Cayman Brac Beach Resort – Some Buddy Loves You Special – Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands

Patty and Len N.

We just returned home to Cleveland, Ohio, 11/2024, and can report that we had a great time at Cayman Brac Beach Resort. It was our fourth time (1984, 1989, 2006, 2024) but first since the extensive renovations in 2008. Their staff is so fun to be around, the dive team is superb in every way and the best food you'll ever find at an all inclusive. Kudos to their Chefs. We arrived a few days after hurricane Raphael did it's job on these Cayman sister islands but they were ready for us. Their picturesque new pool had 3" of sand throughout but a group effort of their staff cleared out the sandy bottom in interesting and innovative ways - we were impressed - and they made sure we always had parts of the pool available. They truly cared about their guests.

Mary M.

The dive staff and pool area and bar at Cayman Brac were great! Rooms are a bit worn and dated. My biggest disappointment was that you can't really swim or snorkel from the resort beach - it is all hardscape and not suitable for swimming or snorkeling. Food was plentiful; quality was average except for desserts which were excellent. Reefs are not in good condition in March 2024. After last summer's prolonged heat wave and a big storm which caused sand to cover many corals in Feb., 2024, marine life was much less apparent than we've ever seen at any Caribbean destination. Not the resort's fault obviously, but we would not return anytime soon because the life is so sparse.

Kevin & Carolyne M.

Good Aspects - The staff, including the dive staff, was exceptionally and consistently friendly and responsive.  Set a very nice tone. The location of the dive shop was ideal, literally a 30 second walk from the dining area. The dive boats were spacious (three 46 footers with twin diesels) and they were able to readily "launch" three divers at a time. Numerous dive sites within a 10-15 minute cruise from the resort. Diving was great!  Good sea life (multiple sightings of barracuda, reef sharks, many lobster) and coral, although sadly the effects of warming were noticeable.  Visibility ~100' +. The "valet" service for the BC's/tanks was quite nice and the dive guides were excellent in spotting interesting marine life and knowledge about the dive sites.  We were told that over the prior week, diving had been cancelled for nearly three days due to winds.  Fortunately we missed that. The meals were quite good, not excellent but notable given the volumes that were produced.  Frankly the desserts were exceptional.  I ended the week by gaining two pounds, good news and bad news. The bar and pool area were nicely designed and visually appealing. Okay but - the rooms were tight. One could correctly comment that little time was spent in the room other than changing, showering and sleeping so overall not a major factor. Not So Great - The site did not have an exercise room, something that my wife dearly had hoped for and frankly expected.  The staff was responsive in providing weights (from the dive shop!), mats and an area to exercise.  But a room with a bike and some true exercise weights would have been nice, especially for the non-divers. The beach was disappointing and not utilizable for swimming. Excessive seaweed/algae.  Would have thought that they could remediate that with a load of sand barged in. Overall we had a great time.

Heather G.

This was my first dive resort experience and wow, the bar is set very high! Reef Divers Carl, Laura, and Barbie were so fun to dive with, knowledgeable, and made it easy and fun. The resort was comfortable, had an easy layout, and the food was amazing! Bartenders Chino and Gigi kept the drinks flowing. I continued to be impressed that everyone knew me by name and the service was excellent. I also squeezed in time to get a massage at the spa - highly recommended way to relax after a week of diving and before the end of week BBQ dinner. I can’t wait to come back!!

Amanda L.

Our dive guides George and Steve at Little and Carl and Rozie on Brac were all fun and enthusiastic. We really appreciate the valet diving service from Reef Divers. We thought the food and friendliness of staff at Little Cayman was better overall, but wow the desserts at Cayman Brac were hard to resist. The pool and bar area at Brac was nicer in our opinion. Oh, and an island tour in the pm with Mossy is a must! We loved his narrative of the history of Brac and meeting a few locals along the way. As for the dives, we really appreciated the variety of dive sites: the swim throughs and walls, healthy fish life as well as seeing so many turtles and eagle rays! Overall a great trip and highly recommend!

Cindy H.

Hi all went well. The resort had some upgrades going on but they made sure it did not disturb the guests. Rooms were amazing. All our guest received their requested rooms. The staff was very welcoming. The resort has informational videos that they play for everyone who arrives which was very helpful. The diving was amazing as always. The boats were clean and always on time. The dive crew was amazing. The entire group had a great time

Steve O.

I have been to CBBR several times in the past and this time was just as expected - amazing! We were originally traveling to Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman but since the property was sold, they offered to move our group to Cayman Brac at no additional charge. They paid for the additional flights and the more expensive rooms on Brac. No questions! They were happy to do it. The resort is beautiful with an amazing staff and grounds. The food is buffet style and was absolutely delicious. I may not eat that well until I visit Brac Reef again in June. I honestly can't say enough good about this trip or the resort. 5 Star, A+

Ann L.

The resort was great, the food incredible, and the valet diving was beyond outstanding!!!

Patricia G.

We made it to the Resort!  The place is nice, staff excellent, food great, 2 dives this morning and getting ready for our afternoon dive.

Jim T.

The resort (accommodations, food, and all personnel) and dive operations were excellent. As a moderately experienced diver (nearly 300 scuba dives in the ocean, mostly in the Caribbean), I was very pleased with the service provided to divers, but I was disappointed in the status of the reefs themselves. Many had excessive amounts of benthic algae. We had to dive on the north side for every dive but one because the waves were too large in their estimation, whereas the south side seemed to be in better shape. Sharks were absent (a disappointment) except for one seen at a distance from our boat, while turtles were present in small numbers (less than 1 per dive on average). Green morays and groupers were moderately common. Given my great anticipation of diving on those reefs (especially as someone who teaches marine biology), I would probably not recommend the site to experienced divers. However, for divers with only a few (50 or so) dives or who aren’t marine biologists (!), it is an excellent place to go.

Dave

We had a great time!

Kathy

I absolutely love this dive Resort. This dive shop is truly incredible and extremely safety oriented as is so important to me. Hardly any people here and we have the place to ourselves. Outstanding facilities, food, staff, and excellent visibility and diving.

Kathie

I loved everything about the Cayman Brac Resort.

Jim

Had a great time in the Brac; Went there last year, also. Same great diving experience; dive operation is superb with their "valet diving"; the dining was good last year, but this year the food was excellent with quite a variety of wonderful choices; the room and facility were great; hope to go again next year!

Randall

Well while we had our issues - overall I would say very good. It takes a long time to get to and from - our average travel time each way was 18 hours. There were only a few people at the resort while we were there, so we were permitted to order off of the bar menu most of the time and for all dinners - which was a huge plus. I don't think I would get the meal plan if I had to eat the buffet for dinner. Dive op was excellent, although they will put a lot of people on one boat, but no complaints. I was sick (cold) most of the trip, so I sat out two afternoon dives (made 9). Others made all 11. The concierge op is very nice. Diving highlight was Bloody Bay wall on Little Cayman and the wreck. For the disaster of the trip, my son sheared his eardrum on dive 3 so we got to meet the island doctor (Dr. Reid) who is this Oxford trained Brit inexplicably living on the Brac. August will be fine and Dr. Reid (and subsequently DAN). The rooms are clean and comfortable enough, but a bit small. We rented a car and toured the island and the caves - drove out to the bluff and lighthouse, etc. which was pretty neat. Everyone has been asking me if it worth the extra travel (as opposed to Grand Cayman) and I would say it was worth doing once. Little Cayman diving looks more interesting, but it is more expensive. In fact, you could stay on the Brac, charter the boat, dive Little Cayman every day (40 minute boat ride) and save money as opposed to staying on Little Cayman.

Kim

Brac Reef Resort on Cayman Brac was great. The staff was very nice and helpful, the rooms were clean and they ALL had an ocean view! The diving was fantastic and our dive masters were outstanding! We were really blown away by the food for both breakfast and dinner. And the food from the on-site bar was great. I highly recommend the Mahi Mahi. At night there were large tarpon and eagle rays just swimming by the peer! We had a great time and are already thinking about our next trip.

Shelley

What a wonderful vacation... Everything went smooth...flights ( no worries on the Cayman Air ) ,transfers to hotel, hotel and staff,dive staff and boats, food. Everyone really loved the laid back feel of the island. Great place to " unwind ". Absolutely NO complaints. We loved the non stop from DTW also

Kristine

My recent vacation to Brac Reef resort was so fabulous! Not only was the hotel staff super friendly and nice, the other vacationers were too. When I got to the resort, my luggage did not make it until the next day. The manager gave me a hotel T-shirt to wear so that I may have a fresh shirt. The dive shop was wonderful in providing me with gear to borrow for the first two dives of the day (until my stuff showed up). The diving was outstanding! We only saw 4 Lion fish the whole week. The Lion fish are fed to the Goliath groupers at the dive sites, some are very friendly, often swimming up to divers for a pet and some good company. Once or twice the grouper would lead the Divemaster to a lion fish. The DMs also exhibited excellent technique and coral sparing behavior, and on a few occasions pulled a certain diver (not me lol) aside to explain their behavior was detrimental to coral. The food was delicious! I gained 4 pounds in the week! Three desert choices at lunch, and three more (different) at dinner. I often had more than one dessert! The DM staff all went out on Friday night and invited me and some other guests and it was a blast!!! What a way to see the island! The island was beautiful and exactly the type of dive vacation I love - quiet, small island with not a lot of lights, casinos or store after store of the same old souvenirs. As a matter of fact I had to search for a souvenir shop! The resort has an awesome 'family' feeling- I felt like I was visiting long lost family while I was there!!!!

Lisa

My trip to Brac Reef Resort, was very relaxing & wonderful! The weather was perfect. The resort was very nice, rooms clean & modern. The service was excellent. The food even more so. We really did enjoy the buffet & the various selections for each meal. The diving was awesome. The reefs appear to be very healthy here. We were excited to see sharks on a couple dives, as well as eagle rays & numerous groupers & stingrays.

Larry

The trip to Brac was great. The folks at Reef Divers really have their act together. The diving was terrific and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Unfortunately, I had a few pounds to work off when I got home but that is what vacation is about. I also thought it was a nice touch that the resort had some sort of activity each evening whether it was bingo or a movie or the bar-b-q. I used the bikes that they made available every day-it is not hard to cover a good portion of the island on a bike. We rented a car for Friday afternoon and went to the more distant parts that I had not reached by bike. I would definitely go back to Cayman Brac and Reef Divers again on a dive vacation. I think that my diving buddy feels the same way.

Marie

I was very satisfied with Cayman Brac. The people there were fantastic. The dive boats were great as well as the dive masters. Food was terrific. Over all just a great experience. I would definitely go back.

Desisace

I had a great time on Cayman Brac last month. The resort was perfect. Normally I don't like air conditioning even in the Caribbean but there I really appreciated it. What I liked best about the meals was the fact that they were all buffets. I liked being able to pick exactly what I wanted to eat and pick my own portions. I hate wasting food. The diving was great too. The boat easily had enough room for all the divers and our stuff, and I liked that the sites were relatively close. I do wish shore diving had been available at the resort. Overall my friend and I had a great time on our vacation.

M

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Brac Reef resort and diving with Reef Divers. Our room was clean, a bit musty at first, but it seemed to go away as the week went on. The food was awesome. The staff courteous and cheerful. The grounds were clean. It was peaceful and not crowded. The diving was unbelievable. Reef Divers dive masters were great. Their dive shop staff were not very friendly. But the boats and DM’s were excellent. We would like to go back again to there and Little Cayman at their sister resort.

London

Brac Reef Resort is an awesome resort and Cayman Brac is peaceful and quiet. If you want to relax and chill, this is the place for you. Small island, amazing diving, great food, great service. Reef Divers operation is first class!!! Look for Barbie, Beccy, and Eric.

Rich

The diving was great especially the service on the dive boats. The hotel rooms were good and the food was the best I have had on any vacation. My overall rating on the dive trip was a 9 out of 10.

A.

All aspects of the resort were wonderful. We will definitely return. We were there when the sever cold fronts came across the US and down into our latitudes. Therefore, it was sandy and cold every day. These elements made the “diving” part of our trip only mediocre. But, this is was the hand mother nature dealt us.

John

Had a great time diving, got 25 dives including two trips to Little Cayman to dive the bloddy Bay Wall, and a night dive. Food was great and the staff was wonderful.

Jim

Excellent time at Cayman Brac Resort. Our fifth time there and not disappointed at all. They really have up-graded and invested a lot of money in making this a first class resort. The dive operation with their "valet" diving means we didn't have to deal with our equipment at all. We had one minor problem - our air conditioner in our room was extremely noisy. We talked to the front desk about this and within 15 minutes, maintenance came in and replaced the whole unit with a new one. We can't say enough about this terrific place!

Cheryl

Cayman Brac was fantastic! I will go back again.

William

My wife, Mary, myself and friend Larry Weisenfluh stayed at Cayman Brac Beach Resort June 4 thru June 11, 2018 and did 6 days of diving with Reef Divers and we had a great time. Everyone was friendly and very helpful on the dive boats Big Sister and Ocean Sister. Meals were great and staff very friendly. Had a great time petting the friendly grouper. We have already booked another dive trip to Little Cayman Beach Resort this December and planning another diving trip to Cayman Brac in May 2019. I have been Scuba diving for 52 years and Cayman Brac is the best diving location I have found to date. Can't wait to go back again. Thanks to everyone at Cayman Brac Beach Resort and Reef Divers of Cayman Brac for their hospitality and Mossy for his great tour of the island.

Shelly

Our trip was great! The room, food and service was great and the resort is well maintained and very nice. The diving was good and we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and honestly we were talking about things that we didn’t see in Cayman Brac. Turtles were few and far between, schools of yellow jacks, eels (we saw two green moray eels and one spotted eel), only one Juvenile Drum fish, no flounder or spotted eagle rays. Honestly it was a little strange the number of things that we always see in the Caribbean that we didn’t see here. We still enjoyed it, but I’m hoping that the Lion Fish and other environmental factors haven’t effected the fish life in the Caribbean.

Jack

Great vacation. Also they run a great dive operation.

Bob

Cayman Brac Beach Resort was very nice; concierge diving off large boats but we generally had ten on board. And they let us go off on our own. It was calm enough so we steamed to Little Cayman and did dives on Bloody Bay Wall. All the wall dives were great!! Can highly recommend the people, the venue, and the bottom time. We'll probably spend two weeks there next winter

Kevin

Our trip to this resort was GREAT. The grounds were clean and very well maintained, The staff, dive, housekeeping, bar and front desk always had a smile and ready to help make us feel special. AND the chef was all around the highlight of the trip (the diving was good too). We would defiantly recommend this to friends and return ourselves when the opportunity arises. You will be amazed with there "Valet Diving Service", You don your wet-suit, carry your mask and fins to the back of the boat, Sit on a small bench and the crew brings your tank and BCD to you, helps with the shoulder straps and hose routing, and you stride into the blue (and a very nice shade of blue). On the return you remove your fins, climb the ladder and sit back on the same bench as they remove your BCD from the tank, carry both to your spare gear and set up the BCD on a fresh tank for your next dive. WOW, say it backwards, WOW.

John

Diving in the Brac was outstanding as usual. Valet diving is the best. Great divemasters, beautiful resort. Lodging, food and bar first rate. Personnel terrific as always.

Fletcher

This was our 6th year in a row to Brac so that should tell you something. Unfortunately, our trip lined up with Hurricane Irma. We live in Central Florida and there has to be some irony in going to the Caribbean during a Hurricane. The folks at the resort kept us updated and it was obvious the hurricane would not be a threat. We arrived Sept. 7th but our bags didn't. They were't put on the commuter in Grand Cayman. No problem. We hand carry our regs, computers, and one set of rash guards. Reef Divers hooked us up with free gear for the morning dives on Friday and we had our bags when we got back. We expected to lose Saturday and Sunday due to winds but Reef Divers offered 4 dives instead of 3 on Monday and Tuesday to make up for it. As always, we had a great time. Probably the most sharks we've seen. Oh yeah...on our return on the 14th, we were on Cayman Airways flight 200 that lost an engine shortly after takeoff! Landed safely and were on the way home three hours later.

Roxanne

I loved it here! The resort was more than I even hoped for. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, great staff. My room was very clean and had everything I needed. The food was great and there was a nice variety. Reef Divers who are located right next door was very good. They took care of everything for you which was so nice. I loved this place. The only downside with it I think you'd find anywhere on a small island is a lack of things to do on land. The resort held simple activities in the evening which was fun. I would definitely go back! The diving was great.

Fidler

We were there 9 days in beginning of June and lucked out, very quiet and hotel only half full. Awesome! After a full day of diving you could relax on the beach in their hammocks and nobody around. We had an upstairs corner room with a great view. Rooms are clean and comfortable. We were there for diving and had the all inclusive package.Great selection of food served buffet style. Always 3-4 choices of protein source which was huge for us. Also the deserts was to die for. Dive operation very professional,organized,helpful and friendly. 82 degree water and great visibility. The wall,Cayman trench. Impressive. Lots of small stuff. The greatest experience on this dive trip was when I found a pretty good sized octopus and he came out and showed all his tricks. Amazing. Last day they took us over to Little Cayman. Beautiful reef w lots of swim thru.

Randy

Cayman Brac was GREAT!! Excellent staff at the resort and on the dive boats. We spent the week with Stuart and Ellie and had some pretty awesome dives. The resort was small, quiet and just about paradise. Some of the reviews I've read have indicated that the food is great. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but there were choices at every meal and the food was better than at many of the "all inclusive" dive resorts that my wife and I have been too. Highly recommend a visit to this resort.

Roger

In my opinion the diving in the Cayman Islands is first rate. My personal feeling is that the three Cayman Islands are on a par with Cozumel as the best diving in the Caribbean. The dive operation is very well organized and runs smoothly. The dive boats are functional and comfortable including the simplified and uncrowded Nitrox calibration center. The valet diving service makes the diving experience very simple as it removes the discomfort of hauling our gear. The divemasters are very friendly and like to laugh, yet they are quite professional and knowledgeable. While the food was quite good, I thought is seemed a little on the repetitious side. Maybe this feeling could have had something to do with the fact that I have been to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac a half a dozen times or more. While I’ve always raved about the food which was clean and appetizing, it just seemed kind of boring this time. The service at meals was tasty, though, and the help was always ready to fill our water glasses, remove dirty dishes and be friendly and helpful. The new surroundings at the bar and the pool are very lovely; however, the architecture and style of the buildings and surroundings seemed to conflict somewhat. The facilities were all very clean, including the rooms, office, restaurant and bar area, but the new bar area seemed to be quite modern while the rooms seemed to be more of a colonial style. The new paint on the rooms was fresh and appealing. All in all, our experience was successful and our group had a great time.

Deb

The Brac Reef Resort is a terrific resort! Have visited before and really enjoyed it, but won't be going back, ever! Although the resort was super nice, the scuba diving left a lot to be desired. The lion fish have done a job on it. I saw a couple small turtles, a ray, a couple drums, lots of fairly large groupers and one small spotted eel. We also dove the Cap. Keith Tibbetts wreck, which is always fun. The resort provided activities in the evening like crab races and trivia competitions. The workers were absolutely wonderfully friendly and helpful. The food, delicious!! Rooms nicely appointed and cleaned every day. The valet diving is top notch, and the DM's are terrific people, and boats superb. Only problem was trying to get back home. Cayman Airways' planes not working, ended up having to spend the night in Grand Cayman, with no compensation from Cayman Air, due to really stupid policy. Oh yeah, there was no other way to get to GC, we all missed connecting flights.