On booking a dive/vacation trip for 6 people to the Caymans, we decided to try VRBO instead of having to get three separate hotel rooms. We located the Tiki House, read the reviews and decided to give it a try.
Location:
The Tiki House is located on NW Point Road in the West End, which is a residential neighborhood along the coast. The house sits diagonally across from the West End Public Beach (very north end of 7 mile beach) and is approximately 100 yard walk from the house. There are a few restaurants’ within walking distance, along with a Fosters Supermarket and gas station just up the road.
In my opinion, due to the location of the Tiki House and the distance from 7 Mile Beach Resort Area/George Town, a vehicle would be necessary. There is public bus service that runs along NW Point Road (6am – 9pm) which will take you to and from 7 Mile and George Town if needed.
Tiki House:
The Tiki House consists of two buildings, a single story enclosed gazebo and the main two story house. Between the two buildings is a bougainvillea covered patio/table, which is nice for relaxing and enjoying the breeze/peekaboo view of the ocean. (Be warned, iguanas run around the bougainvillea and occasionally drop presents onto the table). There is also a charcoal BBQ grill along with several extra plastic patio chairs. An outdoor shower and hose is available to rinse off after a day of diving or coming from the beach.
The gazebo: This is an enclosed building, which has A/C, a pub high gaming table, TV, board games and chairs. It is perfect for kids or just to get away from the other couples.
The main house: The first floor has two bedrooms each with a queen bed. There is a bathroom with full sized shower, a full kitchen with utensils, and a sitting/living room with TV (30+ channels). The second floor contained a bathroom with full sized shower, one smaller room with two single beds and another with a queen bed. Each floor had its own separate A/C control with numerous overhead and portable fans.
The Tiki House supplies beach towels, a mobile phone for guests to carry (for local calls) and a house phone for international calls. There is also a full sized washer and dryer in case you need to put a load of clothes in. The furniture is starting to show its age, but overall the Tiki house is in average/good condition.
That being said, if you are looking for crystal, polished brass, and everything in perfect “brand new” condition, head back to 7 mile and pay a premium. The Tiki House provides everything that we expected, maybe more, in a vacation rental. Please remember this was our first time staying at a rental property and have nothing to compare it to.
Parking:
There are two places to park your vehicle at the Tiki. The main Tiki House driveway is tight turn off of NW Road and could hold two cars, with advanced planning. A second, smaller driveway is located next to the Gazebo to the rear of the property.
Beach:
West End Public Beach is located approximately 100 yards from the Tiki House. There is no sidewalk, so use caution when walking along the side of the road, especially at night. There are two piers; a private pier run by Indigo Divers along with a second, public pier. Numerous dive boats are anchored off shore with the area becoming fairly busy at times with cruise ship passengers heading out. Just after the piers, the public beach starts.
I would consider the West End beach to be a locals’ beach with limited services. There were public restrooms but no place to rent beach related items (Kayaks, toys, towels, ect). There are companies that will rent water sport toys by the week and deliver to the house.
On the beach you get a good mix of local residents to rental guests. The numerous times we walked to the beach for sunrises, sunsets, or to enjoy the water during the day, we never encountered any problems.
Safety/Security:
USE COMMON SENSE. The Tiki House is surrounded by a stone wall and gates and at times, there is a small amount of bike/pedestrian traffic that goes past. As anywhere in the world, don’t leave valuables lying about. We left dive gear drying and never had an issue (of course computers and BC’s went inside when we left). The Tiki also has numerous motion activated security lights around the property, which was nice at night.
Beach area at night. There were a small amount of locals that were at the beach/pier after dark. We never had any issues, nor were any comments made towards us, or did we have any feelings of uneasiness when we walked by. Just refer back to the “use common sense”.
Overall:
The Tiki House is a nice place for a group or family needing a several bedroom rental. Just remember it is a rental that sits along the coast (not on) and is in a residential area. If you are looking for that quiet, residential house setting, this might be a good choice. However, if you are looking for the fast paced resort lifestyle, you might want to look elsewhere.
Bruce -Phoenix
All bookings are direct with the owner 