It’s one of the great pleasures of the Caribbean: a rum cocktail under the sun, toes in the sand, fresh-caught seafood on your plate.

The Caribbean didn’t invent the beach bar, but it perfected it. And it’s the essence of why people come to the Caribbean.

So you can imagine that this was one of the most difficult decisions we make each year: choosing the Caribbean’s best beach bar.

For restaurateurs, creating the perfect beach bar isn’t a science — it’s an art, and while there are terrific beach bars across the region, there are a small number that truly nail that perfect cocktail of ambience, food, drink and location.

Last year, it was the venerable Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands that took CJ’s Beach Bar crown, but this year the award goes to a truly spectacular venue: Le Petibonum in Martinique.

This bar and restaurant in the beach town of Le Carbet near the north of the island is more of a fantasy than a bar: world-class, gourmet cuisine; inspired cocktails and a superb rum selection; and a refined but oh-so-relaxed ambience, all with the sand right beneath your feet.

It’s stewarded by Guy Ferdinand, the Martinican chef who understands the art of hospitality about as well as anyone — someone whose desire to make his guests happy is infectious. And his food is really that good — creative, exquisite, fresh fare that will keep you coming back again and again.

Above: Chef Guy Ferdinand

We’re proud to give our Caribbean Beach Bar of the Year award to Martinique’s Le Petibonum.

Congratulations!

— CJ