We booked a week long vacation after reading some good reviews on TripAdvisor. Everything said about Donna previously is true. The woman is a real asset to the place and the Bahamian gentleman that makes the rum punch at the bar was a pure pleasure. The rest of the staff, particularly the wait staff were not as friendly. The place itself is nice, it was wonderful to have use of the kayaks and bicycles to explore the island of which the Hermitage was well worth seeing. The beach was secluded and the sunsets are indeed lovely. That said the whole experience was ruined by the outrageous charges for the meals which were truly sub par. We travel frequently and have paid less for 5 star hotels in the Carribean with far superior cuisine than Fernandez Bay. It was a slap in the face to get the bill on the final day and it ended up ruining our whole experience. Also, beware this is a family-owned resort . We were there during a holiday weekend and the visiting family and their friends took over the common areas without much regard for the guests who paid to stay there.

Words cannot possibly express how wonderful our trip was. We just got back two days ago and I wish I was back there already. Sun, sun and more sun! The beach was immaculate and it was almost as if we had our own private beach. The weather was perfect everyday with sunshine and temps in the 80s. We couldn't have asked for more. (However, I will give you one hint: bring bug spray with a high percentage of deet. They have sand flies (no-see-ums) and they do bite so if you're sensitive to bug bites it would be smart to bring bug spray.)

The meals were spectacular and you can either dine in or out where you have a view of the stars like you've never seen before. I'm unsure what some of the previous writers meant when they thought the meals were not good. We had fried conch one night, amazing steak another, curried lamb, and always a vegetable! I'm a pretty picky eater and have high standards and the food really was quite tasty. Breakfast was also superb. It alternated with french toast/pancakes, potatoes, yogurt, cereal, fruit, toast/bagels and hard boiled eggs. And if you want eggs a certain way you can simply knock on the kitchen door and they make them fresh for you. You really do have a choice between eating healthy and completely endulging at every meal.

There are also plenty of things to do while you are there. I'm unsure what other reviewers were complaining about. There are kayaks, small motorboats, bicycles, games or you can simply sit on your chair or a hammock and read the entire day away. A quick bike ride will show you to the south side of the island. We chose to relax most of the five days we were there.

The accomodations were clean and had all the amenities you will need during your stay. The bathrooms are considered garden bathrooms and you really feel one with nature. I'm not the type to go camping and I honestly felt quite at home staying at Fernandez Bay. And as if it couldn't get any better the manager, Donna, will help with absolutely any need you might have. She was welcoming and went beyond the call of duty to keep us happy.

We really had a magnificent stay and we'd go back in a heartbeat!

FBV is a great choice for a very quiet, relaxing, relatively inexpensive getaway. Sits on a beautiful mile long crescent beach. Accomodations are spartan but acceptable, even quaint (outdoor bath & shower at our (Conch) beachfront cottage). No problems with bugs or mosquitoes in Dec. Breakfasts and dinners were great, esp. banana pancakes, lobster, seafood. Took lunch as we explored the island. Sang XMAS carols on the beach with other tourists, most from US, 2 from Germany who were headed to Stella Maris on Long Island, Bahamas, after FBV. Enjoyed relaxing on our beach, kayaking, the Hermitage, and driving my wife to Greenwood Beach where we lost all inhibitions as we found ourselves on 8 miles of drop dead gorgeous, completely deserted beach. Drove into town where Sidney Poitier lived. Can't beat the Bahamas Out Islands and Turks & Caicos for endless miles of gorgeous, sparsely populated beaches. There are alternatives to FBV in the same category to consider, e.g., Coral Sands on Harbour Is; Shoal Bay Villas on Anguilla; Club Peace & Plenty on Exuma; and some of the smaller places on Providenciales (Provo) in Turks & Caicos. But FBV is a fine choice.

We had done a lot of research on islands in the Bahamas. Our goal was to find an off the beaten path place, quite, beach to ourselves, place to relax and get married. We found it on Cat Island.

The island is very small and only consists of around 1200 residents to date. At one point, we were told, it had the most residents in all of the Bahamas.

Fernandez Bay Village is a small resort and there are things to consider when traveling to a place on an island like this. Note that the "Hotel Class" is a 3 star hotel. So, you should go there knowing that it's not a 5 star hotel. There will be small things about it that remind you how small of a place it is located on.

We went the first full week of June and stayed from a Thursday to a Thursday. We took Continental to get to the island from Fort Lauderdale. We stayed in the Royal Palm and we loved it. It was a little more per night, but since we stayed 7 nights it was worth it.

The ROOMS: are a little rustic, as is the entire island. They are 12" square tile floors, they do have AWESOME A/C for when you come back from the beach and need to cool off. There are kitchens in the cottages with a small fridge which we did use for beer and cooling other food we bought at the grocery store. The garden shower takes getting used to if you aren't into that sort of thing. We didn't mind at all. But keep in mind that your shower is on the front side of the resort (where we stayed) and people can hear you in the bathroom. We didn't have any trouble with water heat or pressure when we were there. Keep in mind that you need to let the water run a little while to get it warm. They are on a septic system (not sewer) so they have to have a tank cleaned out instead of the sewage draining "away". A few of our parents complained about a sewage smell in the restrooms...but that is a small price to pay to be on an island without sewer systems.... One day the entire resort did lose power for about an hour, but it had to do with the Bahamas Power company...and it didn't get too hot in that time frame. We did have a small roof leak, off to the side in heavy rain, but it didn't get us or our things wet. That's what you get with thatch roofs too...come on people...it's an island! I would suggest staying closer to the dining room so you don't have to walk so far to food or booze :)

The FOOD: This was expensive. We knew that going into the resort. The breakfast was pretty good. They do have a few items that are there every day on the buffet. Each day they do have a rotating breakfast item. Lunch - not really much to it. Made to order. We opted to buy some peanut butter, jelly, bread, chips and AWESOME coconut cookies at the grocery store and just make sandwiches for lunch. Saved us a lot of money :) Dinner - we loved dinner. It was very expensive at $45 per person - $90 per night, which does not include your drinks. My fiance, now husband, didn't really like the thought of a $100 dinner for 7 nights....but we were getting married, and you only do that once right!?!? :) They did have conch, grouper, beef, dolphin and chicken. Since we were there 7 nights a few entrees were repeated, but never with the same sides. We enjoyed the food. The tiki bar was neat, you make your own drinks and write them down. Not much else to it.

The BEACH: We loved the beach. FBV stretches along Fernandez Bay and you can walk up to the North and snorkle (at high tide) and also to the South where the mangroves are. They have kayaks too. When we were there a couple got out a kayak and the husband swam to the furthest rock/island in the bay and the wife followed him in the kayak....I'm really surprised he made it back! There were virtually no other people there when we were. There were probably 10-15 people other than us at the resort. Most of those were either our 6 parents, or the friends of the owners. Very clean, cute and they had chairs with umbrellas for your use too.

The ISLAND: I may post this seperately just on Cat Island...but there were a few things to see. We did rent a car for one day, saw The Hermitage, the Pink Sands on the Atlantic side at Greenwood and even drove up to Arthur's Town where actor Sidney Poitier is from. It was a neat 45-60minute drive, but it was nice to get out.

ACTIVITIES: There really isn't much to do....which we LOVED. Our parents got a little restless. There's no TV, Telephone (only a payphone in the lobby)....and there is a computer with WIFI in the lobby, but it works dependant on the weather. No biggie, I only checked my email the last day to make sure the parents had gotten home ok :) Other than that....swim, kayak, snorkle, read, a few board games. Take cards with you, sunbath, sleep, eat, relax...do nothing!

The WEDDING: we had our wedding there at FBV. We had the Administrator of the island (basically their governor) preside over the ceremony. If you want more information on this, just contact me and I can give you details. Donna made me a bouquet and she even made us a cake that was wonderful and my husband LOVED it. We did it just before sunset and got some beautiful photos.

The BUGS: the only real problem here is the sand fleas - or whatever they're called there. Take bugspray with DEET. I would suggest if you get eaten alive - like I do - then you need to spray every evening before you go to dinner. Get your feet especially. We did and we still got a few bites, not bad, but just annoying. They do have bugspray by the tiki bar, but by the time you walk from your room to the dining room you'll get bit.

I don't know what else to say. We had a great time. We loved the resort and the island. We went there expecting something a little nicer than camping and we were pleasantly surprised. As I mentioned before, you can't expect a 3 star hotel to be a 5 star. Use common sense. If you're looking for a remote island, you won't find a 5 star hotel - unless you're a star and have tens of thousands to spend on your trip...then you could rent your OWN island. So...give it a shot if you're willing to try something new. We did and we would definitely go back. Trouble is....there's lots of other places in the world we'd love to go first!!!