Sam McCoy's Diving & Fishing Lodge, Little Cayman

We enjoyed the diving and the location which is quite near Bloody Bay Wall ie a very short boat ride. The Lodge is run by a Caymanian family and while the accommodations are not luxurious, they are certainly adequate. The food is "home cooking" and plenty of it. The variety was very good. Food was served according to the dive schedule. On this trip my wife, oldest son and his wife, and several grandchildren, all divers, accompanied me and we had a wonderful time. They have acquired two new bikes and it is only a short ride to town. The pool was very clean and the bar was well stocked and attended. I also like the fact that they now have a paved landing strip and plenty of tie down space for small airplanes. I have been to McCoy's at least on four previous occasions and would go back again. Having read some of the more negative reviews, I can only conclude that the folks who wrote them need a lot of hand holding and pampering or are not very self reliant. Perhaps they should go to Grand Cayman for that. The diving at Little Cayman is some of the best in the world and I have had the opportunity to experience diving in many parts of the world.

When I was there in 1998 I stayed there and was supprised to find an enpty swimming pool with dirty water. The meals they served was just enuff for everyone to eat, if you came late, way it goes. As there was no hot tube.

I have been at this Lodge twice. The first time was in 2003 and again in 2006. The first time my wife and I went and the second time and dive friend and I went. It is a very basic lodge. Do not expect luxury or a lot of things to do but dive. The best thing is its location close to the wall. The food is good and there is plenty. There is a bar open at night and bikes to use if you wish. I was not sure after my first trip if I would return but when my dive buddy wanted to go and find a resonably priced resort I recommended we try it again because of the great diving. As a basic resort where you just want to do some diving and have a drink at night with other dive buddies, I recommend. If you plan to bring the family or a spouse and want a bit more, I recommend the other side of the island with more plush resorts.

To start, things that the website and other travel sites state that McCoy's has is incorrect. We needed to rent BCs (a dive vacation is a once a year experience for us so we rent our BCs and regulators) and when we told the divemaster about this on the first day, it was a total surprise. Come to find out, there is no longer a dive shop on site that provides rentals. The divemaster had some personal equipment he rented to us, but that apparently caused quite a bit of controversy amongst the owners, and as we were leaving yesterday the owners were telling us that they were considering firing him over it. Ummmm... hello? The owners were the ones who stated that they could rent equipment, but then didn't have any. The rooms (I thought) were an appropriate size, but all the water that runs to the bathrooms is from a cistern, so water pressure is low. Because the cistern water is untreated, it is not safe to drink this water. Unfortunately, we did not find out about this until two days after we arrived. Fortunately, none of us got sick. Meals were interesting. Traditional Cayman cooking, served in a public dining room. We thought there was more than enough food, and the serving staff and cook were very nice. If you don't like traditional fare, however, you would be disappointed. There is no menu service. A small bar is down near the beach; you can run a bar tab for your week there. Be careful, though, as you need to pay in cash (CI $ preferred) on your last day, as the on site owner does not have a credit card processing machine. Some of the other Little Cayman sites appeared to be much newer, and with better service overall. The prices were about the same. We were the only guests in this 8 room lodge, that appears to be on a decline. Some good things: The diving was great. Because it is so isolated, if you make an effort, you can really get to know some local Caymanians, if you want (we attended the children's Christmas play and met about 30 local residents, and the four children that attend school on the island). There are bicycles you can use at McCoys, although they are a bit rusty and in disrepair, and you can easily get around anywhere you want. The national trust is interesting. The museum was supposed to be open on Thursdays from 3-5 pm, but wasn't, but looked interesting. There is one church on the island, that offers services three times a week, and also offers destination weddings. There is a small store, that is very well stocked. You could easily rent a condo there, arrange diving through a vendor, and provision adequately. The biggest complaint I had was the overall disorganization of the facility. Meals are served when the bell rings, but the first day no one told us that. The bar opens at 6 (sort of), but that was not shared. Diving was when the divemaster came and got us. A cistern is used for water. Although none of this is bad, it makes for a bit of a chaotic atmosphere, and you never really know if you are where you are supposed to be. It was interesting, though, to meet locals and stay on a tiny island. I would return to Little Cayman, but probably stay at a different location or simply rent a condo.