Cat Island

Cat Island is in the Bahamas.

Understand

Cat island is a sparsely populated island with many small villages dotting the length of the island. There are many beach villas to stay at, small local restaurants to eat at, and good snorkeling and beautiful beaches. It is an idyllic, peaceful island where life passes by very slowly and the locals are very friendly and willing to chill. There is one road that goes down the entire length of the island, and connects all of the towns and villages on the island.

Get in

By plane

Cat Island has 2 airports: 1 Arthur's Town Airport and 2 New Bight Airport. There are a few flights from Nassau every day, and the planes usually stop at both airports before heading back to Nassau. Flight time is around one hour.

Get around

Cat Island has no public transport. There are no motorbike rentals on the island. Car rental is the main way of getting around the island, and there are a couple of rental places, most of which are near New Bight. Some beach villas also rent bicycles for getting around.

See

• Catholic monastery where monks lived in the hills north of New Bight. A short hike will take you up the hilltop to the monastery, which provides a great view of the island.
• White sand beaches dot the island ready for a nice swim. In the north tip of the island, there are also snorkeling opportunities.
• Fish fry on the island near New Bight - a collection of food vendor stands selling fish and local snacks.

Do

Cat island is an out island. With several settlements, a few eateries, and a western bank of semi-protected waters.

• Sailing - With mostly NE to SE winds, ocean swell is absent a majority of the time. The island provides protection with minimal fetch for waves. Sailing is in 10-25 feet of water. The bank has very little commercial traffic, so sailing is rather simple here.

Eat

• Da Smoke Pot, Near Arthur's Town - This place is a favorite hang for locals and visitors alike. Delicious fried fish, conch, fries, and local beer. You'll likely need to call ahead to order a meal. A local rasta gang gather to play rake and scrape, the local music created by the use of saw instruments and drums. They also put the smoking pot into the restaurant's name, "Da smoke pot."

Sleep

Beachside villas dot the many white sand beaches that go along the length of the island. They range from $120 to upwards of $300 for a bungalow per night.

Stay safe

While the island could not be safer, there are a lot of mosquitoes, especially at sunset! There are also sandflies, which tend to attack near the beaches in the evenings. Make sure you bring a lot of mosquito repellent, especially repellents containing DEET.