free pick-up and delivery service throughout George Town and Seven Mile Beach.
One of the best things about living in Grand Cayman is the extensive array of cuisines available; the country is widely considered to be the culinary capital of the Caribbean and it is great fun exploring them all. Try visiting Camana Bay's restaurants with a different stop at each one, all in one night!
Now that you’ve unpacked and settled in, we encourage you to recycle your moving boxes and familiarise yourself with recycling customs and drop-off centres throughout the island. Cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminium items can be dropped off at any grocery store throughout the island. Glass and aluminium canisters can also be discarded in the recycling bins at Camana Bay and at the Cayman Islands Yacht Club.
For more information about moving to the Cayman Islands, visit Cayman Resident.
About the author
Natasha Valerio is a Senior Marketing Communications Coordinator supporting the marketing team of the real estate division at Dart. Natasha holds a BA in Communication Arts and has worked in Camana Bay since 2010. Born and raised in the Cayman Islands, Natasha loves the mermaid life – fitting, given that she is the team’s ‘Disney princess!’ Some of Natasha’s experience with Dart includes working on the opening of The Residences at Seafire, Dart’s first for-sale resort-residential property.
