Grand Cayman

The Caymans are warm in the summer (May to October), when the average daily high reaches 85°F (29°C). This is also the rainy season, but the showers are brief. Winter (November to April) is drier and cooler, with average daily highs of 75°F (24°C).

The Caymans were a frequent stop of pirates in the 17th century. Legends say that the Pirate Captain Blackbeard buried treasures in the caves on the islands. Down here, there is no place to rush off to and the beaaches are clean and uncrowded. You can walk along the shores fo rmiles without seeing a soul, or spend a day at Seven Mile Beach, which is really only 5 miles long.

The Cayman Islands are dotted with deal-cutting characters with briefcases and cellphones, scuba divers in electric wetsuits and English folk checking the cricket scores over a g&t. The islands are colourful: coral reefs, bright orange frogfish, sociable stingrays and reggae beats on the street.

As a result of the island's mellow charms, resorts and condos have sprung up all over, and you can count on air-con, cold beer and ESPN. But if you want to get away from it all there are lots of places to escape satellite dishes and slickness, not least of them underwater.

While life on the beach is laid-back, the hot action below the water is what makes the Caymans one of the premier scuba and snorkeling spots in the world. Skin Diver Magazine called the islands the "Superbowl of Scuba" because of the many dive spots and the diversity of marine species.

There are nearly 200 different diving spots featuring shipwrecks, stunning coral formations, dramatic drop-offs and underwater caves. One of the most popular is the famous "Stingray City" which is shallow enough for both scuba divers and snorkelers.

A popular dry attraction on the island, the town of Hell features coral rock formations with jagged peaks that look like they have been burnt. Complete with a post office and tavern, many visitors brag about going to Hell and paradise in one adventurous day!

Given that mid-December to mid-April (winter) is the peak tourist season, when rates are substantially higher and beaches and lodgings more crowded, it's best to go in the summer. There is more rain in summer, but it tends to come in downpours that clear as quickly as they arrive. Nervous Nellies will tell you that this is hurricane season, but the chances that you'll get swept up in the big one are slim. Even so, it's best to keep an eye on the weather reports in the days before your arrival.

Grand Cayman's answer to Carnival is Batabano, a weekend of costumed hedonism and hangovers held around Easter. The local equivalent on Cayman Brac is known as Brachanal, held a week after Batabano. Pirate's Week, which features fireworks, mock battles and assorted skulduggery, gives bankers, barworkers and locals the chance to break out the gold earrings, eye patches and stuffed parrots during the last week of October. There's a month-long fishing tournament every June where locals and visitors test their skills against one another and the fruits of the sea. Hefty cash prizes are doled out for record breakers.