Activities to suit all, from rugby scrums to hot stone massage
Whether you’re seeking lavender-scented indulgence, active fitness or the refreshing splash of the crystal-clear ocean, the Cayman Islands has you covered.
Wild swimming is, as you’d imagine, a popular activity and both residents and visitors, from children to pensioners and novices to medal-winning Olympians, are invited to take part in the Flowers Sea Swim on June 19. Where better to hold a timed dip than along the sun-drenched shoreline of Grand Cayman’s pristine Seven Mile Beach?
As well as diving and snorkelling, the Cayman Islands offers an extensive range of watersports activities and experiences. On the west coast of Grand Cayman, the Caribbean Sea is smooth and calm, perfect for kayaking and paddle boarding. In contrast, the east coast provides currents and waves, making it ideal for jet-skiing, water-skiing and kite-surfing, so adrenalin junkies can get their fix.
If your idea of leisure is staying dry and not getting out of breath, there are two challenging golf courses to choose from in Grand Cayman, both of which will suit avid thwackers. The North Sound Golf Club is an 18-hole par 71 championship course with tricky bunkers and postcard-worthy views. The par three 11th hole is particularly famous with its stunning ocean backdrop, and you may even find yourself sharing your tee time with an iguana or two. Over at the Ritz-Carlton, former world no.1 Greg Norman has designed a smaller nine-hole course in equally pulchritudinous surroundings, with water featuring on all the holes bar one.
There are other traditional and more physical sports available in the form of football, rugby (the Cayman Rugby Union welcomes touring clubs from the UK), and cricket (the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has a partnership with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club). Should you be in the mood for a ‘racecation’, there is the IAAF-sanctioned Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon on the first Sunday of December, and when you cross the finish line you’ll earn a commemorative turtle medal. The route is flat and fast, ensuring ideal running conditions for legging it towards your personal best.
There are workout studios and gyms across all three islands offering everything from Pilates and spinning to barre classes and boot camps. As for yoga, Cayman offers studio and beachside classes, and even paddle board yoga. Can you picture a more idyllic location in which to perfect your downward-facing dog?
After all that exercise, you’ll have earned yourself a spa session. Or perhaps skip the workout and go straight to the pampering. Holistic joy is to be found at many of Grand Cayman’s luxury hotels at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach, such as the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, which has been designed with botanical and aquatic touches that aim to bring Cayman’s natural beauty inside. Alternatively, the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman present a more remote setting a mere 30-minute plane ride from Grand Cayman, giving guests even more options when seeking their wellness getaway, be it for diving, yoga, or spa treatments. True rejuvenation in the tropics can be found in many forms, all of them uplifting.