Six Reasons the Cayman Islands are an ideal place for families

The Cayman Islands are a wonderful place to vacation – and an even better place to live. Why else would people from over 100 different nations choose to make this their home? Sure, some are drawn by the climate, others by the tax-free status of the islands, but ultimately most stay because the quality of life is hard to beat. And when it comes to kids it would be hard to find a better place to spend one’s childhood.

There are endless reasons why the Cayman Islands are a wonderful place for families, but these are our top six.

In Cayman it’s summer all year

Guaranteed warm weather means every day is a beach day. It means getting dressed is as simple as throwing on shorts and a T-shirts, and your shoe collection can be made up entirely of flip flops. Endless summer weather means you can stop by the beach after school with the kids, send them to swimming lessons in warm, calm sea, and spend weekends boating, snorkelling or scuba diving. It means you can eat every meal outdoors if you want. For kids, all that time at the beach, in the pool or in the sea means less screen time, more physical activity and a more wholesome lifestyle.

There are excellent schools in Cayman

Although expats are obliged to send their kids to private schools, families will find an excellent choice of schools in the Cayman Islands. Whatever your priorities and preferences there is a school for you. Some are small, others quite large, some faith based, others not. There are plenty of nurseries and primary schools – with several teaching the Montessori method – and secondary schools follow either the British, US or International Baccalaureate system. A full list of private schools can be found here.

You’ll find great healthcare in the Cayman Islands

Cayman is well prepared to deal with most medical situations. There are over 200 healthcare providers in the Islands, including medical practices, labs, pharmacies, alternative and complementary therapists. Despite a population of just 60,000 (approximately) Grand Cayman now boasts three hospitals. One of these is the state of the art Health City Cayman Islands, which has performed several groundbreaking procedures in recent years and whose founder was featured on the Netflix series The Surgeon’s Cut in late 2020.

You can have a better work/life balance

Despite the laid back easy going way of life, people knuckle down and work hard Monday through Friday. But many of those working in law, finance and accountancy report working shorter hours in Cayman compared to equivalent jobs in Europe and North America, whilst salaries are on a par, if not higher here. The small size of the islands also mean your daily commute is shorter, giving you even more time with your family and less stress. And because most business are obliged by law to close on Sundays, weekends really are down time.

Cayman is Safe

The Cayman Islands have a a stable government, an effective police force and a high standard of living, all of which result in very low crime rates. In fact, the rate of violent crime in Cayman is one of the lowest in the Caribbean, meaning kids have much more freedom and parents more peace of mind than in most parts of the world.

Warm, welcoming people

People in Cayman are some of the most courteous, friendly and easy going folk you’ll find anywhere. It’s quite normal for drivers to let you in even though it’s not your right of way and for strangers to strike up conversation in the grocery store. It’s all part of what we call CaymanKind. And because Caymanians are open and welcoming to foreigners, kids growing up here are raised in a rich, multicultural society that is accepting of all ethnicities, nationalities and walks of life.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but if you’re considering making the move with a young family, we highly recommend it! (And if you need help finding accommodation, Century 21 is here to do just that.)