Shopping on Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman has lots of wonderful shopping options for souvenirs, new resort wardrobes, and much more. Cardinal Avenue, Elizabethan Square, West Shore, and Queen’s Court are some of the favorite island shopping areas.
George Town has several shops that feature goods from old shipwrecks, including old coins, including Dutch coins, Greek coins, and Spanish coins. They can be pricy, but some deals can be had, though the real fun is just looking and touching these very old coins that were once the bounty on sunken ships!
Cayman rum and rum cakes are not to be missed. Try a few varieties – they are available in most every shop on the island – to try your favorite. But make sure that you try Tortugas, fabled to be the very best rum cakes in the Caribbean. They are available in most local shops and also the airport, though they have a factory store that you can visit as well.
Shopping in the Cayman Islands can be an exciting way to spend a day. Cayman is a duty-free destination, which means that you may save as much as 30% when you purchase perfumes, watches and jewelry, china and crystals here. You never have to go far to shop in Grand Cayman, with many small malls in addition to the shops in George Town.
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. One of the more popular places to buy souvenirs is at the Tortuga Rum Company, with 10 blends of rums and rum cakes as well as Tortuga label gourmet food products. Other local products include shell jewelry, Caymanite (Cayman's semi-precious stone), tropical fruit and woodcarvings. Note that while turtle products are available at the Turtle Farm, they cannot be imported into any country which has signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (including the USA, Canada, and the UK).
A number of art and craft galleries have opened as a result of the growing interest in developing local art and crafts. Underwater photos and prints are available as well as underwater photography services, which can arrange to photograph or videotape your own diving and snorkeling experiences.
As far as stocking your villa with food, the food stores are very well stocked with all brand names. Pretty much anything you can buy at home you will find here. The three major grocery stores are Foster's Food Fair, Kirk's Supermarket and Hurley's Marketplace.