Grand Cayman's Wreck Bar and Grill is such a fine update of a classic beach joint that it’s a wonder no one has yet cloned it and chained it in malls across this great land. (And thank God for such small blessings.) The original driftwood sign from the 1950s hangs behind the bar, which is decorated with black-and-white photos of beach bums, the bow and rigging of a skiff, and rum barrels for tabletops.
Out front on the beach, picnic tables sit in the sand under casuarina trees. The kitchen puts out a superior brand of beach-bar grub — fresh and meaty conch fritters, and mahimahi and jerk pork sandwiches that make you want to come back again tomorrow. The water at Rum Point is suitable for wading, and there are hammocks and loungers for lazing around. It’s the place for Caymanians to take their boats for a Sunday-afternoon break from the hurried pace of George Town or the Seven Mile Beach strip.
If it’s action you’re looking for, a water-sports operation can get you on water skis or a banana boat or out to Stingray City on a glass-bottom boat snorkel trip. According to one Sunday regular, however, “alcohol is the major sport” at Rum Point. The Mudslide was invented here, and barefoot folks in bathing suits tend to order them by the avalanche.
345-947-9412; open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday till 6.
MIX IT UP – MUDSLIDE
– 1 oz. Absolut vodka
– 1 oz. Kahlua
– 1 oz. Baileys Original Irish Cream
Mix to smoothie consistency in a blender with 10 oz. of ice; pour it into a hurricane glass and add a straw. Drizzle a Kahlua floater down the straw. Dust with cinnamon; garnish with a cherry.
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