It’s a pilgrimage just about every guest at the Ambergris Cay resort makes at least once on their stay. You take a short ride on an ultra-luxe powerboat to a floating bar set off the coast of the nearby deserted island of Little Ambergris Cay. 

You come for an hour — or three — order one of the bar’s signature rum punches (a lovely cocktail with a kick) and make sure to sign your name on the wall.(There’s a full menu with everything from painkillers to beer, along with an assortment of small bites).  

This is the Hangover Bar, and it’s one of the greatest amenities you’ll find at any resort in the Caribbean: your own private floating bar. 

Of course, the private-island Ambergris Cay isn’t just any resort in the Caribbean. It’s a marvelously executed, remarkably managed luxury resort, with a collection of beachfront bungalows and villas, impeccable service and outstanding food. We absolutely loved it on our recent stay — as flawless as property as we’ve encountered in quite some time. 

And did we mention it’s an all-inclusive resort? And yes, that all-inclusive program extends to the Hangover Bar, meaning that every rum punch or painkiller that the gregarious bartender Abbishek serves up is all included in your stay. 

It’s just a few minutes to get from Ambergris Cay to Little Ambergris Cay; the latter home to nothing but white-sand beaches and conch, and if you find the latter in the water the resort is happy to take it back for you and serve it up in fritters (or as conch salad) with your dinner that evening. We tried it, and it was delicious. 

Floating bars are those rare, unique, wonderful places that occupy a peculiar position in the minds of Caribbean travelers, the sorts of only-in-the-Caribbean things that we fantasize about on cold winter days. 

But the Hangover Bar is different — because when you’re here, it’s entirely yours. 

Just make sure you sign your name before you leave. 

For more, visit Ambergris Cay.