As a loyal Pirates Point guest for 15 years, I mourned the sale of the resort last August. However, thanks to a recommendation from Michelle (Mich) Davis, we found that Southern Cross Club is an even nicer property than our beloved Pirates Point.

We found the diving operation to be outstanding. Mike (the manager) is incredibly experienced with over 12,000 dives. His dive briefings (complete with colorful site drawings on a white board) were detailed, educational, interactive, and fun and his boat safety briefing the first day was the most comprehensive I’ve had in 36 years of diving. Sherry, Filippo, and Francesca were also exceptional dive guides and incredibly kind, friendly and helpful. The entire dive team works very hard: they set up your gear and change it between dives, as well as helping you into and out of the water if you need assistance. This is unquestionably a five star dive operation.

The accommodations are much nicer than those at Pirates Point. We were in bungalow 9 (the bottom floor of one of the new two story bungalows). We liked the mini fridge in the room and really loved the big front porch and the outdoor shower. As just one of many examples of the staff’s desire to make sure that your experience is optimized, Jen arranged to have a board put under my side of the mattress because I like very firm beds and got me a step stool so that I could access the high built in day bed which was in one corner of the room. We loved sitting out on our front porch looking out at the ocean and up at the stars on clear nights after dinner. Who needs tv when you have the ocean and the stars for entertainment?

The food is also Pirates Point quality, with the difference being there is a little less variety since Monday dinners are always Mexican, Wednesdays are Indian, and Fridays are pasta. Every other evening is a plated three course meal with three choices for each course. I personally thought the two Indian dinners we enjoyed during our two week stay were the best of both weeks.

Lunches are bounteous. We always had delicious soup, several salad options, and on the days when the main course was meat or chicken, Cheryl or Christina always offered to make a vegetarian or pescatarian dish for my husband and me. Delicious fresh fruit, cookies, and smoothies rounded out the post-dive meal.

Breakfasts featured made to order omelets or eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles, multiple types of bread to make toast, yogurt options (including plain Greek yogurt), fresh fruit, and a variety of dried fruit. They also have a sign that says they will make pancakes, French toast, and oatmeal - and when I saw oatmeal, I knew this would be my go to place for diving. Cheryl had hot oatmeal with raisins waiting for me every morning!

The staff is just incredible. Particular standouts on the management side of the house were the always helpful Jen, Brolin, and Renita, Javier at the bar, and Anu, Stalin, Cheryl, Joss, and Christina in the kitchen and dining room. The staff always thinks ahead and communicates well. One example. We were coming back from dives with some very rough weather, and learned from our dive masters that the power was out on the island. Jen and Renita greeted us at the dock, and advised us that the generator was hooked up to our rooms so we could get showers, and the generator would be switched over to the kitchen in about an hour. We had a large bottle of water in our rooms, as well as a bucket of water in case we needed it to flush toilets. Back at the dining area, there were lanterns for us to take back to our rooms as well as rain ponchos. The kitchen staff had quickly pivoted the main course for lunch from pizza to fish and chips. Power was back on by 2 pm but we loved that there was a plan in place in case we weren’t that lucky.

That’s how Southern Cross Club rolls. Professionalism, hospitality, and quality service. On a tiny island like Little Cayman, one couldn’t possibly ask for more. We will be back as often as we can because there are few places in the world with such exceptional diving.

PS: I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the one way Southern Cross Club could really improve. The internet sucks. (Sorry to be blunt.). At Pirates Point we had decent internet throughout the property, including our rooms, during the past few years. I easily spent $150 on cellular data for my phone because I couldn’t count on the internet. Note to Peter: please upgrade the internet. Your guests will be very grateful and even more loyal!