This Caribbean island is an ideal getaway for food lovers and families
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We heard the waves long before we saw them, wandering down a secret stone trail surrounded by mangroves. As we turned the corner, I heard my husband and 19-month-old son shout in unison: 'Wow!' Turquoise water and a secluded slice of beach awaited us at the bottom of the stairs. At that moment, it felt like we were the only three people on the island.
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Just 10 minutes earlier, we had downed an invigorating concoction of juices, with hints of apple, carrot, orange and a zesty dose of ginger at a poolside brunch spot. 'You can't leave without walking the path,' Canadian-born chef Maureen Cubbon said with a knowing smile as she laid out a colourful assortment of plates in front of us. 'I don't want to ruin the surprise, just wait and see.'
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Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands, is situated deep in the Caribbean Sea, nearly 450 kilometres south of Cuba. The British Overseas Territory has a thriving expat community accounting for nearly half of the island's population of about 88,000. Cubbon, the culinary director at Nourish, first came to Cayman 27 years ago and was one of the many Canadians we met on our trip. English is the official language, and the Cayman Islands dollar is the primary currency, although U.S. dollars are also widely accepted.
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Best known for its famous stretch of pearl-white sand called Seven Mile Beach, the Cayman Islands is also a popular diving and snorkelling destination with shallow reefs and shipwrecks to explore. There are 365 dive sites scattered around the archipelago, teeming with tropical fish, nurse sharks, stingrays and sea turtles.
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Whether you're camping under the stars, jumping off the dock at a lakeside cottage, strolling the coast or exploring a new city, there's arguably nothing better than a summer vacation in Canada. Assuming, of course, you can afford it. From accommodations to flights, Canadians may be noticing higher prices on domestic travel this season. And that's in part because of increased demand, say industry experts who note more Canadians are opting for summer trips at home instead of travelling to the U.S. (new window) Canadians are increasingly travelling within Canada, said Frédéric Dimanche, a professor in the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. And given that the industry is still recovering from losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with inflation, the increased cost of operations, and now, increased demand, this translates into higher prices for consumers — especially in urban centres, Dimanche told CBC News. 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It's not even about being able to afford it, although that's true, too. But it just seems so crazy when we used to go to Europe for two months in the summer for $15,000, Brener said. We're the folks buying Canadian, or not American, in the grocery stores and we won't travel to the States, but we also can't justify $300 per night for a studio Airbnb. 'Not typical for Canadians' Canada's tourism sector is seeing strong interest from domestic travellers this summer, partially as a show of support for local communities, Amy Butcher, vice-president of public affairs at the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, told CBC News in a statement. Tourism is one of Canada's strongest economic engines, said Butcher, noting that it delivered $130 billion in economic activity in 2024 — 75 per cent of which was from Canadian domestic travel. Canadians are indeed opting to skip the U.S. so far this summer. The number of Canadians returning from trips to the U.S. (new window) by air fell 22.1 per cent in June compared to a year ago, according to Statistics Canada, and Canadian return trips by automobile dropped by 33.1 per cent. It's too soon to have much summer domestic travel data, but Statistics Canada noted in June (new window) that tourism spending in Canada by Canadian residents was up 0.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, driven by accommodation spending. And Anusha Arif, an economist with TD Economics, predicted solid gains in Canadian domestic travel in a recent report (new window) , while also noting an increase in domestic travel at major Canadian airports. In March, Airbnb reported (new window) a 20 per cent increase in searches for domestic stays. 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She gave the example of a colleague working with a family of three hoping to book a trip from Toronto to Halifax next month for five days. It was going to cost them around $6,000, she said. They're reconsidering their trip, she said. Sticker shock does impact Canadians ... but I do want to clarify that timing really matters. Enlarge image (new window) Tourists check out Peggy's Cove, N.S., on Sept. 1, 2016. A few days in Halifax at peak season can get quite expensive. Photo: The Canadian Press / Andrew Vaughan Hotel prices going up The average daily rate for a hotel room in Canada this June increased three per cent (or about ($7 per night) compared to June last year, according to industry data provided by Costar, a global provider of real estate data, analytics and news. That's based on a sample of 63 per cent of hotel rooms in Canada. Enlarge image (new window) Source: CoStar Photo: CBC As an extremely unscientific gauge of the cost of booking last-minute accommodations, CBC looked up various options for a family of four around the same week in mid-August using a variety of online booking sites, while keeping in mind that booking earlier in the year would have likely yielded lower prices and more availability. Still, you're unlikely to get a week-long August cottage rental in southern Ontario for less than $2,000 (but the average is more like $3,000, according to Airbnb). Four nights in a Halifax hotel is going to cost you between $1,200 and $2,300 according to Travelocity, depending on how central you want to be. Enlarge image (new window) Muskoka chairs sit on a dock looking over Boshkung Lake, in Algonquin Highlands, Ont., on Oct. 5, 2020. A week-long cottage rental on VRBO will likely cost several thousand dollars this summer. Photo: The Canadian Press / Giordano Ciampini A single weekend in Vancouver hotel right in the heart of downtown will cost at minimum $1,200, according to Expedia, and that's similar for a weekend in the Rockies, according to Flight Centre Canada. The few beachfront homes still available to rent in P.E.I. will cost around $4,000 per week on VRBO. And while camping is a less expensive option (assuming you already own the equipment), some campsites near popular tourist destinations have been known to sell out almost immediately (new window) , and officials often recommend booking four or five months in advance (new window) in order to nab a spot. For instance, there were zero tent sites available for any weekend stay in August at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Picton, Ont., and exactly one poor quality site left for a mid-week stay as of Tuesday. There was not a single site available at Porteau Cove Provincial Park near Vancouver for any night in August. Enlarge image (new window) Tourists gaze across Burrard Inlet while on a cruise ship near downtown Vancouver, B.C., on July 25, 2024. Photo: CBC / Ben Nelms 'It's just crazy' Last month, Canadian Culture and Identity Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the federal government's new Canada Strong Pass (new window) that makes Canada's historic sites and parks free to visit and rail travel less expensive for young people. The aim is to promote domestic tourism. WATCH | Canadians react to free national park entry this summer: But what the Canada Strong Pass doesn't change is the price of hotels and domestic flights. Brener, in Kingston, said she's disappointed she won't be taking the trip with her mother, since it's rare for them to have time to travel together. But even local options were shockingly expensive, she said. So instead, they might take a day trip to nearby Prince Edward County. She is also hoping to visit Halifax with her husband soon, but will be waiting until mid-October for the off season. That's the only way to keep a five-day trip under $6,000 with flights. It's just crazy. Natalie Stechyson (new window) · CBC News · Senior Writer & Editor Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at X (new window) Instagram (new window)
