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Bluff View, aka the Climbers’ House
Bluff View has been the “official” basecamp for climbers visiting Cayman Brac since the 1990s and we are pleased to continue the tradition of providing very simple and economical accommodations for visitors to the island. Please see below for our calendar below of availability.
Bluff View is located on the south side of the island, towards the east end. This is the quiet and sparsely populated end of the island, far from the noise of the airport and what little traffic there is. Bluff View is up against the bluff, nestled between coconut palms, banyan trees, agave, and cacti. The house is approximately 100 yards from the shoreline and the shore is accessible via a path across the street through vacant lots. The sound of the waves and palm fronds in the wind are the perfect recipe for relaxation and recovery.
The Bluff View property consists of two independent apartments: an upstairs unit and a downstairs unit. Each unit consists of a private full bath, 1 bedroom with a queen bed, and an open concept kitchen/dining/living room area. The kitchen is fully stocked with a full-size fridge, electric range, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, blender, and a full suite of common kitchen utensils and cookware. Bedroom and bath linens are provided. Each apartment has a covered open-air porch. An outdoor shower and a new washer and dryer in a small shed are shared.
On-site coconut trees provide fresh coconuts! There is presently no air conditioning in the upstairs unit. Each bedroom has a ceiling fan and the apartments come with other fans to use as needed to help to keep the temps comfortable. There is presently no WiFi or landline phone at the house and cell phone reception is very limited inside the house as the bluff blocks part of the signal but you can walk across the to the telephone pole for good service (may get a bar or 2 of 3G or LTE coverage on the porch or in the front yard.)
So bring your swimsuit, toothbrush, snorkel, scuba, a few books, and climbing gear and get ready to unplug for a truly relaxing vacation on a quiet and secluded friendly tropical island.
Email: bluffviewbrac@gmail.com
For more information and confirmation on availability of dates, reservation, and pricing contact Matt or Eileen:
“The fine print”: Bluff View provides simple and basic accommodations; it is not a pristine 5-star accommodation. The house is somewhere between a “camp” and a “cottage” – those of you from the New England area should understand this analogy (otherwise, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eus34pXONAw for further clarification). We are actively working on updates to the house including furnishings, structural and exterior elements, décor, and amenities but this all takes time and money, so we pick our battles. The island is small and remote, and materials can be hard to come by (and very expensive) due to the whimsical nature of the oceanic shipping supply chains. Obviously, Cayman Brac is a tropical coastal environment and with it comes heat, humidity, salt, and critters – factors all of which make house maintenance a constant challenge. Guests of Bluff View should expect to find cosmetic blemishes around the house including small areas of corrosion on metal furnishings and fixtures, rot on exposed wood, faded material, refurbished / repurposed items, etc. Unless it’s made out of titanium (see “Bolt Safety” page above), anything and everything metal corrodes exceptionally fast and the strong UV rays makes plastic exceedingly brittle in no time at all; even pressure treated wood has a tough time holding up to the constant UV rays, heat, and humidity. We’re always working to address these but in an effort to limit filling up the finite space of the island’s landfill, we’ve largely taken a “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” approach – continuing to use items with simple cosmetic blemishes but are otherwise in acceptable working condition. We treat the house for pests but we don’t “nuke” it with pesticides but rather try to minimize the opportunity to pests. However, you may see ants (especially if you leave food scraps out), spiders, moths and other flying insects (especially if you leave the doors open in the evening), or a cockroach (although quite rare). If “pristine” accommodations are important to you on your holiday, you may want to look at other locations.
