CAT ISLAND ATTRACTIONS HISTORICAL SITES: THE HERMITAGE 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. This building has an interesting history, and was built by hand, by the dedicated Monsignor. Here are a few photos of it: 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. THE BEACHES Fountain Bay Beach Located near Bridge Inn, it is named for an in-ground natural fountain found in bushes near the bone fish flats. It is one mile long and ends in a shallow lagoon where you can snorkel in reefs right off the beach. Old Bight Beach The beach in the town of Old Bight has five miles of pure white sand and is a perfect getaway spot for a quiet beach picnic, shelling or sunbathing. Fine Beach North of Greenwood Inn, it stretches for miles and miles Any Other Beach The island has beautiful beaches on both sides of the island. That is unusual in the Bahamas, because most of the islands have good Atlantic beaches, but few good Caribbean beaches. There are heavenly beaches everywhere, and very very little development. Sammy T's, a unique beach located in Bennett's Harbour.