Plant your toes in the sand, order a cocktail (or three), and prepare to watch the hours slip by at these eight beachfront restaurants and bars, which make for the ultimate in Caribbean relaxation.
Shoal Bay Zemi Beach Club, Anguilla
Hurricane Irma wasn’t enough to keep our favorite upscale beach bar in Anguilla down for good. Welcome back the Zemi Beach Resort & Spa and its swoon-worthy beachfront bar and restaurant, Shoal Bay Zemi Beach Club, which reopens on February 15, 2018. Soak in the sun and sip on colorful cocktails like “Caribbean Heat” (Sapphire gin, simple syrup, pepper syrup, mint leaves) while gazing out at Shoal Bay East, arguably the most prized of Anguilla’s 33 beaches.
Sunshine’s Beach Lounge, Nevis
You haven’t truly experienced Nevis until you have perfected the art of “limin’” (a local take on "chilling") at this legendary beachfront spot. Expect languid days chatting over one-too-many “Killer Bee” rum punches alongside regulars, celebrities trying to stay under the radar, and guests of the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, conveniently located stumbling distance from the bar.
Bayside Restaurant, St. Lucia
This al fresco restaurant at Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort sits amid the splendor of the Caribbean’s most extraordinary topographical phenomenon—the nexus of Gros Piton and Petit Piton, a duo of lush, towering mountains that rise dramatically from the shallows of Anse des Pitons. Lunch on octopus tostadas and watermelon-goat cheese salad, and wash it all down with a potent, guava-strawberry caipiroska.
Pool Bar at Pink Sands Club, Canouan, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
It may be a trek to reach Canouan (for the quickest option, hop on a Cessna from Barbados), but what awaits you will be worth it. We're not sure what's more magical about the pool bar at the Mandarin Oriental-managed Pink Sands Club, Canouan: the sleek infinity pool itself, or the pristine Godhal Beach just steps away. Luckily, you won't have to choose. Take a dip in both and then enjoy a lunch of quinoa-and-pomegranate salad, prawn ceviche, and a bottle of ice-cold rosé.
Zest, Turks & Caicos
Settle down under an umbrella on Grace Bay Beach while eating freshly-caught seafood and other locally-sourced cuisine at this newly-renovated restaurant at the Gansevoort Turks & Caicos. Alternatively, linger over a few rounds of "Vodka Lemomelonades" (a heady mix of vodka, fresh cantaloupe, lime juice, and mint), while you post way too many Instagram stories of the paradise you've found yourself in.
Out Island Bar at Baha Mar, Bahamas
This boutique 1950s-inspired beachside bar is one of thirteen bars and lounges at the much-anticipated Baha Mar mega-resort, currently in a soft-opening phase. The low-key beach vibe is certainly welcome after the late nights that come with staying at SLS Baha Mar, which may include (but are not limited to) aperitifs in the design-forward Monkey Bar, sushi and cocktails at Katsuya by Starck, high rolling at the Baha Mar casino, and partying at the state-of-the-art BOND nightclub.
Goatie’s Bar, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Fifty-two years since opening, private island retreat Petit St. Vincent (PSV) still fulfills the castaway fantasy that first put it on the map. Adding to that narrative is Goatie’s Bar, a beachfront watering hole named after PSV’s most senior member of staff and a favorite hang-out among guests and visiting yachters. Come for the locally brewed Hairoun Beer and colorful, fruit-trimmed cocktails, and stay for the sublime sunset views.
Sunset Bar & Grill, St. Maarten
We admit it: Downing cheap drinks at Sunset Bar & Grill and watching planes nearly scrape our heads as they land at Princess Juliana International Airport is a veritable St. Maarten guilty pleasure we’ve indulged in on more than one occasion. Thankfully, this kitsch Caribbean mainstay quickly bounced back after Hurricane Irma (fully reopening in November 2017) though the rest of Maho Beach and the greater island have been slower in their recovery efforts.
By: Paul Rubio