Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman was uninhabited when Christopher Columbus first spotted the islands in 1503, naming them "Las Tortugas" for the vast number of sea turtles he observed. English settlers arrived in the 1730s, and the islands became a permanent British colony. The Cayman Islands' transformation from a remote outpost of turtle fishermen into one of the world's premier offshore financial centers is one of the Caribbean's most remarkable modern stories, yet Grand Cayman's natural beauty remains its greatest asset: Seven Mile Beach is routinely named among the finest stretches of sand on earth.

George Town, the capital, is a compact settlement where gleaming bank headquarters sit beside pastel-colored colonial buildings and duty-free jewelry shops. The Cayman Islands National Museum traces the islands' history from turtling through to the modern financial era. The Pedro St. James historic site — a reconstructed 1780s great house — is considered the birthplace of democracy in the Cayman Islands.

Caymanian cuisine has evolved from its seafood roots into something distinctly appealing. Conch stew, fish rundown simmered in coconut milk, and heavy cake — a dense cassava dessert — speak to the islands' Caribbean soul. Cayman-style lobster, grilled with garlic butter, appears during the November-to-March season. Bars serve rum punches made from the local Seven Fathoms Rum, aged underwater in the Caribbean Sea.

Stingray City, where southern stingrays glide among snorkelers in waist-deep water, is Grand Cayman's most iconic excursion. The Kittiwake shipwreck offers spectacular diving. The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park showcases the endangered blue iguana. The sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman offer pristine wall diving.

Grand Cayman is a tender port welcoming AIDA, Ambassador Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Explora Journeys, Explorations by Norwegian, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, TUI Cruises Mein Schiff, Virgin Voyages, and Windstar Cruises. The dry season from November through April delivers the most reliable weather.