SpotCayman App Review

I remember first arriving in Grand Cayman, driving on the "wrong" side of the road, living in a hotel, and trying to start our lives all over again - from scratch, it seemed - on an unfamiliar island. If there was one thing I didn't dare leave home without in those early days, it was the Cayman New Resident handbook. Not only did it provide us with information about registering our cars, preparing for a hurricane, choosing where to make dinner reservations, and even getting a library card, but it also included just enough maps of the island to help us get around in those crucial early weeks. But if, at the time, had we been able to put most of that info into a pocket-size format via an app on N's iPhone, I think we would have jumped at the chance to leave the bulky handbook behind on our daily outings.

For all you iPad/iPhone users out there, I've recently discovered a very useful app for tourists and expats alike. The SpotCayman app is an all-encompassing database dedicated to businesses and events in the Cayman Islands, with categories that include hotels, dive sights, current events, WiFi hotspots, and, best of all, maps!

The team at SpotCayman recently provided me with a free app to test drive (it's normally $2.99 from iTunes), and I was impressed with how much information I found with only a few simple taps. I've included a few iPad screen shots to give readers an idea of what to expect:

First of all, the "Categories" portion of the app is broken out by district. You can see at the top of the image above that I've selected to browse tour operators in West Bay and George Town, but all six districts can be selected at once for the broadest searches.

In the screen below, I've drilled down to "Restaurants" from the Category menu. The gold stars on the left-hand side denote the items that I've selected as favorites.

Now my favorites can all be found in one spot (second icon from the right on the bottom ribbon). Remember our adventure with Moby Dick Tours (all that way back in post #1)? They pretty much introduced us to the island, once upon a time! Now I can list them as a favorite in my SpotCayman app.

While exploring the app's features, I found information I had never stumbled upon before, like the Cayman bus schedule. (Yes, I have taken the bus on more than one occasion, and let me tell you, it is a hoot and a half. You just have to try it.)

The app also provides website links on each business' page. Tapping the link will take you to a Safari-like browser within the app. Super helpful.

Notice that relevant contact details are included on each business' page within the app. So if you want to make a dinner reservation at Carlos and Martin's, for example...

...the phone number provided will help you to do so.

And if you're not quite sure where Carlos & Martin's is located...

...use the Map function in the upper right hand corner to toggle between the business page and the related Google map which shows your current location and your destination, and can be zoomed in or out with the standard "pinching" technique.

I think I was most excited about the "Whats Happening?" category. It was here that I learned the details of conch season - dates, limits, and even a related website. You can also see my drill down to the SMB current events below, which informed me of the Cayman Islands Fishing Contest next month.

More info could be found on the event's page, with a link to the related website.

Of course, if you're not sure quite where to start, you can use the app's Search function to find whatever business or event you might be looking for...

...which is how I found yours truly, right here on SpotCayman's app. How exciting!

For a demo that shows the app's functionalities very well, check out SpotCayman's video tutorial:

As the app is still new, suggestions are, of course, welcome.

And if I have one suggestion, it's to head over to iTunes, get the SpotCayman app for your iPhone or iPad, and enjoy your well-informed adventures on the island!