What's Going on Around Cayman

FOOD & DRINK: Restaurants are excellent, with several outstanding gourmet establishments, such as The Grand Old House, Hemingways, The Wharf and Pappagallo's. Specialities are turtle steaks, turtle soup, conch chowder and conch salad, red snapper, sea bass and lobster. There are various standards of restaurants with good service, most of which accept credit cards.

NIGHTLIFE: Grand Cayman has limited nightclubs featuring international live entertainment anddancing, and weekend dances are held at hotels on Cayman Brac.

SHOPPING: As a shopping centre, George Town, with its fascinating boutiques and duty-freeshops, is now one of the leading centres in the Caribbean region.Special purchases include china,crystal, silver, French perfume and local crafts of black coral, sculptures, tortoise and turtle shell jewellery.

SPORT: Cayman Island sports include tennis, cricket, football, rugby, squash and golf are popular. The Brittania Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, may be played either as a 9-hole championship course or as an 18-hole course with the unique Cayman Ball which is half the weight of the standard ball and travels half as far. There is a new 18-hole championship golf course, The Links at Safehaven.

WATERSPORTS: The Cayman Islands have a vast range of watersports, including swimming, sailing,parasailing, windsurfing and, especially, scuba diving and fishing. Divers think of the Cayman Islands as the `Divers' Islands'. There are over 20 dive operations in the Cayman Islands. The variety of diving sites ranges from shallow dives near offshore reefs to the famous virgin sites off Cayman Brac, and the famous North Wall dive off Grand Cayman and Stingray City, known as the best 12ft dive in the world'. The abundance of fish, marine and coral life which can be found in the turquoise waters off the islands is protected by some of the most advanced conservation measures in the region.

The mode of life on the Cayman Islands is a blend of local traditions and of American and British patterns of behaviour. Handshaking is the usual greeting. Flowers are acceptable as a gift on arrival or following a visit for a meal. Casual wear is acceptable in most places, but beachwear is best confined to the beach to avoid offence. Topless bathing is prohibited.

Tipping: 10-15% normal for most services. Hotels and apartments state the specific amount. Restaurant bills usually include 10-15% in lieu of tipping.