If there’s a more quintessentially Caribbean experience than having a rum at a Caribbean beach bar, we haven’t found it. Indeed, it’s the dream of toes-in-the-sand, rum-in-hand afternoons that bring so many travelers to the Caribbean year after year. And while Caribbean beach bars come in all shapes and sizes, what the best all have in common are a combination of great cocktails, great views and great personality.
While our 50 Best Beach Bars remains the global standard for Caribbean beach bar excellence, we’ve put together a new review of 11 particularly lovely beach bars you should think about visiting right now.
Prickly Pear, British Virgin Islands
Sand Box Bar & Grill, Prickly Pear, British Virgin Islands
If an island called Prickly Pear doesn’t already have your attention, then its beach bar will soon enough. This tiny islet in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda is one of the ultimate beach bar experiences, accessible only by boat, utterly calm and blessed with simply remarkable views.
Le Petibonum, Martinique
One of the Caribbean’s greatest beach bars recently got even better with the addition of a new standalone beach rum bar, making this spot on Le Carbet beach in Martinique a true pilgrimage destination for any beach bar aficionado. And the food, led by Chef Guy Ferdinand, remains some of the best in the Caribbean, beach bar or otherwise.
The SunShine Shack, Anguilla
Anguilla’s Rendezvous Bay took home the top spot in our list of the 50 Best Beaches in the Caribbean, and it’s that stunning scenery that sets the stage for this tiny, eminently lovely little beach shack run by the gregarious Garvey. With a collection of beach loungers, it’s the kind of place where you will literally spend the entire day. Every day.
Karibuni, Pinel Island, St. Martin
Pinel Island, the offshore island off the coast of St. Martin, is one of our favorite places in the Caribbean, thanks to an intoxicating Mediterranean-meets-the-Caribbean ambience, ultra-calm water, stirring views and two terrific beach bars. But this one, run by the Karibuni Lodge on St. Martin, is the best, from the fresh-made piña coladas served in side a pineapple to the fresh seafood. (Oh, and the rose doesn’t hurt, either).
Soggy Dollar Bar, British Virgin Islands
No, you can’t do a list of beach bars to visit in the Caribbean without this Jost Van Dyke institution, a true bucket-list beach bar that has cultivated a global following thanks to the picture-perfect sand on White Bay and unmatched painkillers.
John Moore Bar, Barbados
Is it a rum shop? Is it a beach bar? After a few Mount Gay rums, does the distinction really matter? Whatever you want to call this signature spot on Weston Beach on Barbados’ Platinum Coast, it’s sure to make you endlessly happy. (Go for the Extra Old.)
Cow Wreck, Anegada
It’s hard not to instantly fall in love with the island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, where white sand beaches and lobsters are always in great supply. And it’s also filled with great beach bars, with none more renowned than Cow Wreck (a former US President just visited, for example), set on a wide white-sand beach.
Calmos Cafe, St. Martin
While St. Martin’s Grand Case Boulevard is rightly celebrated for what remains the Caribbean’s greatest concentration of world-class restaurants, it’s not without its beach spots. Our favorite on the boulevard is Calmos Cafe, an always-lively beach cafe that’s St. Martin’s most enjoyable nightlife destination, too.
Jacqui O’s Beach House, Antigua
This is Antigua’s take on the upscale beach lounge, and it hits a home run, from seriously good food (the burgers are a must) to a nice selection of cocktails and wine. The setting on Crabbe Hill beach is hard to beat.
Au Corail, St. Barth
While St. Barth is great for people watching, luxury shopping and the celebrity scene, it’s not without its secret sanctuaries, places that harken back to the island’s fishing-village roots. Few places better exemplify that than Au Corail, a low-key bar on Grand Cul de Sac beach with a friendly staff and great ti’ punches.
Aqua Grill, Martinique
Still largely a secret for even the Caribbean’s greatest beach bar seekers, this secluded spot on the south coast of Martinique is a castaway-style heaven, with impossibly good fresh fish and terrific ti’ punches (usually with Rhum HSE).