Governor's Beach

Seven Mile Beach is public along its whole length, but access and parking are the practical constraint, and Governor's Beach is where both are easiest: a public car park, casuarina trees for shade, and a stretch of sand in front of the governor's residence that is wider than most of the strip because there are no buildings crowding it. It is where Caymanians go on the beach rather than where hotel guests are, and on a Sunday it fills with families. The water is the same flat, clear, gently shelving Caribbean as the rest of the beach, and the sunset is the same too.

What you actually see

• The wide sand - broader here than along the hotel stretch.
• The casuarina shade - trees along the back with picnic tables.
• The public access - a car park and no hotel to walk through.
• Sunday afternoons - when Caymanian families fill it.

When to go

November to May is the driest. Weekday mornings are quiet; Sundays are busy with local families, which is arguably the better experience. Sunset is the daily event along the whole beach.

Honest expectations

Parking fills at weekends and on cruise days. Facilities are basic toilets and picnic tables. Beach erosion along Seven Mile Beach has been significant and parts of the strip are noticeably narrower than they were, with sandbags and walls appearing. There is no lifeguard.

Nearby

Seven Mile Beach runs north and south; George Town is fifteen minutes.