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| CARIBBEAN - BAHAMAS - CAT ISLAND : COCKTAILS STRAIGHT FROM THE PALM TREE by Ursula & Eldrid Retief   A member of the staff adroitly shins up one of the many palm trees surrounding Greenwood Beach Resort, picks the fruit, takes his machete to it and voila! - fresh coconut milk for a pina colada.We are lazing away the afternoon in a hammock under a palm tree, not stirring. What is stirring is a gentle breeze and the pounding surf a few steps away. When she heard we were heading for Cat Island a friend described it as “the undiscovered jewel of the islands”. Yes, sure, we thought. Well, we’ve been and we can vouch that Cat Island is exactly that: attractive, unspoiled, with rolling hills and stunning, untrammeled beaches. The people fish, farm and live peacefully though they are increasingly drawn into the growing tourist industry. The island’s stated claim to fame is that it has the highest point in The Islands of the Bahamas - all 206 feet to the top of Mount Alvernia. At its peak is The Hermitage, a monument to a beloved Cat Island figure, Father Jerome. A diocesan architect, he retired in 1940 to Cat Island where he continued to work on church designs while building his hermitage. It was his home for the last decade of his life. When he died in 1956 at age 80, he was interred in a cave just below it. The rock-strewn climb is fairly arduous with a few steps carved into the solid rock here and there and with 14 stations of the Cross lining the approach to the summit. The building, (a bell tower, chapel, kitchen, study, cloister, shower room, sleeping quarters - all minute, just enough for one man, catering to each function of the hermit’s life) seems to grow from the rocky ground. Cat Island has its share of savannas, swamps, creeks and forests – and more than its fair share of powder-white beaches which stretch for miles. The dense green forests, the beaches and reefs of this fertile island are virtually unexplored. There are numerous walks on footpaths and tracks and caves to explore and it is a popular place for birdwatchers. But snorkelling and scuba diving are its major attractions. Chris Illing, who manages Greenwood Beach Resort for the family, is a certified scuba instructor and takes his guests from his Cat Island Dive Center – a complete PADI center – on short boat rides to a variety of spectacular dive sites. Just off Greenwood's beach are exquisite shallow reefs ranging from 15 to 40 feet in depth. There are 12 miles of unlimited wall diving sites along the southern coast alone, with caves and tunnels teeming with thousands of species of fish. Chris will happily arrange fishing trips, charters and boating with local guides and boats. The 20-room Greenwood Beach Resort has its own private beach – eight miles of unspoiled pink beach along the turquoise Bahamian sea. All its rooms have private bath, small patios and king-sized beds, cooled by ocean breezes and ceiling fans. There are bicycles to explore the villages, Port Howe and Bains Town, only 10 to 30 minutes away, or the resort can arrange a car rental should you want to visit the dozens of churches, the Deveaux plantation, and of course all the other beautiful resorts on Cat Island. Or you could just swing in the hammock, sipping your pina colada. Photo: courtesy Greenwood Beach Resort |
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