martinique caribbean beach bar
News

In Martinique, a Legendary Caribbean Beach Bar

By: Alexander Britell - October 28, 2022 - 11:22 am

I’m looking out to the sea off Le Carbet, tasting a selection of Rhum Agricole from Martinique’s newest distillery, Baie de Tresor, a handful of bottles sitting on a barrel right on the beach. 

I had some accras to start, and there’s l’espadon with peppercorn sauce on the menu, followed by a pineapple crumble merengue that could probably start a war. 

This is a good day. 

It’s also every day at Le Petibonum, the tiny beach Mecca on the volcanic sands of Le Carbet in the north of Martinique. 

carbet beach

Le Petibonum is the masterwork of visionary chef Guy Ferdinand, who nearly two decades ago found this corner of what was at the time an empty coastline in a quiet fishing village. 

Today, Petibonum is the anchor of a bustling beach town filled with superb food shacks and watering holes and eateries, part of the growth of Carbet itself, home to a vibrant, culturally rich beachfront community. 

caribbean beach bar legendary
Guy Ferdinand.

Ferdinand has a simple strategy here: a broad selection of the island’s Rhum Agricoles, copious cocktails and the kind of haute cuisine that would typically have no business being in a toes in the sand beach bar.

But that’s what makes this place so magical. 

A ti punch here Is a bucket list Caribbean experience, best served with Neisson rum made at the distillery two minutes’ drive up the road from here. 

caribbean beach bar
Does a rum tasting get any better than this?

It’s best taken in the sparkling clear water of Le Carbet. 

What Ferdinand has done with this spot is remarkable, especially in the wake of a fire that destroyed much of the place at the beginning of this year. 

But as he always does, Ferdinand adapted, turning a food truck into the kitchen, rebuilding the beachscape and raising even further the level of the food.  And despite the immense quality, there’s no attitude. 

L’espadon au poivre.

It’s a beach bar at heart, a place for infinite afternoons and ti’ punches right in the water. 

But it’s far more than a beach bar. 

And that’s why it’s so impossible to leave. 

For more, visit Le Petibonum.

Popular Posts antigua long bay

25 Perfect Caribbean Beaches to Add to Your Summer Bucket List

There’s nothing like a Caribbean beach in summer. The crowds thin out, the winds relax, and the islands start breathing in a different way. The beaches you thought you knew feel new again— stretches of sand once packed with winter […]


The 15 Best Hotels in Trinidad and Tobago, From Hidden Eco-Retreats to Luxury Towers

trinidad and tobago hotels where to stay

From Port of Spain to Tobago’s quiet coasts, these are the places to check in now No two Caribbean islands are quite like Trinidad and Tobago—and no two hotels here feel the same. This is a destination of contrast: Carnival […]


This Marriott All-Inclusive Resort Is Coming to Barbados —  And You Can Book It With Points

new brand for the caribbean

Barbados has long been a haven for adults in search of refinement — the kind of place where luxury and culture blend in quiet, confident harmony. Now, that ethos is becoming the foundation of a new resort concept that aims […]


Related Posts beaches

The Best Beaches in America Are in the Caribbean

You want to find the best beaches in America? You need to head south. Way south. Because they’re not where you think they are. They’re not in Florida, not in California, not in the Carolinas. They’re in the Caribbean. Yes […]


A Legendary Caribbean Chef Just Opened a New Eatery in Martinique (With a Rum Bar, Too) 

martinique french caribbean hostpot

Maybe you’ve tried the foie gras-banana. Or the swordfish. Or just tried one of the best ti’ punches anywhere. If you’ve been to one of Guy Ferdinand’s establishments, you know.  And now there’s another one: Ferdinand has done it again: […]


Barbados Has a Beach You’ll Never Forget — Clifftop Views, Crashing Waves, and No Crowds

barbados beach bottom bay

You don’t find Bottom Bay by accident. It’s not marked with neon signs or flagged on cruise ship maps. You have to want it — enough to follow narrow roads that curl through windswept cane fields and silent villages on […]