The British Virgin Islands might just be one of the greatest beach bar destination on the planet. That is not a casual claim — it is what happens when you combine 60 islands across a sheltered sailing paradise, a culture built around the Painkiller cocktail, and bars like Soggy Dollar and Foxy’s that have been defining the Caribbean beach bar ideal for decades.
Headed to the British Virgin Islands? Plan for a few stops at these amazing beach bars!
Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay is the most famous beach bar in the Caribbean — there is no dock, you swim ashore, and the Painkiller cocktail was invented right here. Foxy’s Tamarind Bar at Great Harbour has been the soul of JVD since Foxy Callwood opened it in 1968. Hendo’s Hideout, One Love Bar & Grill, Corsairs, Coco Loco’s, B-Line Beach Bar, and Foxy’s Taboo round out a bar scene that justifies the crossing.
Norman Island — the inspiration for Treasure Island — is home to Willy T, the legendary floating bar where jumping off the top deck into the Caribbean is mandatory. On Tortola’s Cane Garden Bay, Myett’s and Quito’s Gazebo anchor the beach bar scene. De Loose Mongoose and Elm Beach Bar complete Tortola. On Virgin Gorda, CocoMaya is one of the most beautifully designed bars in the BVI.
Anegada is the most remote and most beautiful island in the BVI — a flat coral atoll surrounded by the second-largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Cow Wreck Beach Bar & Grill and Big Bamboo on Loblolly Bay serve the freshest local lobster in the BVI. The Wonky Dog, Potter’s by the Sea, Anegada Beach Club, and Flash of Beauty complete an island bar scene that rewards every nautical mile of the journey.
The BVI is a charter sailing destination — the most common and most rewarding way to experience the island bar scene is by boat. Day charters from Tortola Road Town reach Jost Van Dyke in under an hour. Anegada requires a dedicated day trip by ferry or plane.
The currency is the US dollar, entry is easy for US citizens, and the Painkiller — rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice, nutmeg — is the official drink of the BVI. Order one immediately upon arrival, as per royal order of The Beach Bar Bum.