Touching down at Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman makes it easy to explore, with coral reefs, sandbars, and sleepy east-end villages close enough for simple day trips. Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, a flat coral island in the western Caribbean. The west side is lively with resorts and restaurants, while the east end stays rural and calm. The water is famously clear, and much of the fun happens on it or under it.

Standout things to do on Grand Cayman: - Stand in waist-deep water with stingrays at the Stingray City sandbar - Spend a day on Seven Mile Beach, the island's famous stretch of sand - Snorkel or dive the reefs and the Kittiwake shipwreck off the west coast - See endangered blue iguanas at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park - Explore Crystal Caves and their stalactites in the north - Wade with starfish in the shallows at Starfish Point - Visit Hell, a patch of jagged black rock in West Bay, and send a postcard - Eat conch fritters and Cayman-style fish at a beach shack - Hike the Mastic Trail through old-growth dry forest

Grand Cayman is an island, so day trips mean coastal drives or short hops by plane. Rum Point, on the north side, is a relaxed spot for hammocks and calm water, and Bodden Town holds some of the island's oldest history. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the quieter sister islands, are a short flight away and known for diving and birdlife. Come in November for Pirates Week, when Grand Cayman celebrates its seafaring past with parades and fireworks.