The Cayman Islands as an ideal honeymoon spot, especially for divers, is featured in the April issue of Modern Bride magazine.
The popular US bridal magazine has a circulation of 351,000.
The article, titled Water World, by visiting journalist Jad Davenport, highlights the luxury of Grand Cayman, the adventure options in Cayman Brac, and the serenity of Little Cayman., with an overall focus on the idyllic scuba diving offered by all three islands.
The writer documents his trip on the Stingray, a Sunset House dive boat, out to Bonnie’s arch dive site.
Noting the scene of half a dozen cruise ships in George Town that they had to pass by, he said, ‘Passing along the coal-black hull of the elegant QE2, we waved at passengers leaning over the rails. While we’d come for underwater riches, they’d come for onshore charms. And none of us would be disappointed.’
Seven Mile Beach, duty free shopping in George Town, Pampered Ponies horseback rides and Red Sail Sports snorkelling and sailing tours are all mentioned as attractions.
A massage at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman’s Silver Rain Spa was also a big hit with the writer.
‘The serenity cleared my mind like gentle white noise, and during an hour-long Swedish massage I found myself drifting back under Bonnie’s Arch gliding over orange tube sponges and swaying sea plumes stuck like peacock feathers in the coral.’
The writer soon turns his attention to Cayman Brac, quoting local Elmer ‘Shorty’ Ebanks as saying the school bus dropping kids off at 3pm is as busy as it gets.
The journalist writes, ‘Life is ridiculously quiet on Cayman Brac, which has fewer residents – affectionately called Brackers – than a typical liberal arts college’.
He notes the huge dive focus of the Brac Reef Beach Resort and realises why diving is such an attraction the next morning.
‘I was in 70 feet of water, but the visibility was so clear I could see the 356, a 330-foot-long Russian frigate that sunk in 1996 and is now a top attraction.’
A little nature exploring took place on his final day on a visit to the Bluff.
‘At the end of the dirt road I came upon a modern lighthouse rising above the palms at the headland like the mast of a ship. I hiked to the bow of the island and peered down 140 feet where the rocky shoreline cleaves the booming surf. A frigate bird hung high in the thermals. I could almost feel the island sailing through the ocean.’
On to Little Cayman and the writer describes the 10-minute hop as the shortest flight he has ever taken.
He describes the Southern Cross Club as a place suited to Ernest Hemingway. ‘Colourful villas line a quiet sound jutted with fishing piers’.
Noting the romantic quality of Owen Island, he quoted honeymooners as saying, ‘We really feel like we’ve found one of the last great spots in the Caribbean’.
When the author finally got to dive Bloody Bay Wall, he was surprised that it was what he terms a local that made it unforgettable – a fat little grouper.
‘And as I swam out to peer down into the canyon, he followed and looked down beside me. It’s nice, I thought, to see natives enjoying the treasures too.
‘But as he wiggled away, I had to laugh at the thought that he’d ruined one of the island’s genuine treats for me: the fabulous seafood. Tonight, I swore, I’m ordering the lasagne.’
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