Cat Island "Boathouse"
3 1/4 Acre Private Beachfront Property
Spectacular Bahamas Beachhouse
The Boathouse is a custom built, Bahamian-style home set on a privately owned 3 1/4 acre property. The acreage runs from the ocean to the Bay with the house set back from the beach between the sea and the Bay. The Boathouse is surrounded by water on three sides and has a path to the private sugar, white sand beach with gin clear water. Jenn Air Convection oven/microwave, Jenn-Air Stovetop, Ice maker, Select Comfort California King Bed w/ down pillows and 400ct. Egyptian Cotton sheets, fabulous outdoor protected shower, DVD, VHS, Film Library, Air-conditioning, Ceiling fans throughout, lending library, Seagrass furniture, Teak chaise lounges & dining area, IKEA cabinets. 12 foot decks all around. Walk to the Pigeon Cay Beach Club with access to beach bar & outdoor dining. Use of kayaks, canoe, bicycles, & Hobie Cat included in stay. A selection of grocery markets, restaurants and bars are nearby. Bonefishing in Pigeon Creek, Smith Bay & Orange Creek. Rental cars are available and can be arranged for you. Fantastic snorkeling & scuba diving. Local property manager to assist with your needs.
Cat Island Overview
Untainted by tourism, Cat Island is the sixth-largest island in The Bahamas. The fishhook-shaped island; is some 48 miles long and 1 to 4 miles wide, and lies about 325 miles southeast of Miami. Named after the pirate Arthur Catt, it’s located near the Tropic of Cancer, between Eleuthera and Long Island. It has one of the best climates in The Bahamas, with temperatures in the high 60s during the short winters, rising to the mid-80s in summer, with trade winds making the place even more comfortable. With its pristine virgin beaches, Cat Island is one of the most beautiful islands in The Bahamas, and it is so little visited that it's inexpensive and still feels undiscovered. Many local historians claim that Cat Island residents were the first to see Columbus. The great explorer himself was believed by some to have been welcomed here by the peaceful Arawaks. Beautiful beaches offer an array of water sports. Visitors can go swimming or snorkeling at several places.
*The Boathouse is professionally cleaned and maintained
*Property manager on-island to assist with any questions or requests
*Use of kayaks, canoe and bicycles included in your stay
Location
The Boathouse is located on Pigeon Cay beach, in easy walking distance to the Pigeon Cay Beach Club. Our 3 1/4 acre property has a breathtaking, white sand private beach on the warm and gin clear water of the sea. Pigeon Cay is located on the leeward side of Cat Island making for calm waters & beautiful clean beaches. Our beach is located on a secluded, 3 mile beach which extends to Alligator Point. Pigeon Creek is a large salt water inlet which is behind the house and runs parallel to the beach. Pigeon Creek opens to the sea at Alligator Point and provides for exceptional kayaking in calm waters. You can kayak from behind the Boathouse, out to the sea at Alligator Point, & then back to our beach on the ocean. Sea turtles and large rays are frequently encountered while kayaking in Pigeon Creek. Bonefishing on the fly is exceptional in Pigeon Creek,and also in Smith Bay to the South and Orange Creek to the North. Restaurants & bars serving local fare (lobster, conch) are nearby.
Guest Comments (see newest reviews on Guest Review page)
Damon B
Bulverde, Texas
October 5-21, 2007
Mark:
Your house is amazing, as well as the island, the people, Leslie & Ned, etc. I’ll try and give you my impressions, but it’s hard for me to say any of it was less than perfect.
• The bed was perfect, probably better than mine here
• The shower was also excellent.
• Beach: perfect
• Fishing: world class. I have been fishing on the fly in Mexico, Keys, Costa Rica, Texas, Canada, Alaska, etc., but this was my first time looking for the bonefish exclusively. The vicinity of the flat of Pigeon Creek to the house is amazing; the amount of fish is ridiculous. There were several days where I made casts to probably 30-40 bones, and one morning I landed 7, with several being large
• Library is great, I read several, and added to it with a few of my own.
• All the maps and guidebook were extremely helpful, and Leslie and Ned I can’t say enough about.
Thank you for letting me spend some time in your home, I am looking forward to visiting again VERY soon.
Thanks again,
Damon B
Tim & Hettie K
Charlotte, North Carolina
August 4-11, 2007
Mark,
We loved Cat Island. We have never, ever, met friendlier people anywhere. Rosetta picked us up at the airport and we forgot our camcorder in her car. She was leaving for a wedding in Jamaica the next day, so when we realized the camcorder was missing two days later, we thought it was either gone forever or at least gone for the duration of our trip. We called Mr. Rolle to apprise him of the situation. A few hours later we were on the beach at Pigeon Cay and heard a car horn blowing. We walked over to investigate and found Mr. Rolle with a big grin and our camcorder. That was amazing.
I think you've done a great thing capturing your fondness for the island and the Pigeon Cay area by staking out such a lovely home in such a special location.
The highlights:
The beach was wonderful. The views from the deck were superb. The outdoor shower was a real treat. It's on our "must have" list for our own island home someday. We grilled on the Weber each of the nights we were there. The breezes were delicious and the sunsets were spectacular. The kitchen was great. Being able to cook to such a level - either on the Weber or using the induction cooktop or the convection/microwave - is a real plus. Having local contacts for fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood was very helpful. Having a fridge with an icemaker was awesome. The linens and the bed were great - beyond the level of what we've found before in a private out-island home. The bed was the most comfortable we’ve ever experienced in our 20 years of island travel. That’s a real perk. I was very, very happy to have a telephone. A working phone is on my list of must-haves... not so much so I can make a call, just from a peace-of-mind standpoint knowing someone at home could reach me if the need arose. We took some DVDs and also enjoyed a few from your collection. Everything was in great working order.
Sammy T's was very nice. As I'm sure you know, Sammy has a real heart for Cat Island and its people. He has just gotten himself onto the Out Island Promotion Board and he will do a lot to create more awareness for the island. He doesn't favor any mega-growth and he is committed to maintaining the character of Cat Island. You can tell he really cares about his resort and its guests. The staff was friendly, the grounds and rooms were immaculate, the food was very good, nicely-presented, and reasonably priced. For anyone staying at the Boathouse, dinner at Sammy T's should be on the list of things to do.
We also made the side-trip to the Hermitage and spent a few hours on one of the windward beaches. Both excursions added to our enjoyable week and I would recommend them to anyone visiting the island.
Your homemade maps in the Boathouse Handbook (listing stores, gas station, etc.) were helpful in many ways and I'm glad we had cohesive information source. I did find the little magazine-like booklet at the Boathouse and we appreciated the info it contained. The table of contents had a listing for diving and snorkeling and I was excited to see that listing. You've gotten a lot right with the Boathouse for sure. The ability to take advantage of the breezes - and to move air when there is no breeze - really makes a difference. In that regard, fans, fans, fans - well done in and around the Boathouse. My wife's one critique of the Boathouse was she'd rather the a/c unit was in the bedroom only and it were closed off from the rest of the house. She'd rather cool the bedroom well at night and not worry about the rest of the house.
We had a great time and we loved Cat Island. We'll be back. I don't know if I'd previously mentioned that I used to write for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine - and I look at every trip recap with some of that travel-writer/researcher perspective. What made this a memorable trip? What could have made it better? What would someone else think of the island and the accommodations, etc.? What homework did I fail to do before I got there? I do think it takes a special attitude and hardiness to appreciate the out islands. There are tremendous payoffs you get in exchange for not having room service or guided tours or a maintenance man on-call. I would choose an out island trip - including a little "roughing it" - over a 4-star resort any day. I'd take that deal tomorrow! So no worries at all. We came home with big smiles.
Thanks for all your help and info - and for giving us a great launching pad for our 2007 vacation. I hope our paths cross someday.
Best,
Tim K
Charlotte
Ryk & Allison
Toronto,Ontario
May 25-June 1, 2007
"Hi Mark,
Well, we’re back home now after a truly enjoyable stay. The Boathouse is a marvelous design which really suits the location. We found that the easy transition from the “indoors” space to the veranda provides the feeling of being in a much larger home. You have obviously given the design a great deal of thought and it has worked out very well. Being in the commercial real estate development industry, I couldn’t help but wonder how you managed to find labor on the island that was able to adapt to the challenges of a rather unique form of construction.
You have thought of everything—the manuals, the maps, the Cat Island booklet, a reasonable selection of movies and books (we enlarged the latter slightly), a great BBQ, good kitchen appliances, a huge cistern for rainwater (treated to ensure that the water was potable), beautiful and comfortable outdoor furniture, an unbelievably comfortable bed and, my personal favorite—a composting toilet. Combined with an amazingly pristine and almost deserted beach, clear warm water, friendly locals and virtually no commercialism, we had a refreshingly restful and rejuvenating stay. Thank you for everything—we sincerely enjoyed it all."
Ryk
Beverly & Brian D
Connecticut USA
April 22-29, 2007
"Hi Mark,
Brian and I had a wonderful time staying at your house on Cat Island last week, very peaceful and relaxing. The house was very comfortable(LOVED the views from the deck and the outdoor shower), everything went generally very well (Leslie is a treasure!) And even if an extended stay isn't possible, we definitely intend to spend as much
Time there as we can, coming a little better prepared (cash, food, niceties, etc.) next time. Also a car is a necessity for us at least a couple of times a week, so
I need to work on that as well.
We can't wait to go back!"
---- Beverly
