These 10 Caribbean Beach Bars Are Perfect for Cooling Down This Summer 

Sure, you know the legends. Places like Soggy. Foxy’s. Maho. Dune Preserve. Sunshine’s. I could go on and on. So could you.

But there’s another category of beach bars in the Caribbean — the ones that are a little different, a little hipper. They’re outposts of an another kind of cool, another beach bar paradigm.

The music is just so. The plates move with purpose. There’s a scene. There’s a rosé list. It’s equal parts bar and beach club. There’s just something in the air.

They’re that perfect cocktail of sleek, stylish, gourmet and sophisticated. They’re just plain cool. And when it comes to summer in the Caribbean, cool is precisely the ingredient you’re looking for.

Here are 10 beach bars in the Caribbean perfect for cooling down in the summer heat. And I’d venture most of them have not yet found their way onto your passport.

Bonny Moon, Grand Cayman This is one of the newest, best beach bars in the Caribbean, and it’s, frankly, one of the more stunning experiences I’ve had in the Caribbean in quite a while. The food is spectacular — a Michelin-pedigree brand of comfort food and Caymanian sophistication, all set on what just so happens to be one of the most perfect stretches of sand on earth. This is a modern, exquisitely-executed beach bar, and one of my new favorites.

Gyp Sea, St Barth St Jean is one of the Caribbean’s people-watching capitals, but it’s also a stunning stretch of white sand. And while Nikki Beach was, for years, the epicenter of cool here, in recent years, Gyp Sea has emerged as the new local passion point, with creative cocktails, loungers, and the best version of French Caribbean breeziness.

Bikini Beach, Saint Martin This is not new, but it’s long been the standard for cool in the French Caribbean — right in the heart of the always-hopping Orient Bay. The French West Indies fusion fare is as good as you’d expect — crispy accras, fresh fish, well-stirred ti’ punch. And it’s an all-day scene that specializes in perfect beach days.

Le Petibonum, Martinique There’s not much more to be said for Chef Guy Ferdinand‘s magnum opus — the gourmet beach bar on the volcanic sands of Le Carbet in the north of Martinique. The rum selection is impressive, the magret de canard and fish tartare are perfect, and the vibes are immaculate.

Catherine’s Cafe, Antigua If you’ve been to Sheer Rocks, you know how good the Rocks Group of restaurants is in Antigua. And here, they’ve taken their culinary excellence and delivered it in beach bar form, with some of the most stunningly good food you’ll encounter on a table on the sand – and a wine list to match.

Karaya, Anguilla I love Veya in Anguilla — the haute-cuisine eatery in an old Caribbean home in Anguilla. And at Karaya, Chef Carrie Bogart has taken her talents to Shoal Bay, where the only thing better than the mahi mahi carpaccio is the view of Saint Martin.

Si Si, Turks and Caicos It’s perhaps the biggest addition to the always-outstanding Palms resort on Grace Bay: the massive rooftop installation meant to evoke a straw beach hat. But underneath it is the best beach spot in all of Grace Bay, a stylish, scene-y, energetic outpost that’s added a new level of sophistication to a legendary beach. And the Mexican fare is alone worth the trip.

The Hut, Little Jumby, Antigua You can only get here by boat, either on a water taxi or as a guest from the nearby Jumby Bay Island resort. But it’s unquestionably worth the journey – whether you get your own “beach hut” for the day or just want to stay for a jerk aubergine and a bottle of rosé.

Shellona, St Barth You walk along the pebbles on this corner of sand outside of Gustavia and, for a moment, imagine you’re actually in Santorini or Mykonos. But you’re very much in the French West Indies, albeit with an Aegean-angled menu and a vibe that definitely feels like a Euro-style beach club. And that’s what makes this place such a St Barth favorite — on an island where it’s not easy to carve out your own niche. Come for the mezze, stay for the rum cocktails.

Club Tropicana, Bonaire While Bonaire was, for years, mostly a dive spot, this little corner of the ABC islands has quietly become a hotspot (at least for Dutch travelers in the know). Much of that is centered at one of the world’s great eateries, the Brass Boer, which calls the Delfins Beach Resort home. But what you may not know is that the team at Brass Boer is behind the F&B at the hotel’s Club Tropicana Beach Bar, meaning you can get outrageously good tapas — and some very clever mixology — right next door.