The Bahamas Resort Fernandez Bay Village is the Top Island Vacation Spot

Fernandez Bay Village is the kind of Bahamas resort where you can step out into the sandy beach, take a deep breath and know that you’ve arrived at a place where you can for a while put aside all the demands of daily life. It is one of those wonderful places where guests meet and become friends.

Cat Island, Bahamas, was first inhabited by Arawak Indians, and was then ruled by pirates in the 1700s. The Spanish settled on the island very briefly, and North American Loyalists began establishing cotton plantations on Cat Island in 1783. These historic plantations are now ruins and can be found throughout the entire island. One such plantation is located in Port Howe, a small picturesque village. It was believed to have been built by the intrepid Colonel Andrew Deveaux who recaptured Nassau from Spain in 1783.

Rumor has it that Cat Island, Bahamas may have derived its name from Arthur Catt, the famous British sea captain or notorious pirate (depending on whose side you were on). Competing sources for the name are the hordes of wild cats that the English encountered here on arrival in the 1600s. The cats were said to be descendants of their tamer cousins orphaned by the early Spanish colonists in their rush to find the gold of South America. For more than four centuries, Cat Island was called San Salvador and thought by some to be the first landfall of Columbus in the New World. However, in 1926, Watlings Island, also named after a pirate, was renamed San Salvador and the name Cat Island was used once again.

Cat Island is approximately 48 miles long and averages between one and four miles in width. It is located southeast of Eleuthera and northeast of Long Island. Located over 300 miles from Miami, Cat Island should not be confused with its very small nephew Cat Cay-which is part of the Biminis. Cat Island also happens to be the sixth largest island too-and like all the other islands of the Bahamas, it is surrounded by gorgeous secluded beaches.

The owners of this Bahamas resort have a deep rooted history on Cat Island.

Today Pam and Tony Ambrister operate the Bahamas resort Fernandez Bay Village. The Armbristers' history in the Bahamas Islands began around the time of the American revolutionary war. Tony's great-grandfather, John Armbrister, was one of the first loyalists to settle here. He moved from St. Augustine, Florida to Nassau, the closest British colony to the Southern United States in 1790. For a time he kept a general store and was involved in public affairs. John became interested in planting and around the early 1800's he moved his family to Cat Island, thinking it would be a good place to grow cotton, sisal and pineapple. John had several children, one of whom was William Edward Armbrister, Tony's grandfather.

History notes show that W.E. Armbrister was in Nassau in 1834 studying, whilst his mother was running the family business on Cat Island. Shortly after this period, cotton was abandoned and many loyalists fled the Out Islands. Not the Armbristers. W.E. was a merchant store owner in Nassau and quite involved in government, while still cultivating pineapple and sisal on Cat Island. Sadly he buried his entire first family, but at the age of 76 years old, he remarried Eugenie Bode. They had a son, Cyril Armbrister Tony's father.

When W.E. died at the age of 88, Eugenie moved to Canada with Cyril. Schooled in England, Cyril was a Captain with the Canadian Militia during World War II and later involved himself in theater and radio. He met Francis Fintel, the actress, in California. They married in Mexico and moved to The Bahamas, splitting their time between California and Cat Island. They had two sons, Cyril Edward (Ted) and Anthony Frederick (Tony). The boys spent their summer holidays playing on New Bight beach. Ted followed his dream of becoming an attorney and Tony at age 19 moved permanently to Cat Island where he started as a land development that turned into a Bahamas resort after the 1970s recession.

The true Bahamas Island experience can be found only on Cat Island.

Once you arrive at Fernandez Bay Village, Cat Island, Bahamas resort you’ll quickly see why Tony chooses to live here with his wife Pam and two children Tameron and Shane. 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. Mt. Alvernia, is the Cat Island's most distinct feature, and is the highest point in The Bahamas. From these high cliffs, there is a marvelous view down to densely forested foothills and 60 miles of deserted pink-and-white-sand beach. This is a must see attraction for island goers.

The Bahamas resort Fernandez Bay Village is on an incredibly beautiful half-moon bay with pristine white sand beach. This is one of those places where the barefoot life enhances the laid-back atmosphere where you dine under a thatch roof, and watch the sun set over the miles of beach of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bahamas resort guests also find a variety of deserted beaches among the hilly terrain and along the North Shore and on the Exuma Sound side of Cat Island. The Bahamas Island has blue holes, caves, beaches, rocky shoreline, and lush vegetation with mahogany, lignumvite, madera, casurina and coconut trees. Just one road runs on the Exuma Sound side that connects all of the small towns on the island. This isolated Bahamas Island remains a secluded destination, and perfect for visitors of Fernandez Bay, who want to experience a Bahamas resort nestled in a natural setting where the sleepy villages are filled with friendly residents who welcome newcomers, and offer to share the stories of its history.

Tony and his wife Pam, along with their children Tameron and Shane, hope you enjoy their village and would like to thank you for your interest in the Bahamas resort. To book your stay you can use our contact form or pick up the phone now and call 1 (800) 940-1905 for our reservations desk.