GRAND CAYMAN ROMANTIC ACTIVITIES

There's no doubt that one of the top draws of Grand Cayman is the unparalleled scuba diving in its clear waters. With visibility often exceeding 100 feet, this is a diver's paradise with over 130 sites to select from near Grand Cayman. Wall and reef dives, many less than half a mile from shore are available as well from many operators including Bob Soto's Diving (800-BOB-SOTO), Don Foster's Dive Cayman (800-83-DIVER), Red Sail Sports (877-RED-SAIL), Treasure Island Divers (800-872-7552), Tortuga Surfside Divers (800-748-8733), and many more.

The top attraction on Grand Cayman is Stingray City, the place for you to act out your Jacques Cousteau fantasies. It's an area where numerous operators (including many of the scuba operators named above) introduce vacationers to one of the most unique experiences in the Caribbean.

Following a short boat ride, visitors don snorkel gear and swam with the stingrays just offshore on a shallow sandbar. Accustomed to being fed, the stingrays (which range in size from about one to six feet across) are docile and friendly, brushing against swimmers and even allowing themselves to be held and petted. About 30 stingrays frequent this area.

But you don't even have to get wet to enjoy the underwater sights of the Caribbean. The Atlantis submarine (800-253-0493) offers hourly dives six days a week. For 50 minutes, you'll feel like an underwater explorer as you dive to a depth of 100 feet below the surface. It's a unique opportunity to view colorful coral formations and sponge gardens, and identify hundreds of varieties of tropical fish. The submarine has individual porthole windows for each passenger, plus cards to help you identify fish species. A pilot and co-pilot point out attractions during the journey.

Outside the city of George Town, the population is sparse and the atmosphere is rural. The least populated region is called North Side. Located about 25 minutes from George Town, this remote area is home to the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park (345-947-9462, fax 345-947-7873, www.botanic-park.ky, a 65-acre park filled with native trees, wild orchids, as well as birds, reptiles, and butterflies. Here we enjoyed a self-guided tour and a quiet look at the flora and fauna that make the Cayman Islands special.

From the North Side we traveled to the East End, home of the Blow Holes. Park and walk down to the rugged coral rocks that have been carved by the rough waves into caverns. As waves hit the rocks, water spews into the air, creating one of the best photo sites on the island.

Just under 30,000 people populate the island, and almost half live in the capital city of George Town. Save a few minutes for a tour of the Cayman Islands National Museum (345-949-8368). This excellent two-story museum traces the history of the Cayman Islands, including the islands' natural history. George Town bustles with life any time of day as a center for shoppers and diners. Among historic government buildings, you'll find plenty of shops selling Cayman souvenirs and restaurants featuring both Caribbean cuisine and international dishes.

Continuing past George Town lies the world's only Turtle Farm. Here you'll have a chance to get up close and personal with green sea turtles, viewing them as eggs, hatchlings, and in various sizes as they work their way up towards adulthood. Some reach 600 pounds, and can be viewed slowly swimming in an open-air tank in the center of the farm.

The Links at SafeHaven (345-949-5988) is the only championship 18-hole golf course in the Cayman Islands. Rates average about US $100 for 18 holes. Shoe and cart rental are available.

Another good option for couples are the many sunset and dinner cruises that sail along Seven Mile Beach. Red Sail Sports (345-945-5965) offers a sunset cruise from Rum Point on Sundays and other days from Seven Mile Beach. The two-hour sunset cruise departs at 5 during the winter months and 5:30 during the summer. Complimentary appetizers are served; a full cash bar is available. Dinner cruises are also available with three courses.

The Jolly Roger (345-949-8534) is another option and a favorite with couples. On Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays this replica of a 17th century galleon sails at dusk. Admission includes complimentary rum punch and appetizers; a full bar is also available. The Jolly Roger also offers dinner cruises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. The evening includes complimentary rum punch and appetizers, Caribbean entrees with wine, dessert and coffee. Reservations must be made by 2pm the day of the cruise.

A sunset cruise may be pure heaven, but one of Grand Cayman's top tourist spots is pure Hell. This odd attraction is actually a community named Hell, a moniker derived from the time an English commissioner went hunting in the area, shot at a bird, missed, and said "Oh, hell." The name must have seemed appropriate for the devilishly pointed rocks near town, a bed of limestone and dolomite that through millions of years eroded into a crusty, pocked formation locally called ironshore.

Today, Hell trades upon its unusual name as a way to draw tourists to the far end of west Bay. The Devil's Hangout Gift Shop (open daily) is manned by Ivan Farrington, who dresses as the devil himself to greet tourists who come to buy the obligatory postcard and have it postmarked from Hell.