Who doesn’t love a great beach bar?
What about an entire beach filled with them?
Travel across the Caribbean and you’ll find them, single stretches of sand teeming with beach bars, often all right in a row — beach bars and, well, not much else.
For whatever reasons, these beaches have become magnets for beach bars, usually starting with a single pioneer and then a wave of beach bars that follow and set up shop.
They’re marvelous places to spend an afternoon or a week, where you can pub crawl and beach bar hop to your heart’s content — even in a single afternoon.
We call them “beach bar beaches.” And here are our favorites.
Cockleshell Beach, St Kitts It’s hard to think of a beach in the Caribbean that combines such immense natural beauty with quite so many beach bars. But Cockleshell does precisely that, with a privileged perch on the stunning Southeastern Peninsula of St Kitts and an almost dizzying array of terrific beach bars and beach sharks, starting with the high-end Spice Mill and extending all the way down the sand to the beach’s signature hotspot, the Reggae Beach Bar and Grill.
St Jean, St Barth Arguably the most glamorous beach in the Caribbean, St Jean is the region’s top spot for people-watching, rose-drinking and, well, good old fashioned beach lounging. It’s also home to some spectacular beach bars, from Nikki Beach to the Eden Rock to the always-fun Pearl Beach, among others.
Pinel Island, St Martin Ok, so there are really just two beach bars here: Karibuni and Yellow Beach. But they’re both world class, and the trip to Pinel, which involves a short water taxi ride from Cul de Sac on the “mainland” makes it even more special. These are unforgettable beach bars, with remarkable cocktails, fresh seafood and an indescribable feeling of being away.
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands It begins and ends with the Soggy Dollar Bar, that beach bar Mecca that’s one of the bucket-list destinations in all of the Caribbean for lovers of a sandy rum punch. But there’s more than just Soggy now: Hendo’s Hideout, Gertrude’s Beach Bar and Grill and of course, the wonderfully named Ivan’s Stress Free Bar.
Seven Mile Beach, Negril, Jamaica There’s far more to Seven Mile Beach than just beach bars, but you can’t compile a guide like this and not include one of the Caribbean’s original beach bar spots. From little rum shacks to beach eateries to the just fantastic Skylark, there’s a beach bar for every kind of traveler here on the north coast of Jamaica.
Orient Bay, Saint Martin One of the Caribbean’s original beach bar destinations, Orient has long set the standard for “party” beaches in the Caribbean, with a long stretch of always-hopping, endlessly energetic beach bars and lounges. That ranges from favorites ike Waikiki Beach and Kontiki to newer spots like Yellow Submarine (from the owners of Grand Case’s celebrated Le Pressoir) and Kakao Beach Club. You can spend two weeks here and not run out of beach bars to try.
Le Carbet, Martinique Renowned Chef Guy Ferdinand turned a quiet stretch of black-sand beach in northern Martinique into a pilgrimage spot for beach bar lovers. And now his signature Le Petibonum is joined by a plethora of lovely little beach bars and shacks in Le Carbet, including Flamingo; Effet Mer; Kay Jacko and L’Imprevu, among others.
Cruz Bay, St John Tiny, lovely Cruz Bay is the first port of entry for the vast majority of visitors to charming St John. But too many visitors walk right past the beach to their taxi or car rental. This calm, sparkling little beach has some outstanding bars right at the water’s edge, including the aptly named The Beach Bar, the Parrot Club, High Tide and the Banana Deck.
Plage du Bourg des l’Anse d’Arlet, Martinique It’s one of the most picturesque beaches in Martinique, known for its impossibly pretty beachfront church and a wide stretch of white sand. But this corner of Martinique’s Anse d’Arlet stretch of beaches has a wonderful array of toes-in-the-sand bars and cafes, including Coco Turquoise, Le Balaou, the terrific Kaban’ Ylan and Au Pied du Morne Champagne, among others.
Sandy Ground, Anguilla Whether it’s the jazz you want at Johnno’s or the rum punch at Elvis’, Sandy Ground is home to a rather storied group of beach spots: that includes Roy’s, the Lit Lounge, Dolce Vita, SandBar and the Barrel Stay Beach Front. Anguilla is one of the rum punch capitals of the Caribbean, and Sandy Ground is a great place to experience that.
Pinneys Beach, Nevis There’s always been a signature draw here: Sunshine’s the world-famous beach spot known for its signature “Killer Bee” rum punch. But there’s even more to Pinneys, a short walk down the sand from the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, from the beach pub called the Double Deuce to Seal My Sip (for great smoothies and juice), Weekendz and Lime.
Turner’s Beach Antigua There’s a lovely selection of beach bars stretching across Turner’s, from Orrie’s Beach Bar to Jacqui O’s to the inimitable, endlessly fun Rum Bus. It doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Antigua. High praise for a country with 365 of them.