It was the beach bar initially, followed by the poolside bar. So now it’s about the floating bar in the Caribbean.
Drinkers are trading the sand for pleasure boats, pontoons, and platforms from Jamaica to the Turks and Caicos Islands – far enough offshore to feel like a retreat, but close enough to make swimming back a simple (if improbable) choice. Continue reading to learn about several of your favorite island hideaways.
1. Tiki Bar Captain Oak’s — Turks and Caicos
Allow others to drive you from your guesthouse to this floating bar, docked off breezy Long Bay Beach on Providenciales, for $20 per person (round-trip). Local Turk’s Head beer, rum cocktails, and “light dishes and heavy enjoyment” are on the menu.
2. Tiki Pon Da Sea — Jamaica
Visitors can board this motorized tiki boat in the west-coast hamlet of Negril for one of many booze cruise options, along with a famous sunset voyage down Seven Mile Beach. The all-you-can-drink mimosas, rum punch, or Blue Mountain coffee morning cruise to nearby Booby Cay is a spectacular way of starting the morning.
3. US Virgin Islands – Lime Out
This “cottage on pontoons” in St. John’s Coral Bay serves tacos (sample the rum-rib with chipotle slaw) and a list of rum-based cocktails, and also fashionable apparel, for individuals who don’t want to drink without eating.
4. Floyd’s Pelican Bar — Jamaica
This driftwood hangout-on-stilts (rebuilt after big hurricanes) near Parottee Point on the southern coast was the brainchild of local fisherman Floyd Forbes. Grab a local flag or license plate to place on the ceiling, as well as cash, as Floyd’s is a cash-only establishment.
5. U.S. Virgin Islands Tropical Tiki Tours
For cruises in Christiansted Harbor on St. Croix, bring your liquor and food. The tiki boat has a thatched roof, plenty of ice, and a Bluetooth-enabled loudspeaker to maintain the energy up.
