The sandy beaches of Cat Island are far way from the snowy slopes of Colorado, but two decades ago Leslie Kennedy decided beach villas, rather than ski-shops, was the way to go. The story starts in a fashion familiar to many Bahamians - a young couple comes to The Bahamas, falls in love with the seascapes, sunsets, and locals before thinking this is somewhere they want to live.  It veers from many others at that point, however, in that Kennedy did it.

"We came here on vacation and just fell in love with the island.  Everybody gets that little, 'What if ... ?' bug," Kennedy said.  "But we actually followed through with the what if."

The initial plan was for a second home in Cat Island, but Kennedy said one look at the beach where Pigeon Cay Beach Club is located and she and her husband Ned Mullford knew they had to have it. They bought the property in 1992, 20 years after the original Pigeon Cay structure had burnt down, according to Kennedy.  Two years later they were able to move in, although they were not ready to receive their first guests until 1997.

Over time the couple has been able to expand to seven cottages.  Kennedy says seven seems to be just the right number and no more expansion plans are being considered.  The villas, or cottages, are all on the beach and Pigeon Cay enjoys a brusque repeat business, with the bulk of its customers being families. The wedding business is good at the property too, she said, noting that some couples opt for the treat of local rake 'n scrape performances to embellish their already unique Cat Island wedding experience.

Tripadvisor currently has the property rated number one of six such specialty properties on the island. As with most small property owners, Kennedy said she wears a lot of caps.  Fortunately, she enjoys an incredible, versatile staff with very little turnover. All of the 10 employees have been with the Pigeon Cay for over 10 years.

"The staff is great - I couldn't do anything without them," Kennedy said, listing the numerous and various areas the team must cover.  "Everybody does a little bit of everything."

A great staff goes a long way, considering the uphill struggle small, remote properties contend with.  Telephone communication can still be touch-and-go, as Guardian Business learned trying to contact Kennedy on the property's landlines recently.   Mail boats come in every other week, making good planning and inventory management critical.

Then there are the hurricanes.  Pigeon Cay tussled with Hurricane Irene in August and though most of the villas survived it relatively unscathed, a beach bar and dining area near the ocean-edge took a 'pretty big hit', according to Kennedy. The biggest challenge remains airlift, however.  Overall, though, Kennedy concluded that things have gotten much easier recently.  Instead of two flights a week, Cat Island is now serviced by two flights a day by SkyBahamas, she said, adding that where there was a monthly boat in from the U.S., there's now a boat in weekly too.

For the entrepreneur considering owning and operating a small out island property, Kennedy offered some advice. "You need to have a lot of patience and understanding, especially in the Family Islands, where things don't go smoothly nine times out of 10.  You have to be versatile, know what you're getting into and be prepared."

"You work very, very hard and don't make a lot of money, but it's a great lifestyle," said the mother of nine-year old twin boys who dote on the beaches there.  "We're still here so this is definitely home, and we still love it."

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