Above: Le Petibonum in Martinique (All photos by CJ)

THERE ARE more amazing beach bars in the Caribbean than CJ can count.

But with our inaugural Best Caribbean Beach Bar award for 2012, we wanted to highlight something different — a classic beachfront bar (having a floor made of sand is a major requirement) that also offers unmatched Caribbean cuisine.

And that’s why Le Petibonum in Martinique gets our award as the Caribbean’s best beach bar for 2012.

Set in the quiet beach town of Le Carbet on Martinique’s western coast, just south of Saint-Pierre, Le Petibonum is led by Guy Ferdinand, who has been running the beachfront outpost for seven years (along with a sister spot, Le Babaorum, in Fort de France)

Emphasizing fresh ingredients, and a blend of traditional French cuisine and authentic Creole flavours, Le Petibonum just might have the best food of any beach bar in the Caribbean — indeed, where else can one find a classic Ti’ Punch (Ferdinand favours using local Martinique rhums like HSE and La Favorite) alongside a magret de canard?

Above: Guy Ferdinand

“I think it’s the best place,” Ferdinand tells Caribbean Journal. “It’s the only perfect beach we have [in Martinique].”

“We enjoy it, we like to enjoy to share, we love people, that’s our quality,” Ferdinand says.

Congratulations to Ferdinand and Le Petibonum.

Above: the approach to Le Petibonum in Le Carbet

And for 2012, we have two honourable mentions: Garfield’s Beach Bar in Grenada, and Lobster Alive in Barbados.

— CJ