Located on the northern tip of Cat Island, about 300 miles southeast of Miami, is the beautiful and very quiet settlement of Orange Creek. It's close to being one of those described as "if you blink, you'll miss it." However, this beautiful little settlement has a lot to offer. Framed by lush green hills, this creek side settlement is nestled next to a gorgeous cyan-blue tidal creek. Steps from the road take you beach side for a quick swim. Check ahead of time for fishing and boating opportunities. The Orange Creek grocery is one of the best on Cat Island. You can find nearly anything you need here, including 5 gallon jugs of fresh water, and refills for l.p. gas tanks. Make note, the market is closed on Saturdays.
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I've been curious about Cat Island for a couple of years. For our first visit to an island, I try to find a budget friendly place to stay and it took me a while to find one on Cat Island. With some perseverance, I found Sarah's Cottage on Trip Advisor, where even with a two week minimum stay, at $50 a night, it was still in my budget. Since my husband, Dan, could only join for the last week, I invited my Aunt Becky and her friend, Virginia for the first week. Like nearly all of my extended family, Becky had grown up in a very rural, close-knit, quiet spot in Southern Indiana and I had a feeling she would love the slow, homespun feel of Cat Island. She's also an artist and my gut feeling was that Cat Island possesses the kind of beauty that gives those with an artistic eye inspiration. I think I was right on both counts. We loved staying at Sarah's Cottage. The house sits atop a steep iron shore, so it is not possible to get into the water. However, we loved hearing waves, views of water out of the back of the house, and watching two sea turtles make a daily visit while we watched from the picnic table. A bit further down the road is the best little bar on Cat Island, called North End Liquor Store, where Kaliks are 3 for $10. It's a tiny little bar and the perfect place to meet locals. Walk another little bit and you come into Orange Creek, with a beautiful sandy spot for swimming and the best grocery store on Cat Island. While walking is great, I do suggest renting a car to explore more of Cat Island for part of your stay and Nick, your host, will help you set that up. Orange Creek has a nice little beach.The house is located in a very small patch of homes south of Orange Creek, giving visitors a true taste of life in The Bahamas Out Islands. Days spent at home are perfect for reading, doing art, or just sitting on the front porch and watching birds, neighborhood dogs, lizards, and neighbors who visit to check on each other. This is not a vacation home suited for everyone as you will turn on your gas for cooking from the outside, you will need to turn on the water heater if you want hot water, and potable water must be obtained from the market. You will pay additionally for your electrical use during your stay. Without air conditioner use, it will easily be under $5 a day. While it is a bit more rustic than a typical vacation rental, this has everything you need for a simple, quiet and relaxing stay. Nick and Manette are wonderful hosts. Nick will pick you up at the airport, making stops for provisions and providing an excellent introduction to Cat Island on the drive to Sarah's Cottage. One member of our group spoke about being fearful of snorkeling and Nick showed up to provide a lesson for her. Both Nick and Manette are quick to answer questions and respond quickly to anything that pops up. Note: Price quoted in video is $75 a night, but should have been $50 a night.Thanks to Becky, we had a lot of fun making prints and creating memory books during our week together.If you've visited many warm island locations, you may have noticed a cultural acceptance of stray dogs. Sometimes, those dogs belong to a family, sometimes they belong to a neighborhood, and sometimes they are straight up strays. A lot of the time, a handful of dogs hang out together in their own neighborhood "pack" and are a mix of all designations. Collectively, they are called "potcakes" because sometimes people will feed them "cakes" made from leftovers. We've enjoyed potcakes on nearly all of our Out Island trips. Sometimes, a potcake will appear out of nowhere and spend the day at a beach with us. Once, we stayed in Tarpum Bay and watched the daily parade of a young boy riding up and down the street on his bike, with a big brown potcake trailing behind. For my two week stay on Cat Island, I was prepared to be grumpy towards the neighborhood potcakes. When our host gave us a tour of the house where we stayed, he explained that a previous guest had allowed the dogs in the house and that we'd have to be very firm. Truth is, it only took a few days to establish with our neighborhood pups that we were in charge and they were not a pest at all. They're dogs. Just like kids, it's not that they didn't TRY to come into the house, hang out on the porch, or wait just outside our back door. However, they were quick to learn that they were fine to sleep under our back yard sea grapes, enjoy the shade under our Jeep, or walk with us down the road. Truth is, I loved having them around. Of course, I named them and spoke to each - especially the couple of days I stayed at the house alone. They are definitely not living a cushy, indulgent life, but in a lot of ways, it's a perfect combination of freedom and friends that most dogs don't get. I'm not about to kick the smallest runt of the potcake posse off the porch when it's raining.I've had a fascination with the Bahamas from an early age. Raised on a farm in rural Michigan, I didn't get out much. We didn't know people who went on vacation, and travel time was always by car to visit relatives. When I was about 8, my parents had an opportunity to travel to the Bahamas for a week. I'm not sure what that trip was about, except that my parents returned with the most spectacular shells and a couple of photos of the most beautiful water I had ever seen. Years later, in the mid 1980s, while studying at Michigan State University, I joined the Adventure Club with the sole motive of going on their $350 week-long sail from Miami to the Bahamas. Everything about that week was pure magic. Well, everything except for the sea leg sickness for the week after I returned. That was a pure, living hell. Even so, spending the return week with the walls spinning was a small price to pay for a week in paradise. The captain we hired for the sailing trip kept us in completely remote locations, landing us in anchorages where we were not only the only boat, but usually the only people within sight. The one exception was an anchorage outside a tiny settlement somewhere in the northern Bahamas. There were a couple of houses and a tiny bar on the beach. The bar was probably 700 square feet, had a sand floor and a simple wooden bar the length of one end. Our captain told us we'd all be enjoying "Captain's Punch" that night and instructed us to buy what we wanted and pour it into a communal bowl. Before long, the bar was filled with locals, music started up, we were dancing, laughing and having a great time - a bunch of college kids from Michigan and a bunch of local kids from a little spot in the Bahamas. Somehow, we all successfully navigated the nighttime swim back to the boat and the tricky climb up the ladder to our beds. It's all about the people you know and without our captain, we would never have hooked up with that amazing night in that tiny remote bar. Likewise, when we were picked up at the airport on Cat Island before stopping at the rental home, our host asked if we'd like to stop for a Kalik at a tiny bar just down the road. Our host, Nick, introduced us to Clonious, the owner of a tiny little bar south of Orange Creek called North End Liquors and explained that this was the best deal on Cat Island with 3 beers for $10. Exhausted from a long day of travel, we each ordered our elixir, Clonious took the cap off each of our bottles, and we followed Nick to the water's edge behind the little wooden building so we could enjoy the sunset. It was marvelous. Over the course of my two week stay, we walked down to Clonious' bar several times. We had the opportunity to chat with all kinds of area people, and to enjoy the pulse of life on Cat Island. Whenever we passed, walking or in the car, anyone hanging out on the front porch waved and hollered greetings. It was really nice to feel so welcomed when we were clearly outsiders. Nearly every visit, Clonious' parting words were "Come back again and bring all your friends!" Our last night, I invited my husband to walk down for a some Kaliks. I asked Clonious if I could take a picture of him and explained that I might be posting it online. He responded with "Of course! Why did you wait so long?" He then asked if I would take photos of the front and post those, too. Of course, I promised I would. On that last visit, Clonious' bar was uncharacteristically packed with Emancipation Day celebrators. The front porch was filled with guys enjoying a few drinks together and I didn't want to take a picture without their permission. I explained that Clonious wanted me to share a picture with my friends back home and did they mind being in it, they were not only happy to oblige, but pulled us into conversation about their beautiful island, their history and how we should return. These guys were so ready to tell Dan and me all about Cat Island that we never even went around back to sit and watch the waves. Once again during my two week stay, I was struck at the deep seated pride residents hold for their home. It was also a lesson on visiting the local spots. Not only does the local economy get a boost, but the connections made with people can make memories that will last a lifetime. Dan and the guy directly under the window started talking music, inspiring our new friend to launch into "Have you eve seen the rain?" just as a huge clap of thunder hit directly overhead, sending us all into peals of laughter. It was one of those magical human moments that makes for the best vacation souvenir.< Sitting on the iron shore behind Northside Liquor, looking south.Becky and Virginia's last night on Cat Island, behind Clonious' place, looking northwest. |
AuthorI'm a mom to two, wife to one, and a math teacher to many. We live on Michigan's West Coast, in the beautiful town of Holland. We love the people, natural beauty, and peaceful vibe of the Bahamas Out Islands. Archives
December 2021
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