Safehaven, Grand Cayman

For general birdwatching on Grand Cayman, one of the better areas is conveniently adjacent to the island’s main resort strip, and nestled among its largest hotels.  Safehaven includes a golf course with several ponds and patches of brush and trees that together attract a diverse assortment of resident and migratory species, especially waterbirds.  In the evening, “White-winged Barn Owl” can sometimes be found patrolling the golf course.

Orientation

Directions

Safehaven is accessed from two side-roads off of the southbound lanes of the Esterly Tibbets Highway, opposite from one of the largest hotels on the island, the Westin.  If approaching from the northbound lanes, use the traffic circle behind the Westin to head south.

This area is adjacent to Seven Mile Beach, about 7 km north of the Owen Roberts International Airport, on the boundary between George Town and West Bay.

Attractions

Seven Mile Beach.  Sticklers for accuracy may be disturbed to learn that it is actually closer to six miles long, but most beachgoers will be inclined to forgive the exaggeration.  Seven Mile Beach has been voted the best (or “most perfect”) beach in the Caribbean in polls of cruise ship travelers.

The beach is, in effect, the front yard of Grand Cayman.  Most of the major hotels, restaurants, and banks are located along the boulevard that parallels it, West Bay Road.  The central and southern stretches include a few crowded areas, but the northern portion is thinly attended.

Seven Mile Beach.

Stingray City.  A patch of sandbars in the middle of North Sound attracts a population of about 90 stingrays, and has become one of Grand Cayman’s most popular tourist attractions.  The stingrays are friendly and actively seek contact with people.  Each one is equipped with a single poisonous barb that can be very dangerous, but multitudes of tourists visit the site and accidents are rare.

Tours of Stingray City leave from Safehaven Marina, among other places.

Stingray City.

Birdfinding

There are two side-roads into Safehaven: Pinehurst Road and Safehaven Drive, which connect with Crighton Drive to make a loop through the North Sound Golf Course.  The water traps are generally the best areas to stop and observe various waterbirds—especially the “Second Tee Pond,” which is on the north side of Safehaven Drive about 1 km from the highway.

Any patch of brush or trees may be productive for landbirds, especially during migration periods.  White-crowned Pigeon, Smooth-billed Ani, and “Golden Warbler” are fairly common.

Among the Caymanian endemics, the only common one in the area is the “Cayman Bananaquit” (which is common everywhere in the islands) but “Grand Cayman Woodpecker” is also likely to be present.  The rest of them—“Cayman Parrot,” Vitelline Warbler, “Grand Cayman Spindalis,” and Grand Cayman Bullfinch—have all been found from time to time.  Other local specialties sometimes found here include Thick-billed and Yucatán Vireos, Caribbean Elaenia, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird.

At dusk, “White-winged Barn Owl” is occasionally seen hunting over the golf course, along with the Antillean Nighthawks that breed locally from May to August.  After dark, the owl can sometimes be found by spotlighting stands of palm trees.

Services

Accommodations

There are any number of expensive hotels along Seven Mile Beach, with the Ritz-Carlton and the Westin being the largest and most conspicuous—both are adjacent to Safehaven.  Budget options are scarce.

Mid-Range.  One of the best values along Seven Mile Beach is the Sunshine Suites Resort—also adjacent to Safehaven—which has fairly low rates and basic kitchens to help keep expenses down.  The beach is three blocks away.

Another mid-range option adjacent to Safehaven on the eastern side of the peninsula is the Holiday Inn Resort, which offers probably the best value among Grand Cayman’s large, name-brand hotels.  The Holiday Inn is family-oriented, with economical suites and recreational options that include excursions to Stingray City and the bioluminescent lagoon at Rum Point departing from its dock.  Its rates are somewhat less competitive during school vacation periods.

Similarly priced, at the farthest tip of the peninsula in West Bay, near Barkers National Park and the Cayman Turtle Center, is the Cobalt Coast Resort, which caters especially to divers.  It is on the waterfront and has a small sandy beach, but a jagged, dry reef separates the sand from the ocean.  There is, however, a boardwalk and dock that give divers direct access to the ocean without having to leave the property.

Budget.  In George Town proper, south of Seven Mile Beach, is the renowned budget hotel Eldemire’s Tropical Island Inn (a.k.a. Eldemire’s Guest House).  It is a ten-minute drive from the airport and a five-minute walk from Smith Cove Beach.

Food

Seven Mile Beach has abundant restaurant options.