I've been to both Cat Island and Nevis.

You are right, Cat Island is very remote. There are only a handful of places to eat and many of hem are open only part of the time. Grocery stores are few and far between and carry only a limited number of items. There are very few resorts and those that do exist are small. If all the hotel rooms and guest houses on the island were filled to capacity there would be less than 250 tourists on the entire island. There are only about 1,500 residents on the island. Go to Cat Island if you truly want to get away from it all - there's nothing much on the island except miles and miles of beaches with literally nobody on them.

Tourist wise, Nevis is still somewhat undiscovered, but it still boasts a Four Seasons Resort, several Plantation Inns, plus a second upscale resort and several more moderately price resorts. There's plenty of restaurants offering everything from upscale dining to beach bars to local cuisine to roadside food stands.

We were on Cat island for 5 days and for us it was three days too long - we couldn't wait to leave and vowed never to go back. We liked Nevis so much we purchased property and built a house on the island.

You're talking about two of my favorite places, but they are favorites for different kinds of experiences.

My impression of Cat Island was more favorable than RoamsAround's -- favorable enough to have taken 3 week-long trips -- but that may be because we stayed at a "resort": Fernandez Bay Village. So, while we enjoyed seclusion and "light" adventure during the day (exploring deserted beaches, kayaking, snorkeling, bicycling), when we returned to FBV in the late afternoon, there would be people about to share happy hour with. We always shared our dinner table with either our hosts or other guests, and after dinner, there would sometimes be a bonfire on the beach. I don't know if it's like that in August, since we always went in November.

I've been to Nevis twice, both times staying at Nisbet Plantation. I had to choose one last vacation spot for the rest of my life, it may well be Nisbet. But then again, it might be a Bahamian Out Island (I'm still busy exploring them all....) Nevis is physically very different from any Bahamian island, with its lush rain forest and volcanic peak. While it has a certain seclusion and laid-back ease, Nevis is more populated and has more visitors than Cat Island. I would characterize Nevis as genteel, while Cat is rustic.

It depends on what is most important to you. For the beaches, Cat wins hands-down. For a few more amenities, it's Nevis. I hate to choose, so I alternate.

nisbettplantation.com Nevis my fav

far superior to small flat mozzie infested Cat Island

which I used to fly my plane into as a stop for better places

remote decent beach nice bluffs on some bits windward side.

otherwise not a lot of there there.

Callaloo, I knew we could count on you.

We rented a house on Cat for two weeks. We absolutely loved the island and the remoteness however, as RoamsAround stated, grocery stores are few and far between. Since we enjoy cooking in, this was the largest drawback. It's the only island that I've ever travel to with frozen meat and chicken.

Where on Cat were you considering renting a home?

We are planning a last minute trip to one of the islands in the Caribbean, in mid-to-late August or early September. We have been to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. However, we are afraid that we may encounter a lot of restaurants/hotels/places of interest/etc. closed because it is the low season. We are not sure which island to visit.

Any suggestions on an island that has great diving, nature, great beaches, night life where we will find most places, if all, open? We are two parents with a 23 year old male traveling with us. Thanks!!!