Spent Xmas break (12/21-12/26) on Cat Island in the Bahamas. Overall, we had a nice trip but there were a few lowlights.

We took an early morning flight from DFW to FLL and then took Lynx Air to Cat Island. The trip there was smooth and we were at our hotel (Fernandez Bay Village) by 4pm that same day. As much as I love to travel, I am actually scared of flying so I was very nervous about the small Lynx Air plane. It ended up being okay, though.

Fernandez Bay Village was very nice. We checked out 2 other hotels on the island (Hawksnest and Greenwood) while visting and were glad that we chose FBV. We had a small stone cottage at the end of the beach so it was very secluded, which is exactly what me and the hubby wanted. Some guests thought the walk to/fro the cottage to the main clubhouse was too much but we thought it was fine. In fact, we enjoyed walking the beach in the evenings all alone. It was about an 8-10 minute walk and was very pleasant in the evenings, especially with a full moon.

Our cottage was basic but nice. For just the two of us it was perfectly comfortable. It also had an outdoor bathroom, which I wasn't crazy about. I know some people really love the outdoor bathroom and we've used one twice in our travels. I have to say, it's just not my cup of tea. It doesn't really bother me per se, but if I have a choice, I'll take a clean indoor bathroom any day. There were various critters, seen and unseen, in the outdoor bathroom. Had to coax a frog out of toilet one evening so we could use it and another morning something (my guess is a lizard or another frog) peed and pooped on our toilet paper roll, which we found ironic and amusing. The bathroom was of good size and was clean so it was perfectly acceptable.

The beach at FBV was great. When we arrived a front had just pushed through so it was very windy and a bit cool the first two days. We had to wear our hoodies on the beach b/c it was just too cold to sit out there. However, by the 3rd day the wind shifted, it warmed up and we had some great days just laying in hammocks reading and going for late afternoon swims.

We followed our regular schedule each day - beach by 10am, hang out on beach until noon and then walk to the club house for lunch, back to the beach for a nap and more hammock time, afternoon swim and then head in to clean up for dinner around 5pm. That's my perfect beach day.
We also rented a car on Xmas Eve day and drove around the south end of the island. Cat Island is also home to the highest elevation in the Bahamas. On top of that spot a Catholic priest built a small monastery where he lived for some 20 years. We climbed up the hill to go see it and it was very interesting - also a great spot for panaromic views of the island. We drove to some of the other resorts on the island, including the Greenwood which sits on a beautiful pink sand beach on the Atlantic side. We also checked out the ruins of some of the old plantation houses and churches on the island. Our little rental car left something to be desired (the A/C had 2 speeds - Ultra full blast or Off so we kept alternating b/w freezing or sweating) but we found the humor in it.

Xmas Day was another perfect day. My husband went to return the rental car and while he did that, I cleaned up our room, made the bed and coffee, put Jimmy Buffett Xmas music on the Ipod and got out our presents. We then exchanged gifts (a lovely pearly pendant necklace for me a silk tie and nice ring for him) and then headed out to the beach. Perfect weather all day. Did some snorkeling in the bay which was pretty good, did a little sea kayaking, napped in the hammock and had a great afternoon swim in the shallow waters with the sun shining down on us. We even broke our "no drinking during the heat of the day" rule and had a couple of Kaliks on our shady porch. It was a perfect island Xmas.

Now, I hate to be a complainer but there was one lowlight to the trip -- Bugs. The no-see-ums were bad. Really bad. The absolute worst I've ever experienced. We were on Jost last year right after a lot of rain and those bugs were terrible but the no-see-ums on Cat Island were like super bugs. No amount of bug spray (we only use the Off Spray with DEET) could keep the bugs off of us. We were simply eaten alive and we were very conscientious about thoroughly applying and reapplying bug spray. We sprayed it and then rubbed it in to ensure an even coat of DEET but to no avail. On my back left thigh I must have bitten around 60+ times. It looked like I had terrible acne on my leg and it itched so much that it made it difficult to sleep or sit in a chair for a long period of time. My husband got them all over his back near his waistline. We are just now starting to heal. We expected bugs and plenty of them but we didn't expect them to be immune to bug spray. Beer and rum did help alleviate the itch.

We had a small problem with Lynx Air when trying to get back to FLL. The original plane didn't make it and went back to FLL b/c of engine problems (we found this out after waiting in the double wide trailer that is the Cat Island airport for 4 hours). However, there was another pilot on a nearby island and he came to get us. Unfortunately, it was a very small plane. About an 8-seater and not pressurized. Probably not a big deal for some people but I already hate flying and small planes terrify me. My husband actually balked when he saw it and wanted to wait till the next day. I never in a million years thought I would be talking him to such a flight but I did. I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. It was a long (almost 2 hours) flight in a very small cold plane at night back to FLL but we made it and had a good story to tell our friends.

We had a very nice and plush evening at the St. Regis in FLL for one night. It's pricey but was so nice after 5 nights w/o A/C and with all the bugs. It was great for a splurge. We ordered room service and enjoyed our flat screen TV and I took a great bath in the huge marble tub. Flew back to DFW the next day but were treated to an upgrade to first class. What a difference from the Lynx Air flight the day before!

My overall impressions of Cat Island:
- Very friendly island people. Some of the nicest we've met in our travels.
- Lots of pilots. Seems like the BVI is for boaters and the out islands are for pilots. They were nice but we prefer boaters. Some of the pilots seemed a bit stand-offish and snooty. We usually stay on Jost and we really missed watching the boats come and go like we see there.
- Very secluded. We could be on our beach all day and see maybe one or two other people the entire time. Some of the other beaches wouldn't have a soul on them. I actually like to interact with other people just a bit more.
- The beaches were pretty but the island itself is, like all islands of the Bahamas, fairly flat and scrubby. The BVIs are much more scenic, IMO.

We liked Cat and would go back but probably not for a long time. We really preferred the BVIs. Perhaps part of the problem is that we've been so spoiled by Jost and the Sandcastle. They have simply set the bar too high! Besides, there are simply too many other islands in the Caribbean to visit and explore. We'll be back in the BVI this coming April and then I am still working on planning another Caribbean trip for Thanksgiving - either Dominica or Anguilla, I think. So many islands, so little time.

I have my photos developed and, if I can find the time and inclination, will try and post some later.