There’s something about the rum punch in the sand, the beer on the beach, the gregarious proprietor, that seems to etch itself in the mind of every traveler to the Caribbean.
Plainly, the Caribbean beach bar epitomizes the Caribbean vacation fantasy. When you’re in a cold place, when you’re stuck at your desk, the beach bar is what you dream about.
So for our latest look into the world of Caribbean beach bars, we’ve brought you a mix of unknown, world-famous and recently-reopened beach bars, all themselves worth the trip to the Caribbean right now.
Here are 10 terrific beach bars to try on your next Caribbean getaway.
Tortuga Beach Bar, Aruba One of the Caribbean’s newest beach bars is also the region’s new beach bar destination, set on a far-off beach on Aruba’s rugged eastern coast.
La Plywood Beach Bar, Grenada The perfect spot for a lime and a shot of Rivers rum on one of Grenada’s most picturesque beaches, BBC Beach. Time goes by slowly here.
Ozmosis Beach Bar, Turks and Caicos The Palms Turks and Caicos’ wonderful little beach bar is just a few stools and a wooden bar, but it’s so much more than that. It’s the essence of toes-in-the-sand, Grace Bay chilling.
The rum bar at Le Petibonum in Le Carbet.
Le Petibonum, Martinique Martinique’s ultimate destination isn’t just a beach bar: it’s one of the island’s greatest restaurants, too, the height of beach gourmet. That’s without mentioning its on-site rum bar, featuring one of the world’s best selections of rhum agricole.
Soggy Dollar Bar, British Virgin Islands Yes, the beach bar Mecca has returned, rebuilt in the wake of Irma and serving up its famous painkillers on Jost Van Dyke’s White Bay.
The Naked Fisherman, Saint Lucia It’s hard to say what’s better — the fresh local food or the cocktails. Either way, the Cap Maison has created Saint Lucia’s best beach bar, a culinary hotspot set on a marvelous cliffside beach.
Foxy’s, Jost Van Dyke JVD’s other institution, Foxy’s was the first Jost bar to reopen in the wake of Irma. It’s still the spot for great seafood and Foxy’s famous Firewater.
Da Pink Chicken, Cat Island Beach bar aficionados are always looking for the next great one, and this little shack on still-largely-undiscovered Cat Island in the Bahamas fits the bill, the perfect place for a fresh, cold Kalik on the water.
Jacqui O’s BeachHouse It’s chic, it’s hip but it’s also impossibly relaxing at this Antigua signature that’s also home to the island’s most delicious burgers.
Anegada Reef, Anegada t’s long been an important stop for boaters in the BVI, and this recently-relaunched bar is still serving up Anegada’s most creative cocktails in a lovely waterfront setting. Try the famous Milk of Amnesia — just make sure to get a receipt.
SunShine Shack Anguilla’s legendary beach bar has reopened its doors on the spectacular Rendezvous Bay, a symbol of resilience on a hard-hit island. The rum punches are intact.