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45 Years Of Barefoot Elegance

Little Cayman’s Oldest Resort

The rustic and elegant Southern Cross Club Fish & Dive Resort marks its 45th Anniversary in 2004 with a yearlong series of special events and promotions commemorating the property’s four and a half decades in operation.   Every year, the club is recognized by Rodale’s Scuba Dive Magazine as one of the “Top Five Dive Resorts in the World” and included on Conde Naste Traveler magazine’s list of “Best Dive Resorts.” Today, the Southern Cross Club continues its legacy as the Cayman Islands’ premier boutique dive and fishing resort. Located on Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands, the club’s eleven oceanfront bungalows are spread across 900 feet of beautiful white sand beach. The Southern Cross Club is Little Cayman’s oldest original resort, offering a top-rated, professional and certified in-house diving and fishing operation from its own pier. 

In honor of its 45th Anniversary, from May through December 2004, the Southern Cross Club is offering a 45 percent discount on select beach bungalow accommodations. Guests that mention the club’s anniversary will enjoy a deluxe seven-night stay at the resort with a daily activity option of fishing, scuba diving or simply lounging on the beach. Costs per person, based on double occupancy, are as follows:  Summer Two Tank Scuba Package, $1,695; Fall Two Tank Scuba Package, $1,510; Summer Fishing Package, $2,095; Fall Fishing Package, $1,860; Summer Vacation Package, $1,375; Fall Vacation Package, $1,225.  The packages include accommodations in private bungalows #4 or #5, meals, airport transfers, unlimited use of the club’s recreational equipment such as sea kayaks and bicycles, taxes and gratuities. Price excludes air travel. All special Anniversary packages are subject to availability.

Located on Little Cayman, just 480 miles South of Miami and 80 miles Northeast of Grand Cayman, the Southern Cross Club was first opened in 1959 when the island boasted a population of just 12. The simple and stunning property, then operated as a private club, was purchased in 1980 by a group of investors who opened its nine original cottages to the public, while still maintaining the resort’s exclusive, club-like atmosphere. In 1995, Peter Hillenbrand, a long-time water enthusiast and son of one of the investors, purchased the resort.

Hillenbrand’s vision for the resort included upgrading the amenities and personalizing the service, without compromising its laid-back simplicity.  He added air conditioning to each bungalow, a water front pool, two new 35’ boats, a strict policy of 12-person maximum capacity dives and a full-service fishing operation for flats and deep-sea fishing.  Hillenbrand also incorporated a “Four Star-quality” dining operation, which is no easy feat, considering nothing on the island is indigenous.  With the exception of Mahi-Mahi, Tuna and other fish caught by the resort each day, every ingredient must be imported. He remodeled, upgraded and expanded the existing kitchen that now boasts a fresh and sophisticated international menu.  Signature dishes include Miss Emily’s conch chowder, fresh tuna steak with tropical green pepper corn sauce, and the Caribbean roast pork tenderloin with mango-banana chutney.

The club property has an untraditional layout featuring six secluded, duplex-style buildings, offering 11 private and spacious bungalow suites.  At the heart of the Southern Cross Club is its centrally located clubhouse with beachfront pool, restaurant and bar. The resort is also outfitted with 11 well-placed, shaded lounging hammocks.  In anticipation of the resort’s 45th Anniversary, Hillenbrand renovated each of the eleven bungalows in traditional Caribbean style. All of the club’s private, duplex-style accommodations are unique. Some are outfitted with colorful, exotic fabrics and contrasting rich dark wood furniture, others are appointed with custom white washed beech wood furnishings and a refreshing outdoor shower.  Every unit is equipped with a private, covered wooden patio facing the now infamous Owen Island, the remote desert isle where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles once spent a private afternoon away from cameras, an outing that became a tabloid cover-story favorite. 

Activities at the Southern Cross Club include a world famous dive and fishing operation, bicycle riding, poolside lounging, snorkeling and bird watching at the island’s Booby Preserve. The secluded resort is frequented by a number of well-known celebrities, international politicians and royalty including Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Sir Michael Doulton to name a few.

With a mere 10-mile stretch of land, Little Cayman is the smallest of the three islands that make up the British Crown Colony known as the Cayman Islands of the British West Indies. Now home to just 129 year-round residents, Little Cayman continues to be one of the least developed and easily accessible tropical islands in the western hemisphere. Thus, your odds of stepping on a bonefish (or any other finned species) are far greater than stepping on a human footprint.  The lure of the island, besides its seclusion, is in the millions of varieties of fish, the proximity of its dramatic, warm water wall diving and pristine natural barrier reefs. Little Cayman was once hailed by Philippe Cousteau as “one of the top three dive areas in the world.”  The famed “Bloody Bay Wall” which plunges 6,000 feet into an underwater abyss, is just a 15-minute boat ride from the resort. A Holy Grail of the scuba world, it is also accessible for those who do not dive, as the drop off starts at 18 feet of water and up to 200 feet of visibility.

Resort packages start at  $650 per person for a three-night stay, including meals.  For reservations and information, please call (800) 899-2582 or visit the resort online at www.southerncrossclub.com.

Edited by Dave Shultz

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