Keegan’s Beachside

An institution parked almost dead-center on Lower Bay, De Reef is a family-run, blue-and-white fixture with a raised deck overlooking a long, thin stretch of sand. Simple and unpretentious by design, with a soundtrack that punches above its weight. Hairoun and the standard Vincentian lineup at fair prices, a well-balanced house rum punch, and a food menu that’s better than the modest setting suggests – spicy island favorites alongside solid sandwiches and salads. Lower Bay draws its share of cruise-ship traffic, so expect company. What you see is what you get, and what you get holds up.

Technically the small bar attached to the hotel’s fine-dining Bagatelle restaurant, but close enough to the sand and charming enough to count as a proper beach bar in its own right. Funky bamboo-and-dark-wood construction, a soundtrack of gentle reggae and lounge, and a compact footprint that fills fast at lunch and pre-dinner. A short walk delivers you to the hotel’s excellent white-sand beach. The crowd skews toward hotel guests and dinner visitors – a bit more polished (and priced) than the typical beach-side joint – with regular evening entertainment that makes it worth a return visit after dark.

Not technically a beach bar since it floats just offshore in Port Elizabeth harbor, but Bequia’s self-described ‘first floating bar’ earns its spot anyway. A five-minute water taxi ride delivers you to a compact, solar-powered platform with swing seats and benches around a simple bar. Owner and bartender Ivor Simpson punches well above the venue’s modest size with genuinely well-made cocktails. Deliberately low-key, favoring locals, yachties, and island residents over the cruise-ship crowd – ‘Sip. Float. Relax.’ is the motto, and it delivers exactly that against the backdrop of picturesque Admiralty Bay.

Tucked into a quiet corner beside the Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina, Flowt occupies a small, pretty stretch of St. Vincent beach that’s easy to overlook and worth seeking out. Picnic tables and Muskoka chairs scatter across the sand under shade trees and palapas, or claim a spot on the large wooden deck. The crowd’s a chatty mix of taxi drivers, locals, expats, and sea-weary yachties fresh off the marina. Essentially a beer-and-rum operation: Hairoun and Heineken lead the taps, St. Vincent’s own Sparrow and SLR rums anchor the bar. No frills, no rush, just gently lapping water and a genuinely charming, low-key vibe.

Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Princess Margaret have all passed through this driftwood-floored bar on the private island of Mustique, the Wednesday Jump-Up remains the hottest party in the entire private Caribbean.