The entire trip was fantastic. We got our scuba certification at the resort as part of our vacation. Our instructor was very good, and the diving was incredible. The accomodations are great as well.

The only complaint was that there wasn't a lot of food options around, especially in the evening. There are several good restaurants around, but they were pretty pricey. Would be nice to have a small sandwich/grill shop nearby that was open in the evenings. Of course the room had a full kitchen, so we could have cooked for ourselves but chose not too. Not a major problem, but that was the only improvement.

Having said that, it is important to realize what part of the island the resort is on, and know what you are looking for in your vacation. If you are looking for somewhere in the middle of the action with lots of touristy things to do, you would be better off staying in Georgetown or 7 mile beach., especially if you are bringing kids. The East End still has some hurricane damage (to homes, not to infrastructure). It was a perfect spot for us as it is very quiet and not at all crowded. Lot of locals around rather than tourists. We drove to Georgetown/7 mile beach and looked around for 1/2 day, but much preferred the East End and were on that side the entire rest of the trip. Rum Point on the north side of the island is a great spot for snorkeling, and Compass Point is about 30 mins or so drive from there.

Bottom line: if you are interested in diving, relaxing and getting away from a ton of other tourists, East End is a great spot. If you are looking to be where everyone else is, rent scooters and go to American chain stores and restaurants then the West side is a better choice. We prefer the former, so it was perfect for us. We had a great time and will definitely go back.

If you have never scuba dived, then I highly recommend trying it. We were concerned about using vacation time to get certified, but it was better than starting it at home and finishing there. The first day was classroom and pool, but after that you were in the ocean diving for half the day so you are still getting time in the water. Much better than the diving spots we would have done around home.

Great trip, can't wait to go back.

Just got back from an amazing trip to the East End of Grand Cayman. Stayed at Compass Point and dove with Ocean Frontiers - again! I just can't say enough about this operation!! We dove every day on the East End. Grouper Grotto was so incredible, we dove it two days in a row. The reason is because the millions of silver sides were in all the caverns and it was amazing to swim through them. It was my nephews first dive trip, and I told them not to get TOO spoiled. We saw sharks every day for the first 5 days! The marine life was great .
Also, you don't have to touch your gear. It is set up every day when you arrive on the boat (after just rolling out of bed). I had just had back surgery 6 weeks before, so each day, even though I had different dive masters, my gear was set up in the last position on the boat for an easy exit. They have taken customer service and refined it down to the smallest detail. At the end of your trip, you get a printout of your entire week's dive profile: site, depth, and time!!
Staying at Compass Point was such a pleasure. My family had two 1-bedrooms suites and one two-bedroom suites. Love the washer/dryer combination In every room. The plush robes are just a teeny indication of the level of attention to detail that is important to this operation. The kitchen is stocked with almost everything you need. A rental car comes with the package, so make sure you stop at the grocery store on the way from the airport. The stores are closed on Sunday.
The East End doesn't have the night life of SMB, but you can always drive over there. We prefer staying close to the best diving and going into town once or twice rather than commuting every day to diving. I am not that impressed with Georgetown anyway. There are some good restaurants on the East End, but GC is pretty pricey so we took turns cooking and grilling at the resort.
The staff, everyone from Leslie in reservations, to Jenn at the desk, to divemasters Brett, Lou, Kaz, TJ, work together to make this experience perfectly seamless. I don't think I ever saw any of the staff walking to the boat to provision it. Everyone runs back and forth. I don't know how Steve and Mo get such dedicated workers!!
The bosts are so comfortable. I like the Nauti-Cat better than the Ocean Hawk. One is a cat and one a mono hull. Both of them feel very spacious. You never feel like a cattle operation in terms of space or attention. Ocean Frontiers supplies TOWELS, weight belts, defogger hanging on the bucket (so convenient) and water or punch to drink as well as fruit between dives.
To make a long story short (too late) this operation is SO professional, SO friendly, and it's easy to see why they get the top operation every year!

This is the best place to stay on Grand Cayman and now with a supermarket only a mile away it is so easy to get food to cook in your Condo. The diving with Ocean Frontiers is out of this world and the dive masters are the best. The condos are wonderful and we sure enjoyed the ocean view that all rooms have. We had a great time and would recommend renting a car and driving to the East end to spend a week or so with Steve and his fantastic employees. The diving is full of lots of coral and fish we even saw a few sharks.

Richard D. Urban Jr
MSDT 16963 PADI

This was our 6th trip to Grand Cayman, our first to Compass Point, we will be returning in the fall. Man do these guys know how to take care of you. Out of the way East End is the perfect place to relax and dive whenever you want. Morning, afternoon, night dives, they have it all. The staff is first rate, they look after the new divers, leave the seasoned guys alone, but always take care of you. Step on the boat, dive, step off the boat and plan your next dive. Could not have had a better vacation. Kaz, Ian, TJ and Steve, Many thanks.
Mark and Lauren Morici