These 14 Overwater Bars Are the Ultimate Caribbean Escape — and Some of Them Float

Sometimes even a beach bar isn’t close enough to the water. That’s where these come in. They’re not on the beach. They’re past it. They sit just beyond the shoreline or drift in sheltered bays, perched on houseboats, purpose-built platforms or overwater decks where the sea surrounds the experience from the moment you step aboard. They turn a drink into a small journey — a tender ride, a swim-up, a paddle across glass-calm shallows — and they deliver a perspective you simply can’t get from land.

These are the Caribbean’s floating and overwater bars, the ones that operate with water on three (or four) sides, whether they’re anchored in the middle of a lagoon, resting just off a quiet cove or built above the shallows so the tides move beneath your feet. Some truly float. Others sit just above the surface. All of them offer that rare, sea-level closeness that defines the region at its most elemental.

We’ve put together a collection of standouts from across the islands, each one offering its own take on the over-the-water escape. 

Kon Tiki, Antigua
Anchored just offshore from Dickenson Bay, Kon Tiki drifts in shallow turquoise water and draws a steady stream of beachgoers who wade out or arrive by tender. It’s casual, playful, and unmistakably Antiguan, with a relaxed island soundtrack, easy seating, and a steady breeze rolling across the deck.

Karen Udler

Karen Udler is the Deputy Travel Editor of Caribbean Journal. A graduate of Duke University, has been traveling across the Americas for three decades. First an expert on Latin American travel, Karen has been traveling with CJ for more than a decade. She likes to focus on wellness, luxury travel and food.