Grand Cayman Shopping

Of course we had to stop off at the Rum Cake "factory" right? It's located right down the street from the turtle farm and consists of a shop selling all sorts of rum cakes, souveniers, and of course rum... there is also a small factory attached (really, just a room with baking supplies and industrial ovens, etc.) but we could still watch the person in there baking rum cakes.

You can sample all the kinds of cake inside the store (pineapple, coconut, key lime, chocolate, original, etc.) and then make your decision. I must say as a side note however, that we could get a better deal at the duty free shop on board our ship so I didn't buy anything. It was *extremely* crowded in that tiny shop and I lasted about a minute (and one sample of cake of course) before I absolutely had to get out of there.

If you happen to be driving by it and there are no tour buses parked outside then it's probably a great time to stop! Enjoy the cake... overindulge!

What to buy: Flavored rum cake

4 more images

There are about 4 or 5 stores in Georgetown that you can go & compare prices, find the most desirable piece, etc.

What to buy: This is a hot buy for the Cayman's. There have been many shipwrecks off the coast of the Cayman's as well as many finds on land, or so I have been told, but either way, this is a good investment to make a purchase in. I'm talking about treasure coins. The Cayman shops that sell this treasure trove has dutch, greece and spanish coins. Personally I like the greece coins the best......mythological gods, dolphins & peagus are found on the greece coins & best of all their gold. The dutch and spanish coins are silver, but just as interesting. These treasure coin stores sell the coins individually so that you could set them yourself or purchase the coin already to be worn out the door. They are lovely pendents and are bought & worn by men & women alike. Some stores even have them set as earrings, but personally I prefer the pendents

What to pay: The price range on the coins varies according to whether you are purchasing dutch, spanish or Greek. The spanish is the most affordable with the lowest price I saw at $125.00 for a loose coin. From there the price goes up depending on the condition of the coin & it's setting. I found a gorgeous greek coin pendant I wanted till I heard the price - $6,000.00. Yikes!

Yes, you can buy Tortuga products on any cruise ship. However, this little bakery offered free samples. Plus, selection was much better than gift store aboard the ship.

Also, I thought it was much more fun buying these delicious cakes from the real bakery. Yes, it's a touristy thing to do and cakes are definitely overpriced. Yet, they are sooooo good! :-)

This little shop happened to be right across the road from our hotel. We decided to check it out, it was like a 5' x 7' walk-in humidor. They carried all types of cigars; mini Romeos, Romeo y Julieta, Cohibas, Partagas, Montecristos and the list goes on.. Also a decent selection of accessories carrying cases, capsules, humidors and lighters.

We picked a few up and enjoyed one almost every night. No, we didn't smuggle any back home! :)

What to pay: various prices ranging from 7.00 up till 20.00..I'm sure some Limited Editions were higher.

We didn't go to the Tortuga Rum Factory but you can find these delicious rum cakes in just about every convience, pharmacy or local souvenir store around the Islands.

These rum cakes come in various sizes and flavors. They are so spongy and soft and very flavorful. We bought ours at a convienence store that had a lot of traffic/sales (we wanted to make sure we got fresh cakes and not stale-be careful). They also sell them at the airport which, I'm sure get a lot of traffic so they must be fresh.

The flavors are all good, but my favorites were defiantely orginal golden, chocolate and banana. They also offer blue mountain coffee, coconut, and key lime. Most stores let you try samples of each flavor to help decide. We bought a ton a various sized cakes to bring back to our family and friends. All enjoyed them!

I am so hungry thinking about them...I think I will place an order after I finish up this tip!

What to buy: Their Rum Fudge is pretty good too, original rum, banana and coconut.

They also sell Rum flavored coffees and Carribean Sauces!

Bring a taste of the Islands home!!

What to pay: Check their website for pricing, but it was pretty feasible.

It seems that the Caribbean is the best place when it comes to jewelry. Everybody/ everywhere (from hotel managers to street sellers) will try to persuade you to buy precious gem stones. Shops are full of gems, stones, etc. --a sight for sore eyes, really, if you won`t buy anything.

What to buy: I`ve already said.

What to pay: A lot, really.

We tried various samples of rum cake while walking back from seven mile beach. Tortuga was the one they were pushing on the cruise ship so we figured it would be a rip-off, but actually they were more potent and more flavorful than the others. Dad was happy to get Tortuga rum cake for his birthday this year!