By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
We call them “rum punch islands.” You can call them pocket-sized paradises where there’s absolutely nothing to distract from your Caribbean priorities: chilling at the bar; soaking up the sun; grazing on some good food; and having a great time. Here are some of our favorite diminutive destinations to eat, drink and be merry. They’re islands with more beach bars than people (and sometimes the beach bars are the islands).
Sandy Island, Anguilla
Hop aboard Happiness, Joy or Bliss (the trio of boats that take you to Sandy from Sandy Ground pier) and spend an afternoon swinging in a hammock while being serenaded by the “Wind and Waves band – ” preferably with JoJo’s Mount Gay-and-Malibu rum punch in your hand.
Chat ‘n’ Chill, The Bahamas
Locals and savvy visitors pull up to seven-mile-long Stocking Cay in the Exumas for the bar’s Sunday’s famous pig roast. But any time is the right time to come here and quaff a Kalik and Chat ‘n’ Chill’s super-fresh conch salad, spiked with local orange juice instead of the traditional lime.
Scilly Cay, Anguilla
It’s all about the rum punch at this islet just offshore from Island Harbour, where they serve as many as 600 cups a day of the potent potable at the bargain price of just $5 a cup.
Happy Island, St Vincent and The Grenadines
It’s little more than a conch shell-base embellished with a couple of palm trees and some solar panels, but that hasn’t deterred hundreds of thirsty souls who’ve made this tiny man-made islet near Union Island their own special happy place.
Floyd’s Pelican Bar, Jamaica
This rickety south-coast staple sits on a sandbar about a half-mile from the bohemian village of Treasure Beach. Somehow a cramping-cold Red Stripe always tastes best at the elevated drinkery, made almost entirely of driftwood, and lovingly rebuilt after every storm.
Norman Island, British Virgin Islands
There’s nothing on this British Virgin Island but a world-class beach bar and restaurant called Pirates Bight, home to the famous Pirate Punch, a kind of rum punch-meets-Sangria.
Pinel Island, St Martin
Enjoy lobster pizza and umbrella drinks served straight to your high-top table in the surf at Yellow Beach, one of only two bar-restaurants on Ilet Pinel – a nature preserve that’s a five-minute ferry ride from the French-side village of Cul-De-Sac.
Ilet du Gosier, Guadeloupe Islands
Pay a local fisherman a few Euros and you’ll be quickly ferried to this tiny island paradise off the coast of the town of Gosier. It’s home to a superb little beach bar and restaurant called Ti’ Robinson.
Prickly Pear, British Virgin Islands
This little island near Virgin Gorda is home to a bar called the Sand Box, with great fish and better cocktails. It’s quiet, serene and great for gazing at the boats in the North Sound of nearby Virgin Gorda.