Sunday at Rum Point might be Grand Cayman’s biggest casual beach party. Caymanian singles and families alike arrive early to get a head start on a laid-back day at the beach. Casuarina trees along the sandy white strand provide lacy shade for hammocks stretched between their trunks, and many Rum Pointers make Sunday a literal day of rest by swinging and snoozing. Children splash in the shallow, crystal-clear water, while snorkelers wade farther out in search of darting schools of colorful sergeant majors and the swooping glide of stingrays.
Outfitter Red Sail Sports provides masks and flippers, and also rents sailboats, floats, and WaveRunners. There are volleyball nets for pickup games and shops for anyone who forgot sunscreen or needs a beachy T-shirt. This sandy spit on the flip side of the island from the more famous Seven Mile Beach got its name from rum barrels that used to wash ashore when schooners foundered off the coast. But nowadays the spirits are safely bottled at the Wreck Bar & Grill, known for its conch chowder, conch fritters with chile pepper mayo, jerk pork sandwiches — and the frozen mudslide known for helping drinkers to keep their chill.
