Shopping in Grand Cayman
Sure it has 30 stores but whatever you do, don’t call Camana Bay a mall! As I found out on a trip there last week, the burgeoning development on Grand Cayman is so much more than that. Opened four years ago on 500 acres bordered by Seven Mile Beach and the waters of the North Sound, it’s a bonafide community, a lively social hub with a school; condos and townhomes; office buildings; a helipad; it’s own (man-made) mini-island; and 13 restaurants. Designed to evolve over time into a self-contained and sustainable town, Camana has bike paths and green spaces, and, a first in the Caribbean, designated parking spots for electric cars where they can connect to a solar-powered charging system
All that being said, you Jetsetters know that my interests lie squarely in the retail offerings. So here's part one of my tour of the palm-fringed, store-lined main drag, The Paseo.
My first stop was The Cabana, the only Lilly Pulitzer signature store in the Caribbean. It’s chockablock with the brand’s preppy prints and joyous citrusy hues, and also offers a small selection of non-Lilly jewelry.
(But buyer beware: At Lilly, and in many other Camana Bay stores, while the tags show the MSRP and you presume that its in US currency, it’s actually in Cayman dollars. And since the US dollar is only worth around 80 cents Caymanian, you’ll end up paying about 20 percent more.)
Across the street at Sand Angels, you can pick up a swimsuit or cover-up from a well-edited inventory that includes brands such as Splendid, Echo and Alice & Trixie.
I was really impressed (and VERY tempted) by their selection of whimsical rubber flip-flops, flats and wedges from Brazilian brand Melissa.
NKY Collections is the glam go-to for the island’s “yummy mummies” and ladies who lunch, who flock here for everything from Spanx to sundresses. 
Diane Von Furstenburg dresses fly off the shelves here, but you’ll also score Herve Leger, Rachel Pally and BCBG. There's a menswear store next door with slick duds for dudes, but come prepared to spend; nothing in the Cayman Islands is cheap!
This is just the tip of the retail iceberg, Jetsetters! Stay tuned for more Camana Bay shopping in an upcoming post.