Grand Cayman is the main island and the biggest draw for Cayman Islands holidays, being home to the gorgeous Seven Mile Beach and the fun capital George Town. It features traditional buildings and cruise liners regularly pull in at the harbour here.

The town has striking landmarks such as Fort George, along with decent shopping, eating and museums, while beaches can be enjoyed island wide. Grand Cayman offers the best in entertainment.

Seven Mile Beach is the islands’ top beach and many visitors choose to stay here. It has clear, warm water, great sand and lots of luxury resorts, restaurants and bars.

Stingray City, where visitors get to pet stingrays in waist-deep water, is a major destination for all types. You can feed the rays-don’t worry, they don’t ’sting’! The Stingray Sandbar is near to George Town and Seven Mile Beach, while the east coast (or East End) has many nature areas and the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.

Cayman Brac is the second-most visited island of the trio and the farthest afield. It is serene with quiet beaches and has some of the best snorkelling and walking of the region. There are plenty of resorts though nightly entertainment is low-key.

Little Cayman is near Cayman Brac and is the smallest, least developed of the Cayman Islands. It is surrounded by quiet beaches and has rich coral and marine life. Little Cayman is especially popular with couples looking for seclusion as well as with divers and naturalists. Just offshore is Owen Island, which is close enough to swim or kayak to.

Beaches are the main landmarks and Grand Cayman has many, including Seven Mile Beach. The largest island also has the pick of the attractions. George Town, the capital, has several worthy sights such Fort George, hailing from the late 1700s, and the National Museum on Harbour Drive.

Head out of town and you will come to Pedro St James Castle, a plantation house in Savannah district, while beyond this heritage site is the lush Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. A drive around this area will reveal the Salina and Blue Iguana reserves, while Rum Point offers sublime views and shallow, turquoise water.

Other Grand Cayman landmarks include the Turtle Farm and aptly-named Hell Rock formations at Boatswain’s Beach, West Bay, while at the top end of Seven Mile Beach is Cemetery Beach.

Cayman Brac has many caves in the west of the island. Visitors can walk through caverns here as well as dive in them. Skull Cave and Rebecca’s Cave are popular. The Bluff and Christopher Columbus Gardens are nearby, while the Cayman Brac Museum and the Parrot Reserve are near the island’s centre. If you have a car, be sure to see the lighthouse on the eastern tip

Little Cayman has the best dive sites, with Bloody Bay Wall one that all visiting divers must experience. Vertical walls and great visibility make for excellent diving, with a vast collection of fish and sponges to hand. For nice sand and views of Cayman Brac, visit Point of Sand Beach or the Booby Bird Nature Reserve for its colourful parrots.

West Bay Road at Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, has the best nightlife by a mile. There are some lively bars and nightclubs along here, as well as in George Town, including terrace bars, sports bars and a traditional Irish pub. Expect lots of reggae and commercial ’DJ’ music along with expensive alcohol.

Seven Mile Beach also has the pick of the nightclubs, including Next Level, the best known club here. The Attic, meanwhile, is good for beer, dancing and billiards.

You can also enjoy the theatre on Grand Cayman at Harquail Theatre, near West Bay Road, among others, as well as cinema at Camana Bay. Cayman Brac offers local cultural performances at the Aston Rutty Centre.

Most of the action on Cayman Brac is in the small town in the west where most of the hotels and restaurants are located. It can be fun on a weekend but the scene here is a lot quieter than on Grand Cayman. The Brac Reef Bar has live music, while the Coral Isle Club is the top disco.

Little Cayman, in comparison, is decidedly quiet, with the entertainment being resort-based. The Birds of Paradise Restaurant in the west is a popular choice.

Apart from the nightlife and theatre, dinner cruises are popular, in particular the ancient Jolly Roger party galleon that departs George Town. Festivals are also lively; the Cayfest (April) and the Cayman Jazz Fest (June) are fun events. Many visitors also opt to relax in a spa, with most big hotels having them, especially along Seven Mile Beach.

The Caymans are expensive for just about everything, but it’s not all five-star dining here as there are fast food burger places and jerky stands in among the silver service eateries of the top resorts. Standards of quality and service are overall high.

Traditional Caymanian cuisine is based around the sea and is very Jamaican. Local eats worth trying include conch chowder, stews, fried plantain, lobster and of course, jerk chicken and tacos. West Indian dishes and just about every other cuisine can be had, including British, American, Italian, German and Thai.

Rum is the national tipple and is tasty though surprisingly pricey, while Caybrew beer is served in all restaurants along with imported beers.

Eating is best done in George Town or along the main strip (West Bay Road) of Seven Mile Beach. There are some fabulous waterside eateries along the latter as well as overlooking the harbour in the capital, while all large hotels have good eating options.

Indeed, one of the best restaurants is Blue at the Ritz-Carlton, West Bay Road, which does delicious seafood on a prix fixe menu and has a big wine menu. Jerky stands are ubiquitous on all islands and it is best to go with your nose, or in the case of Grand Cayman, ask a taxi driver.

The easiest eating on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are in the towns in the west of both islands. On Little Cayman especially, the dining is mostly hotel based. There is a tipping culture in the Cayman Islands though many restaurants include a service charge.