Located over 300 miles from Miami, Cat Island should not be confused with its very very small nephew Cat Cay--which is part of the Biminis. A popular tourist attraction in Cat Island is Comer Hill, the highest point in The Bahamas at 206 ft. above sea level. Climb to the top of Mt. Alvernia where you'll get a bird's eye view of a scaled replica of a 12th century monastery called the Hermitage built by Monsignor John C. Hawes.

While the Deveaux Mansion and nearby ruins dominate the coastline. Cat Island may have derived its name from Arthur Catt, the famous British sea captain.

Cat Island was once home to one of the more prosperous Loyalist colonies of the Out Islands. The island gained its wealth from the numerous cotton plantations established during the 1700s.

This boot-shaped, untamed island is one of the most beautiful and fertile of The Bahamas. A lush sanctuary, it provides tranquility for those seeking an escape from the pressures of modern civilization. Others thought so too, like Father Jerome, a penitent hermit who built a medieval monastery hewn from the limestone cliffs atop 206-foot Mt. Alvernia, a place for meditation. From these high cliffs, there is a marvelous view down to densely-forested foothills and 60 miles of deserted pink-and-white-sand beach.

But perhaps the most spectacular view on all of Cat Island is the near incredible ten-mile stretch of perfectly pink sand at a place most aptly named, Fine Beach.  At Arthur's Town, historic building can be found. It is also the boyhood home of Academy Award winning actor Sidney Poitier.