Best beach - free!

I tried and tried but cannot get a pass to use the WEstin beach on 7 mile unless I pay over $100, even though I have a week booked their in Feb./05. So what is a good place to cab to a beach with chairs and food/drink. I don't mind running a bar/food tab, but really don't want to spend that kind of money for the sun. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
Thanks - Judy

[url="http://www.caymanislandsdiscounts.com/FreeBeaches.htm"]free beach[/url]

Michael

Mercury 4/01
Zenith 4/02
NCL Majesty 5/02
S/S Norway 12/02
NCL Sky 4/03

Michael
That's a great site....thanks!
Judy

No matter what they tell you, all beaches are free on Grand Cayman. They are 100% public. You may not be able to use their beach chairs, etc.... but you can sit on your own towel on the sand.

Family Cruise on the Paradise: 04/04/04

Judy . . . what do you mean you can't get pass for under $100 to get on the Westin beach????
ALL BEACHES ARE FREE!!!!!
Just walk right through their lobby on to the beach & lay down on their loungers . . . everyone does it . . . BUT DO NOT ANNOUCE you are not a guest . . .
Plse check out some of the other posts on this boards regarding the Westin beach . . . I will try to bump them up for you.
Enjoy!
Laurie

The fee was for the use of a room for the day which is the only way Westin said I could use their facilities. I made the mistake of phoning and emailing the manager to ask for a tour and day use of the beach/chairs. Funny, I usually do walk into a place like I own it,and take it from there but I figured I'd be a good girl. Nice girls finish last [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
I will take your advice and walk in like I belong, order a "nice" drink and relax on the beach. Thanks for all the info
Judy

Just north of the Westin is a public beach access area with parking. Granted we did not have a chair, we had to use towels. The Westin restaurant and bar was just a short walk.

We don't mind sitting on towels, so what the best beach area for me to go to? If we go to the westin and walk in like we belong and get caught is there another free beach area that we can then walk to?

Inspiration - August 2004

The governor's residence is next door to the Westin. (North) Next to the Gov.'s place is public access. You can use the beach as much as you want, but you can't use the Westin's chairs or water toys.

We (group of 8) used the Westin's chairs (well, loungers). Not one person said a thing to us . . . & we had our cruise towels, sure give away!

There were actually so many loungers they were stacked up in piles. We were at the Westin beach during Easter break 2002.

And yes the best snorkeling is just one establishment North of the Westin "Govenors place"

Enjoy! Laurie

bump up for Carbon

I'm confused.....some people are saying Westin is free.....some say they were quoted high prices.....I think the cruise bags and towels will give us away, and I don't want to be embarrassed. Do you pay once on beach for the rental of chairs and water toys? Please help! I'm going in August [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

The beaches are all free in the sense that nobody "owns" them so you can't be thrown off. But the use of hotel chairs and chaises is at the discretion of the owners. With that said, I am the queen of schmooz and went to the Westin in May. I was very discreet in the use of their chairs etc. About an hour into my stay the bar girl (they roam the beach to take orders) came over and said she'd have to ask us to stop using the chairs as her manager was standing on the beach and she had to enforce the rules. She said she actually felt bad about this. I did explain that I had a week booked in Feb and was staying for drinks and lunch. She said ok, she'd let me deal with the manager if he approached us (which he never did). Bottom line is, you can use the beach and lay on your cruise towels on the sand. No one will bother you for this...you can even order a drink. While there I thought a way around it could be to bring your own beach towels so they wouldn't notice you didn't use their colored towels which identify the hotel guests. I know had I been with my husband and not my daughter he never would've played this game...would've just layed in the sand on his towel to avoid any embarrassment. BTW, they do know when the cruise ships are in and seemed to know their guests from the lowly cruise people. Is it worth all the bull****? Not really...the sand and water are absolutely beautiful and exactly the same whether you are lounging or simply laying out on your towel.
Judy

beaches on Seven Mile are not all "Free"... there are a few private residents with roped off beach area, and the only part that is considered "public" is the area close to the shore line. Additionally, several condo complexes and such have signs all over saying "private property" or "condo guests only". A few hotels, like the Westin I believe, may tolerate cruisers using their beach but not all of seven mile is free to the public.