West Bay is a hotbed for development right now with too many new and soon-to-be-finished complexes to mention here, so see our New & Recent Developments section to learn more. Parts of it have now grown into sought-after residential areas, particularly at the tip of the western end of the island, where a long meandering coastal road runs through it.
Conversely, the heart of West Bay remains a rural maze of narrow streets running through its middle. There is a huge mix of different properties, from luxury oceanfront homes on the coast, to a littering of quaint apartments and island-style cottages, to some rather rundown and tired properties in the central parts. The canal front area called The Shores commands premium prices on rentals and sales, as do properties on Boggy Sand Road, the last residential neighbourhood remaining on the northern edge of Seven Mile Beach.
Acclaimed restaurants in West Bay include Bella Trattoria, Calypso Grill, Cracked Conch, Macabuca, Tukka West, Nova, Ristorante Pappagallo and VIVO. The Cayman Turtle Centre is in West Bay, as is Cemetery Beach for amazing snorkelling. Fosters (and Priced Right) have just expanded the supermarket in West Bay and it almost rivals its counterpart in Camana Bay. The diving from the Cracked Conch restaurant and from Lighthouse Point nearby is also very popular. Divetech, the on-site dive shop at Lighthouse Point, is welcoming and friendly staff can explain where nearby dive sites are located. They can also take you to the Kittiwake shipwreck. Schools in West Bay include Grace Christian Academy, Wesleyan Christian Academy, and the West Bay Government Primary. Two new high-end preschools are now open in West Bay: Montessori West and Kiddiewinks Garden Playschool.You can go horseback riding and cycling along a rugged and little-travelled beach called Barkers, which spans part of the north eastern tip of West Bay. Barkers Beach is a nice area to get away from it all and is popular with dog walkers and kite surfers. Note: The area is closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic from sunset to sunrise. It currently takes about 10-15 minutes to drive from West Bay to George Town using the bypass.
