We have now stayed at Sammy T's twice in the last two years. The reason we chose Sammy T's is because we wanted to stay in the North part of Cat Island. Cat Island is a stunning island where life is unchanged from decades ago. It is a simple, beautiful paradise. However it is let down by the quality of its hotels, which are generally (not exclusively) lousy...

Sammy's is located on one of the the best two beaches in the entire island. It is a drop- dead gorgeous beach, with ludicrously turquoise waters in a small perfect bay. The accommodation is simple but adequate in wooden-hut style rooms with aircon, kitchenette, small sitting room. So far so good. Simple island, simple accommodation. No problem.

What is the biggest problem is the management of the place. It is so shockingly bad its hard to describe:

Of the 4 days we were there on this trip our room was cleaned 3 times (one day they didnt bother) and another day they asked us incredulously if we wanted our room actually cleaned.

The food is really not good either.

Everyday we were given a menu but then told that they only had one thing available.

Every day they set soup spoons at the table but never had any soup (not that we cared but why put out the spoons??).

Every breakfast we asked for some fruit but everyday we were told that there was none available on the island (it can happen as it's a simple and remote island but we were able to buy a variety of fruit everyday from various shops). We almost only got just toast (sometimes almost entirely untoasted). One morning at 9.30am we were told that we couldnt have breakfast yet as they still hadn't cleaned up from dinner the night before and we'd have to wait outside...

On the first lunchtime we were offered grouper, which was fine, or deep fried conch served with a very very simple salad and bread. No problem. But for dinner we were told that all they had available was grouper. The next day there was only grouper for dinner too. We had the same meal three times as that was all there apparently was available (which is not true as we asked around other people on the island what other fish was available)....

Then on day three we were offered cracked (fried) conch (no grouper nor anything else.. in fact no other option at all). Then on day 4 we asked Sammy if it was possible to have anything other that fried conch or grouper. He said he would ask around if there was other fish available (he suggested snapper, land crab, tuna). We said great, sounds fabulous and at the very worst we are happy for some jerk chicken. That night we asked him what was for dinner and he beamed "exactly as you requested...jerk chicken", Fine, we thought... its a shame as we are on an island full of fresh fish but he has at least met our worst-case scenario request. The jerk chicken was chicken with a bottled jerk sauce. Rubbish.

Oh, we were also told that we had to eat at 6pm every night (we were the only guests). We suggested that maybe it was a little early but were told no, in winter time dinner is at 6pm. Subsequently we found out that the chef was actually working elsewhere too and started her shift there at 7pm hence the rush to feed us.

And the price of this culinary delight (4 dinners and 1 lunch)? $433. We could have eaten anywhere else in the world for less. Our total bill for 4 nights was $1160 so that works out at $290 per night for room and food. It really should have cost half of that, at best.

Last time I visited we had to wait 45 mins for the bar girl to make three rum and cokes. It was so bad that we had to order our next drinks the moment she served the first ones. This time was a little better but no one even knew how to make a gin and tonic. I'm not expecting 5 star service but this is somewhat incredible.

Also last time we asked Sammy to organise some bone fishing. We went out on the bargirls boyfriend's boat, we were given hand lines and left to get on with it while he chatted to his girlfriend (who gatecrashed our trip). There were no rods, no equipment. It was extremely basic. No problem, except that Sammy charged us $400 for 3 hours on the small skiff with hand lines.... incredible.

It's sad to see what could be a charming, simple place in a stunning location being run so badly, with such a lack of enthusiasm to get anything right. The place needs either new owners and/or new ideas.

I understand that much of our troubles were exacerbated by the fact that Cat Island had been deeply affected by the recession and people were feeling a bit desperate but the answer is not to give up entirely but to try harder. We were the only guests there. It should be easy to please us. We didnt expect much but we certainly didn't expect to get nothing for our money...

If you want to go to a small, untouched, simple and natural Caribbean island with a small charming but incredibly managed hotel then go to Little Cayman and stay at the Southern Cross Club. That gets 5 stars and this gets 2 stars.

We were looking to relax and just enjoy the beach. Having tried several of the Bahamian Out Islands, this year we chose Cat Island and Sammy T's.

If you are looking for nightlife, gambling and a go, go, go, vacation, this is not the island for you. If you want to relax on an uncrowded beach, right outside your bungalow door, watch unbelievable sunsets and just relax....this is the place for you. Forget the world and escape to Sammy T's.

Sammy sent a driver for us at the airport who gave a us an overview and history lesson on the way to the hotel. This was very nice.

Sammy and his staff cater to whatever you want. The bungalows are clean and well furnished. Each having a small, well equipped kitchen and living room equipped with a DVD player. Sammy has a DVD library. There is a pool table and other amenities for all guests to use. Kayaks and other beach amenities are on the beach. There is no extra charges for anything.

Sammy cooked breakfast most days. It was excellent. Each day the chef would find you to take dinner orders. All meals were cooked to order as you enter the dining room. The food was incredible. Fresh sea food each day. (Steak, hamburgers, etc were available). The dining room was small and this made for excellent conversation with people from around the world.

Sammy is there everyday. He arranged for a rental car to be delivered and returned. He and his staff took care of everything we could need.

Go to Sammy T's to get away from the world and just relax. Sammy and his staff will take good care of you!!

My husband and I were married in October. We had searched and searched for the perfect honeymoon. We wanted to go somewhere beautiful and low key, but nice. We came across Cat Island in our search and found Sammy T's Resort.

Cat Island was appealing to us because we wanted to experience true island life and not an overcrowded tourist trap. Cat Island looked remote and quiet, not to mention gorgeous!

Our experience at Sammy T's was perfect. I really do not have one complaint. The grounds were immaculate. It's obvious that Sammy takes pride in his property. Our cottage was spotless and our bed was extremely comfortable. The beach was really beautiful and fun to explore. We were the only guests at the resort and had the entire beach to ourselves. It made for some very peaceful and relaxing days. The only folks near us was the family down the beach who were building a house. They would wander by once in a while and sometimes eat at Sammy's, but that was about it. They were very friendly and nice to talk to.

I have no complaints about service. The staff was very nice. We enjoyed Kennie and Shakira as well as the others. They were friendly but not in your face all the time - which was nice. They checked on us regularly and took care of us. Sammy was friendly as well and interesting. He seems to truly care about the island. The housekeeping staff did a great job keeping the cottage clean!

As for the food....oh my goodness.....the food was amazing. We ordered lunch on our first day and were pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. Not that I expected bad food, I just didn't imagine a grouper sandwich would be as good as this was! That night I had cracked conch and it was delicious. My husband also enjoyed his meals. We were served good size portions and were not ever hungry! Andrew is an excellent chef!

We enjoyed the quiet nights. Rented some movies. Played a little pool. It was everything we had hoped for. The dogs were wonderful and joined us on the beach each day. It was nice to have them around! One day we drove down to the Hermitage and it made for a fun day driving around the island. We ate at the Blue Bird Cafe for lunch that day and it too, was fabulous food. (Sammy had recommended it)

So, overall I would recommend Sammy's to anyone wanting a great island experience at a reasonable price. It was exactly what we were looking for. I'd definitely go back. Oh, but I will add that the sand flies are pretty ferocious once the sun starts to set....be prepared!

My one and only warning is about Cat Island Air - they ran late for both of our flights. Sammy called to make sure they were on time for our flight home but mechanical problems couldn't be avoided. We ended up missing our flight from Nassau and got home about 7hours later than expected. While we waited at the Arthurs Town airport, we caught a ride back to Sammy's with a nice older couple (Jenny and ???) and we hung out there until the flight came in. That helped!

Anyway, Sammy's was awesome and we hope to go back some day with the whole family.

Sammy T's was a very nice relaxing camp type resort. The beach was to die for. My wife and I thought the food and the service was excellent. I must remember not to go to the Bahamas durring the months of June thru Novemeber because of the weather possibilities which we had. The tropical system that was present in the area kept us in the rain and clouds for 3 days and there is nothing to do without sun unless you want to sit in your cabin and watch DVDs and read books all day. So, after 4 days of this we had had enough and decided to go back to the states. Sammy offers nothing to do with bad weather. He needs to have an area with brouchuers or tours that we could do in case of bad weather. Also the bugs were very bad durring 5pm to 10am. If you didnt spray yourself heavily you were swarmed. The weather and the bugs are not Sammys fault but if the Bahamas Govt. doesnt start spraying more often the tourists will stay away. The cabins were nice and clean and the bed was nice. Its a good thing the bedroom has AC (noisy window unit) because the ceilings have no insulation. I would think in hot sunny weather this might be a problem because the rooms could heat up like a backyard shed. There were a few plumbing issues because of the poor water quality. The toilet took 30 min. to fill up and the shower head was corroded so the water sprayed everywhere. Sammy should do a better job of inspecting the mechanical systems of the cabins on a more frequent schedule. Sammy should also inform potential guests that they should stop at the store on the way to the resort so you can pick up some water, snacks, liquor, etc. to make your stay more comfortable. We only learned this form reading other reviews. Danny the cab driver was very nice, however they forgot to include his charges in our bill. We were told the charge from New Bight airport round trip was going to be $100. I got a phone call while waiting at the airport that they did not collect his fee and he told me the fee was $120!!!. Now I think he needs to lower the price or Sammy should include it in the rental price because $120 is way too much for a 30 min ride and 2 gallons of fuel even at $6 a gallon. I paid $100. We thought the price for the room and food was good. Just be prepared for bad weather and try not to get cabin fever because we ran out of books and DVDs by the 4th day and we brought alot! We loved all 3 dogs as we have 3 ourselves so they were not a problem but may be to other guests. All in all Sammy is working very hard to make his resort great but he needs to do a little better job on the small things in order to keep up with the other resorts in the area.