Located straight south of Miami, on the far side of Cuba, the Cayman Islands shot to fame as the backdrop for the John Grisham espionage thriller (and Tom Cruise movie) The Firm. With its abundance of banks, conspicuous wealth is an undercurrent of Grand Cayman today, but the island's gleaming Seven Mile Beach and superb diving are other stars.  

One of the largest outdoor skate parks in the world, Grand Cayman's Black Pearl Skate & Surf Park features 62,000 square feet of challenging terrain. Lessons and skate camps are offered, and an adjacent shop rents and sells boards, wheels, and bearings—plus trendy skate- and surf-wear.  

Also part of Black Pearl, a self-contained 11-foot wave flows from the Waveloch Surf Machine, one of only a few in the world—ideal for developing skills to stay wrapped in the curl.  

A daytrip from Seven Mile Beach out to Rum Point is a pleasant option for visitors. Here, tranquil waters and a beach shaded by casuarina trees provide a romantic escape.  

Grand Cayman's most famous attraction is a wade or snorkel with the rays of Stingray City. Inadvertently lured to the site by fishermen cleaning their catch, the docile southern Atlantic stingrays have become accustomed to human interaction.  

Stingray City is a top attraction for cruise-ship visitors to Grand Cayman, and the government now limits visitors to 1,500 at a time. Your best bet for a less-crowded interaction is an afternoon tour on Sundays, when cruise ships are not in port (Friday and Saturday are other lighter volume days).  

A more covert Caymanian resident is the endemic blue iguana—in the mid-1980s only a few dozen existed. A successful breeding project has since allowed scientists to re-introduce more than 300 into the wild, and the animal has become a kind of mascot for the island.  

A dip in the deep is a prime lure for many visitors to the Cayman Islands. Plunging walls surround Grand Cayman, and visibility often stretches to 200 feet, while longstanding environmental regulations protect reefs from anchor and other damage.  

A tiny outpost east of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman has a population of just 100 or so, and a beautiful undeveloped beach called Sandy Point. But Little Cayman is also home to one of the world's most renowned dive sites, Bloody Bay Wall, a sheer drop teeming with vivid coral formations and tropical fish so tame they practically kiss your mask in greeting.