I’ve been to some pretty spectacular beaches around the Caribbean. You know, the sand bar on White Bay in Exuma, or the far edges of the Grenadines, or Old Bight Beach. There are hundreds more. But sometimes you get to a remote, hard-to-reach cay in the middle of the marine wilderness and think, “a rum bar would be pretty nice right about here.” That’s part of why I love beach towns — you get the best of both worlds — beautiful Caribbean beaches and enough living energy to add that extra bit of fun. There’s nothing quite like a beach town in the Caribbean — particularly in the summer, when the winds and the waves can keep you cooler, the tempo slows down a bit more, and the fun never ends.
Sure, Nantucket and Montauk and Martha’s Vineyard are great. But let’s be honest. None of them compares to the Caribbean, a place that I think is even better in the summer.
Here are my 10 beach towns where you can plan your next summer getaway. Rum bars included.
Speightstown is filled with great beach bars.
Speightstown, Barbados
It’s amazing to see the transformation of a part of Barbados that always had the potential to be an amazing beach town — and has now realized it. From fantastic toes-in-the-sand beach bars like Little Bristol (the town’s original nickname for its connection with the UK city) to clever coffee shops to the wonderful comfort food at the Fisherman’s Pub to the fish cake tent outside Jordan’s supermarket, this is just a fantastic little town. It’s my new favorite beach town in the Caribbean.
The Driftwood beach bar in Hopkins.
Hopkins, Belize
Do you remember the old Corona commercial they run during Christmas? This feels exactly like that. Thatched roofs, castaway vibes, pure salt life. This is still very much an under-the-radar spot, about 2 hours south of Belize City on the coast. But it is exactly the kind of plucky, funky, never-pretentious place that travelers instantly fall in love with, including its signature beach bar, Driftwood.
La Part des Anges in Grand Case, St Martin.
Grand Case, Saint Martin
It’s almost unfair to call this a beach town considering its so much more than that — it’s also the epicenter of the Caribbean fine-dining scene. But at its core, this is a fishing village with a beautiful stretch of beach, a low-key, fun-loving personality and the kind of energy that makes it impossible not to come back. And yes, it’s home to one of the world’s greatest rum bars: La Part des Anges.
Cruz Bay.
Cruz Bay, St John
The beach is so small here that it’s almost a footnote — but there’s something I just love about it, standing in the water, feeling the deliciously slow waves. It’s a metaphor for this whole town — exceedingly tiny, but endlessly loveable, from the painkillers at The Beach Bar to the baked brie — and the view — at The Terrace. This is a pocket-sized beach town — but one that’s always worth the trip, particularly with its new hotel, The Saint.
The sand in Le Carbet.
Le Carbet, Martinique
Let’s be honest. You’ve probably never been to Martinique. Most Americans haven’t. It’s not exactly easy to get to. There aren’t a lot of good hotels. But man, is it a wonderful place to visit. It’s real, it’s vibrant, it’s sophisticated, it’s different. And the place I always tell people to go first is here in the north of Martinique, where Chef Guy Ferdinandopened the bar that started it all, Le Petibonum, and everyone else followed. The volcanic beaches are soft and stunning, the rhum agricole never stops flowing and the views of the nearby Mont Pelée volcano are breathtaking. (Ferdinanddoes operate a charming little residential hotel called Madircreole a few minutes away, where you can get into an intoxicating routine of waking up, heading to Le Petibonum, spending all day on a beach chair and then repeating the next day.)
Placencia is endlessly friendly.
Placencia, Belize
Belize does beach towns rather well, and that includes this quirky little town on the end of a peninsula. There’s a cool mix of sophisticated cafes and beach-shack outposts, along with some very good hotels (including one of my all-time favorites, Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn). This is a place for bicycles, flip-flops and cold Belikin beers.
The rooftop at the Hardy Distillery in Martinique.
Tartane, Martinique
Set on the end of a peninsula called Caravelle in Martinique, this is a surf town at its heart, but it’s so much more than that, from the outstanding food to one of the coolest places on this whole island: the old Hardy rum distillery, which has been turned into a striking rooftop bar on the ocean that serves something I can only describe as “rum caviar.” You’ll just have to go there and figure out what I mean.
Seven Mile Beach in Negril, Jamaica.
Negril
Negril is always cool. It’s always been the coolest place in Jamaica, and that’s never changed. Negril is many things to many people; it’s a cast of characters, a stretch of world-class beach, a place you can go and get lost. It’s also home to the mystical, otherworldly cliffs, and some seriously lovely hotels (The Rockhouse is just wonderful). This is a place with a big personality but no attitude, and that’s something that’s pretty hard to find these days.
The Hyatt Centric is a new rebrand.
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Playa is just fun. You can walk down Quinta Avenida 10 times and never stop at the same two places. The fish tacos are marvelous. The people are friendly. It’s edgy, but in an exciting way — not a sketchy way. And there’s an increasingly cool hotel scene, from the growing number of residential resorts to a new Hotel Indigo.
Terre de Haut and Le Bourg.
Le Bourg, Terre de Haut
It’s hard to call this a beach town, considering the island is so small and this is really the only slice of civilization here, but Le Bourg is, well, lovely. No, it’s not big, and no, nobody here speaks English, but when you grab your first ti’ punch and accras on the water, and then take a stroll through a combination of little cafes and front porches, you start to get the point. It’s a ferry from Trois-Rivières on the “mainland” of Guadeloupe, and it’s universally always worth the trip. I like the low-key Lo Bleu hotel, with a gentle stretch of beach right outside the lobby and an old-world feel that makes you think you could write a novel here.
