At the Very Northern Tip of Saint Lucia, a Secret, Perfect Beach Bar

Let’s be honest. They’re not always the first things you think of when you think about Saint Lucia. It’s always those towering green Pitons; the rainforest, the chocolate, the rum, the food. 

But yes, the island is home to some seriously good ones: the bay at Anse Chastanet; the golden sands of Reduit Beach; the the obsidian water at Sugar Beach. 

But one of my favorite beaches on the island is a rather small one. It’s the pocket-sized stretch of sand at the foot of the Cap Maison resort. 

Here at the very northern tip of the island, where, on a clear day, you can easily see all the way across the water to Martinique, is perhaps the best-kept secret on the island: an essential beach bar called the Naked Fisherman. 

It’s one of those spots where you spend all day bobbing in the water, noshing on saltfish beignets (yes, it’s as good as it sounds), sipping on rum cocktails and, as Cap Maison puts it, find an “antidote” to the bustle of life. 

You can choose your own adventure here: get a table and enjoy the catch of the day with curry pumpkin and coconut; or caesar salad with jerk chicken satay. 

Or you can reserve a chair and spend the perfect beach day under the cliffs of the Cap. 

You can even splurge and do a “beach picnic,” with everything from a short rib burrito to crispy squid, with servings for three people. 

The signature rum punch is the play here, or you can go for some of Saint Lucia’s legendary Admiral Rodney rum straight up, or the hotel’s special Cap Maison rum blend made by Chairman’s Reserve. 

The beach itself is called Smugglers Cove, where the local fishermen used to jump in the water without their clothes and find their daily catch. Hence the name of this perfect beach bar. 

You don’t have to go quite to those extremes to enjoy yourself here. 

In fact, you don’t have to do very much at all. And that’s exactly the point.