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Rating: 
Summary: Great book!
Review: My family and I just got back from a trip to the Cayman Islands, and this book helped before and during the trip! The airline and hotel information was great to plan how to get there and where to stay and the descriptions of the activities helped us decide what to see on the island! I'd recommend this guide to anyone!
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Summary: First trip to the Cayman Islands
Review: My husband and I had no idea what to expect, until we read this guide, and we found it very comprehensive and informative. We were able to plan each day's adventure by consulting the book, from planning what to do and where, where and what to eat, what tours to take, what to do on our own--in short, it was invaluable, adding immeasurably to our enjoyment of this vacation.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent resource for the Cayman Islands
Review: My wife and I spent 6 days in Grand Cayman. Overall the book gave great information on what to see and where to go. We especially enjoyed the section that points out where the movie "The Firm" was filmed. We are big movie buffs and that was fun to see the sites of some of the filming. The book did not point out that there are basically two spots to go see the stingrays in "Stingray City". We took two different snorkel trips. One trip took us to a reef in stingray city. The water was about 15 feet deep. We saw about 10 stingrays but had some trouble getting close to them because of the deep water. A second trip took us to a stingray area that was in water about four feet deep. This location was more enjoyable because you could actually touch the rays and hold them if you wanted. Also there were several more rays at this location. Both trips were great but I recommend going on the trip with the shallow stingray area first. The book was right about the climate. We went during the second week of August (Near Hurricane Season) and it rained for a few hours on a couple of days. The rain did allow us to leave the beach and see the turtle farm and Hell. We snorkeled in a few of the sites that the book recommends. The book highly recommends the Cemetary Reef. This reef was nice but after we got out near the reef, we were surrounded by gray jacks and other fish. The fish nipped a little at my wife's finger and it became quickly unenjoyable. We found out later that a lot of people feed the fish here and therefore they become more aggressive. In general, it wasn't scary but it was not fun with all these semi-aggresive fish around us. My wife especially did not like it. Finally, I recommend the Hyatt and renting a car for at least a day. The Hyatt is slightly more expensive but is well worth the money. Also a car was useful to explore the island and other snorkel sites. We will definitely go back and use this book as a resource.
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Summary: Our family loved the Cayman Islands!
Review: Our family used this guide to plan our trip to the Cayman Islands. We stayed on Grand Cayman and took a day trip to Little Cayman, an idea we got from this guide. It was the highlight of our trip. We have been to Grand Cayman several other times but on this trip we found many new places to explore thanks to this book!
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Summary: From local nature to taking dives and walking tours
Review: Patris Permenter and John Bigley's Cayman Islands appears in its second edition to explore the people, places, and underwater attractions of the islands. From local nature to taking dives and walking tours, this provides a variety of opportunities.
Rating:
Summary: Up-to-date and Comprehensive but Could have used Better Maps
Review: This is a very recent guidebook (Feb 1998), and therefore, provided the most up to date information on what is available in the Caymans. I purchased the book to provide more detail than that provided in the "Fodors" guidebook and was pleased with the amount of detail provided in this book. For example, it was the only place that informed me that a championship golf course was located on Grand Cayman Island. Other references only identified a single "par three" course on Grand Cayman. I give it high marks for it's insight on the atmosphere and costs at restaurants and hotels along Seven Mile Beach and West Bay. A major improvement to the guidebook would be to include better, more difinitive maps. For example, my wife and I spent an hour trying to find "Stingray Brewery" which was identified as being "west of town" in the book. It would have taken us ten minutes to find it if they provided a decent map. In general, the authors seem very comfortable providing verbal directions to everything in the book. This technique drives this vacationer absolutely crazy because the roads in Cayman change names often and it seems that a map is the easiest way to find something quickly. Even though this guidebook is very recent, some of the information is outdated. For example, a strong recommendation was made to visit the "new" cultural center at the Hyatt on Seven Mile Beach. Well, the Caymanian who did that left the Hyatt in April 1998 - so that service is no longer provided. Also, the ferry schedule to and from Rum Point changes periodically and the schedule provided in the guidebook is outdated. With the exception of the poor maps, I found this guidebook very useful in identifying fun things to do in Grand Cayman.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Guide to the Caymans
Review: To the outsider, the Cayman Islands - Cayman Brac, Grand Cayman and Little Cayman - are almost always equated with watersports and glorious beaches, plus offshore banking opportunities. This is hardly surprising, since the Cayman Islands do offer world-class scuba diving in crystal-clear waters, as well as a tax-free haven. But these three islands have so much more to offer the traveler who's willing to wander off the traditional tourist paths, walk away from the beachside resorts and explore by themselves. Diverse woodlands and pristine wetlands occupy much of the islands' interiors, rugged hiking trails meander across the peaks and valleys, and mangrove swamps cushion the shoreline, offering a unique breeding ground for many birds and fish. These protected wilderness areas are often left unexplored by lay-in-the-sun-all-day tourists, who miss some of the biggest attractions the islands offer. Join our Caribbean expert team of authors in their quest to discover "the other Caymans," the islands' little-visited spots away from the crowds where you can trek for miles without seeing another soul, strip down and sun yourself on a secluded beach, or join a group and sail offshore as the sun sets. As with all Adventure Guides, this book introduces you to the history, geography and people of the region first, so you have a good background knowledge of the island chain. The authors then take you touring, visiting all the popular tourist sites and towns, and offering valuable tips on shopping, transportation, restaurants and accommodations. Then, it's on with the adventures: on foot, on and below the water, on wheels, in the air and on horseback. Among the many fun activities included are paragliding, sailing, catamaran cruises, soaring, scuba diving, trekking, hiking, waterskiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, driving trips and horseback riding. For all of these, the authors give a list of local operators who can set you up with equipment, ferry you around from site to site or actually guide you on ! walks or riding trips. Detailed town and regional maps.
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Summary: Do You Want To Know Where To Find Adventures In The Caymans?
Review: Travel writer and photographer, Paris Permenter and John Bigley, with their guidebook, Adventure Guide To The Cayman Islands- 2nd Edition, have given travelers a new way to appreciate the magnificent Cayman Islands. The authors are well known travel writers who have published over twenty-seven books, and have updated numerous guidebooks for publishers such as Fodor's and Michelin.
In addition, they have authored over 1500 newspaper and magazine articles. What is unique about this particular guidebook is that it places more emphasis on the adventure aspect, rather than the mundane listing of hotels, restaurants, and the other common guidebook material, although, there are ample references to the latter. When I queried the authors as to why they had taken this approach they indicated that "the adventure aspect is one aspect that each island shares: good opportunities for adventure, whether visitors define that as scuba diving, hiking, snorkelling, or bird watching." The organization of the book divides itself into five principal well-written chapters.
The introduction contains an abundance of useful and well-researched data concerning the history, geography, climate, flora and fauna, animal life, bird life, marine life, government, economy, and people and culture of the Cayman Islands. The second chapter, entitled "Where are the Adventures," exposes the reader as to what is available on foot, in the water, on the water, in the air, on wheels, on horseback, eco-travel, cultural excursions, family adventures and packing for adventure. The authors also have also included "Adventure Talks," where they interview various experts concerning such topics as diving in the Cayman Islands, eco-travel tours, and snorkelling adventures. The remaining three chapters concern themselves with the 3 Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Within these chapters there are important tips as to how to get around, sights and attractions, accommodations, restaurants, sightseeing, shopping, nightlife, and beaches.
The authors' brisk, informative, and well-written text makes for an easy to read guide. As an added feature, the guidebook contains a sprinkling of a few well-chosen photo images, some in color, and others in black and white.
There are also a few simple maps inserted into the text along with the photo images.
The end of the book includes useful web sites, a short bibliography and a helpful index. Whether you are a first time visitor to the Cayman Islands, or a traveler, who has visited before, you will garner precious and valuable information upon reading this well organized guidebook. Highly recommended. [...]
Rating: 
Summary: Not the right book for the experienced traveler.
Review: We were disappointed in the book. If you have ever traveled to an island before and have some idea of what to expect, then I do not recommend this book. We were able to find as much useful free information about the Caymans at the airport (rental car agency, whatever). The restaraunt guide in the book is extremely incomplete, and the descriptions of beaches and snorkeling locations needed to be much more specific to be worth the investment. As another reviewer alluded to, the lack of detailed maps is a serious drawback. If there was a roadmap and maps to snorkeling sites then I would have been partially satisfied. Unless you need to learn that Grand Cayman is a "world class SCUBA diving destination" I recommend learning the basics on one of the many internet sites and then picking up the freebies when you get there.
Rating:
Summary: Fun in the Cayman sun!
Review: Whether you are a scuba diver, a snorkeler, or a sunbather, you'll find plenty of fun in the Cayman Islands. We explored each of the three Cayman islands and came up with top attractions and out-of-the-way places for every interest. We've got great scuba sites for divers of all ability levels, beautiful snorkel sites just a few strokes from the shore, shopping in George Town, birdwatching, hiking, historic walks, bonefishing, caving, you name it. Family activities, tips for watching your vacation budget, and more are included.
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