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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Restaurants are excellent, with several outstanding gourmet establishments. Specialities are turtle steaks, turtle soup, conch chowder and conch salad, red snapper, sea bass and lobster. There are various standards of restaurants with good service, most of which accept credit cards. Bars and restaurants are well stocked with all beverages normally consumed in America and Europe. Draught beer is available in a few bars.
Nightlife: Grand Cayman has a lively nightlife with comedy clubs, bars and nightclubs. Music is varied and clubs offer everything from live DJs to salsa, reggae, calypso and disco. Concerts are held at the Lions Centre in Red Bay and theatre productions are shown at either the Harquail Theatre on West Bay Road or the Prospect Playhouse in Red Bay.
Dinner cruises on board a replica pirate ship and 19th-century tall ship can be booked through local watersports operators. For further information about entertainment on the Islands visitors should consult the free local ‘What’s Hot’ magazine or the ‘What’s Happenin’ column in the Friday issue of the Caymanian Compass newspaper.
Shopping: As a shopping centre, George Town, with its fascinating boutiques and duty-free shops, is now one of the leading centres in the Caribbean region. Delicious local foods can be bought or sampled at the Farmers Market Cooperative on Thomas Russell way or Frankie’s Fresh Fruits and Juices on Red Bay Road. Half a dozen modern and sophisticated shopping centres have recently been established offering a choice of North American and European fashion brands, furnishings and household goods. Local products include the Tortuga Rum company speciality rum and rum cake, shell jewellery, Caymanite (the island’s semi-precious stone), tropical fruit and wood carvings. Special purchases include china, crystal, silver, French perfume and local crafts of black coral, sculptures, tortoise and turtle shell jewellery (turtles are bred at Cayman Turtle Farm, which also undertakes conservation measures). Travellers should note that turtle products cannot be imported, even by persons in transit, into any country which has signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species – this includes the USA, Canada and the UK.
Many luxury goods and essential foodstuffs are duty-free but duty of up to 20 per cent is charged on other items. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700.
Special Events: The following is a selection of special events celebrated in the Cayman Islands during 2003. These dates are subject to changes. For information and a complete list, contact the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (see Contact Addresses section):
Feb Little Cayman Annual Mardi Gras Festival. Feb 2003 14-16 Fifth Annual Orchid Show. Apr 25-27 Quincentennial International Food Festival. Jun Queen’s Birthday Celebrations; Miss Cayman Island Pageant. Jun 13-16 Annual Jet Around Cayman 2003. Jul 4-7 Annual ‘Taste of Cayman Weekend’. Oct 24-Nov 2 27th Annual Pirates Week Festival.
Social Conventions: The mode of life on the Cayman Islands is a blend of local traditions and of American and British patterns of behaviour. Handshaking is the usual greeting. Because of the large number of people with a similar surname (such as Ebanks and Bodden), a person may be introduced by his Christian name (such as Mr Tom or Mr Jim). Flowers are acceptable as a gift on arrival or following a visit for a meal. Dinner jackets are seldom worn. Short or long dresses are appropriate for women in the evenings. It is normal to prescribe the required mode of dress on invitation cards. Casual wear is acceptable in most places, but beachwear is best confined to the beach to avoid offence. Topless bathing is prohibited. Tipping: Ten to 15 per cent is normal for most services. Hotels and apartments state the specific amount. Restaurant bills usually include ten to 15 per cent in lieu of tipping.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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