The Cayman Islands

Most say they are visiting Cayman Island when referring to our tropical vacation destination on Seven Mile Beach. In reality, the Cayman Islands represent a three-island group; Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean. We drive on the left side of the road, we have the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botannic Park here, and our currency displays images of the Queen alongside our rich marine life.

When visiting us at Harbour Heights, you are visiting Grand Cayman Island. It is the largest of the three-island group. Grand Cayman is about 22 miles long - with an average width of 4 miles, and is about 76 square miles. We are 150 miles south of Cuba and 165 miles northwest of Jamaica. It is the most populated island and a very popular vacation destination!

Cayman Brac is a smaller island about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman. It is about 12 miles long with an average width of 1.25 miles and is about 15 square miles in size. This island is a 30-minute flight away from Grand Cayman. It is known for its breathtaking limestone bluff which attracts many types of nesting seabirds. It is also famous for diving and its caves. The National Trust Parrot Preserve is located on Cayman Brac. There are hiking trails and wrecks to dive on Cayman Brac.

Little Cayman is the smallest island about 5 miles west of Cayman Brac. It is about 10 miles long with an average width of just over a mile. It is an area of about 11 square miles. Jacques Cousteau declared Little Cayman’s waters to be among the top three diving sites in the world. Reefs, shipwrecks, and Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall are a must when diving around the island. Walk the trails or rent bicycles to traverse the island above water.

Getting to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman is easy, Cayman Airways.

(Think about extending your stay and visiting one or both of our sister islands after visiting us at Harbour Heights. You won’t be disappointed.)

How to Prevent Fogging in Your Snorkel Mask

It can be frustrating while diving here in Grand Cayman to be in the midst of amazing marine life with a foggy view. It is much easier to enjoy a snorkel dive with a clear mask! Fortunately, it is pretty easy to get your mask back to a crystal clear state.

From our friends at Tropical Snorkeling, here are some easy steps to follow that will keep your snorkel mask from fogging:

• Clean your mask often, and then don’t touch it inside. Clean it with toothpaste, and a toothbrush, not your finger. Apply a small amount of toothpaste, and scrub it in hot water. Rinse it completely in hot water. Do this often. (If your lens is not glass, use dish soap and a very soft brush or wash cloth so you don't scratch the plastic.)
• Use anti-fog every time you snorkel. The cheapest and easiest is a very mild solution of baby shampoo and water, or you can buy an anti-fog product. Spray it in your mask and swish it around thoroughly so it touches every surface of the glass. DO NOT RUB IT AROUND WITH YOUR FINGERS! Your fingers are oily and dirty. Then rinse your mask ONCE quickly with either fresh or salt water. (We use 10-12 drops of baby shampoo mixed with water in a 2 ounce spray bottle.)
• Then, put it on your face quickly. Shake out any water drops before putting it on. Try to have a relatively dry face. Once the mask is on with a good seal, try to keep from removing it and allowing moisture to enter. Try not to clear the mask by breathing inside of it unless you must (that adds moisture). We enter the water with a dry mask, over a dry face, and do not take that mask off at all during the snorkel, if possible. And it works.
• If all else fails and you are out on the water with a foggy mask, remove it, spit in it, shake the mask around to coat the glass (don’t rub it with your fingers), dump it out, and put it back on, this will generally fix the problem. If you don't have a lot of spit, dilute it with a small amount of salt water to coat the glass.
• If this process does not work for you, then you may need to have your mask burned at a dive shop. Sometimes new masks come with a coating on the glass that must be removed with fire. After that, this process should work great for you.

If you are not yet comfortable with your snorkel gear, but you really want to try it - take advantage of the heated swimming pool here at Harbour Heights. You can start off in the shallow area of the pool and adjust your mask and tube. Try a few laps around the pool with your gear on before heading out to try it in the sea. Getting comfortable with your gear will give you confidence for your first snorkel dive here in Grand Cayman. It is fun for all ages!

Harbour Heights from ABOVE!!!

Recently, we worked with Perry Levy of Aerial Innovations to get some amazing photographs of our property from ABOVE via a camera-equipped drone.

The equipment Perry brought out to Harbour Heights is very sophisticated. One drone and two remote control units hooked up to two Apple iPads operated the drone and were used as monitors. This allowed Perry and and the shoot supervisor to see exactly what the drone sees when it is in the air. The best heights and angles for each photograph were determined before each photo was taken.

We had Perry out to the property twice. Once early in the morning and again in the afternoon. The lighting changes so much during the day. We wanted to make sure we captured that beautiful blue sea we have in the morning hours - and we wanted to capture our property without shadows in the afternoon.

It was a very windy day. Perry brought several batteries as they were drained quickly as the drone tried to stay steady in such a strong wind. But the view from above was SPECTACULAR. Don’t you agree??

Thank you Perry for all the fine work you did for us!!!

HH Owners are Renovating and Investing in the FUTURE

Currently, five owners here at Harbour Heights have taken their properties down to the wire with renovations. Bare wire, cement floor, ceilings gone, start-from-scratch sort of renovations. Working with designers, architects and contractors; these “new” condos reflect the visions of their owners and their desire to make their home at Harbour Heights a place to share with guests when they visit.

Chris and Joan are in the midst of their renovation. Custom cabinetry has been installed in their new bathrooms, but decisions are still being made about wall textures and colors, tiles, and fixtures. Every day presents its own set of decisions and completions. They work very closely with the contractors to make sure communication is clear and that schedules are adhered to. Some aspects of a complete condo overhaul seem unending! And some are wonderful to see take shape. There is a lot to do and manage as their vision for their beautiful ground floor condo comes to life.

Ellen has owned her condo for 40 years and it is also undergoing a total makeover. She is working with her designer to bring an open concept kitchen with European appliances into being. Located on the ground floor, it has easy access to the beach, pool and green space for guests and their children. It may look like chaos now, but just wait until this new rental unit is unveiled.

Visiting other units under construction, the sense is to do it right the first time. It is so exciting to see the progress made on these units as they undergo this much change. We are so happy that our owners here are reinvesting in their properties. We hope to show off all five of our newly renovated properties soon - our rental pool is growing!