Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
Encyclopedia
Seven Mile Beach is a long crescent of coral
-sand beach
on the western shore of Grand Cayman
island. Despite its name, the beach is only about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long. Seven Mile Beach known for its beauty, recently receiving the honor of "The Caribbean's Best Beach" from Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine. SMB is the most popular and most developed area of Grand Cayman and is home to the majority of the island's luxury resorts and hotels. The beach is only about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long and falls victim to annual erosion, which has reduced its size in some areas. Like the rest of Grand Cayman, the development around SMB was severely damaged in Hurricane Ivan
in September 2004 but many condominiums & hotels are now running at full capacity.
Seven Mile Beach is public property, and it is possible to walk the full length past many hotels and villas. There are restaurants open to the public at most of the resorts, and several public beach bars. Some small reefs are located just off shore which offer good snorkelling, most notably by the Marriott hotel (an artificial reef), Government House
(the Governor's residence), and just north of Seven Mile Public beach. There are few restrictions on use of the beach. Open grilling is allowed, and pets
are free to roam the beach off leash. Loud music and public nudity are, however, strictly prohibited.
Directly to the south of Seven Mile Beach is George Town
, the capital city of the Cayman Islands
, while to the north is the district of West Bay, which features a turtle farm and the limestone formations of Hell
. Beautiful turtle shell-based items are sold in many locations, however they are illegal in the US and many other Western countries. There is The Cayman Turtle Farm that was rebuilt after a hurricane destroyed it in September 2004. Today, it is built directly adjacent to the ocean.
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
-sand beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
on the western shore of Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
island. Despite its name, the beach is only about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long. Seven Mile Beach known for its beauty, recently receiving the honor of "The Caribbean's Best Beach" from Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine. SMB is the most popular and most developed area of Grand Cayman and is home to the majority of the island's luxury resorts and hotels. The beach is only about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long and falls victim to annual erosion, which has reduced its size in some areas. Like the rest of Grand Cayman, the development around SMB was severely damaged in Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
in September 2004 but many condominiums & hotels are now running at full capacity.
Seven Mile Beach is public property, and it is possible to walk the full length past many hotels and villas. There are restaurants open to the public at most of the resorts, and several public beach bars. Some small reefs are located just off shore which offer good snorkelling, most notably by the Marriott hotel (an artificial reef), Government House
Government House, Cayman Islands
Government House is the official residence of the Governor of the Cayman Islands, located in Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.The building was constructed in 1964 as a replacement to the older Government House which was located in George Town...
(the Governor's residence), and just north of Seven Mile Public beach. There are few restrictions on use of the beach. Open grilling is allowed, and pets
PETS
PETS may be an acronym for:* Pet Travel Scheme, which allows animals to travel internationally without quarantine* Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act...
are free to roam the beach off leash. Loud music and public nudity are, however, strictly prohibited.
Directly to the south of Seven Mile Beach is George Town
George Town, Cayman Islands
George Town, Grand Cayman, is the capital of the Cayman Islands, in the British West Indies. The city has a population of 35,600 and is the largest city on Grand Cayman....
, the capital city of the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
, while to the north is the district of West Bay, which features a turtle farm and the limestone formations of Hell
Hell, Grand Cayman
Hell is a group of short, black, limestone formations located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Located in West Bay, Grand Cayman, it is roughly the size of half a soccer field...
. Beautiful turtle shell-based items are sold in many locations, however they are illegal in the US and many other Western countries. There is The Cayman Turtle Farm that was rebuilt after a hurricane destroyed it in September 2004. Today, it is built directly adjacent to the ocean.