At some point during your Caribbean getaway, after sailing the high seas, frolicking on the beach and scuba diving alongside turtles, chances are you’ll want to plop down at the bar for a cocktail or three. Or, perhaps bellying up to the bar is the sole purpose of your vacation. Either way, the non-teetotalers of the world will seriously enjoy these waterlogged bars where falling off the bar stool is actually OK.
Coconut Bar, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Take a break from beach bumming and cool off with a short swim to the Coconut Bar, part of Young Island Resort — a 29-cottage hideaway with hammock huts dotting the shoreline. As the moniker suggests, this over-the-water bar specializes in coconut concoctions like the Coconut Delight, which features white rum, vodka, whisky, coconut milk, coconut water and orange juice shaken together and served in, what else, a coconut. Drink up while you dip your toes in the Caribbean Sea and keep your eyes peeled for candy-colored fish that frequent the area. youngisland.com/dining
Sweetwaters pool bar, St. Lucia
When you can swim from your hotel room directly to the bar, entering full sloth mode is even easier. And since the Calabash Cove Resort & Spa is perched on a hill with cottages all the way down to the beach, you’ll have stunning views as you sip. That said, it is the place to be on New Year’s Eve, when guests snag a clear view of the fireworks blasting off on Castries. It doesn’t hurt that the bartenders are thoroughly entertaining, either. And since lunch is served at the pool bar, there’s really no need to leave. calabashcove.com
The Soggy Dollar, British Virgin Islands
Before roads were added on Jost Van Dyke in the ’90s, the only way to get to this bar was to anchor your boat nearby and swim ashore. These days, you can still do that, but non-boaters now have access, too. Once there, wet your appetite with a Painkiller, the bar’s signature drink, which includes a dark, sweet rum made locally, plus juices, cream of coconut and a dash of fresh nutmeg. Every July, the bar hosts a beach party where hundreds flock to the shore to listen to music, lounge in hammocks and play the ring game (rumored to have been invented by Blackbeard himself).The grand prize? A drink of rum, of course. soggydollar.com/soggy-dollar-bar
The Cave Bar, Barbados
Can’t see the swim-up bar at Crystal Cove, an all-inclusive resort on the Platinum Coast of Barbados? That’s because it’s tucked behind a man-made waterfall and inside a cave. In this little nook, the crowd-pleasing drink is the Crystalgia, made of White Mount Gay Rum, pineapple juice, Falernum, Blue Curacao and Simple Syrup. Just keep in mind, the early bird gets the bar stool; this place fills up fast. crystalcovehotelbarbados.com
Half Moon pool bar, Jamaica
Not only does the swim-up bar at Half Moon have underwater bar stools, but it has submerged tables, too. So, if you can’t get a seat at the bar, no worries. The cocktail du jour is The Pink Sand made with Southern Comfort, sweet vermouth, pineapple juice, strawberries, bitters and grenadine. Post swim and drink, head to the signature restaurant Sugar Mill, located in an 18th-century mill house, for apps like the Solomon’s Trio (watermelon and scallop ceviche, coconut fried shrimp and jerk shrimp). halfmoon.rockresorts.com
Blue Lagoon pool bar, Dominican Republic
If privacy is what you’re after, Eden Roc at Cap Cana, delivers. Since it’s a 34-room resort, you’ll feel like you own the place. Reminiscent of glam resorts of the French Riviera, it has a white marble swim-up bar at the main pool. Along with a light snack and a smoothie, try the Planter’s Punch with dark rum, maraschino, pineapple, orange, lime and grenadine and the Ron Punch with Ron dorado, sweet vermouth, cocoa liquor, pineapple, orange and grenadine. edenroccapcana.com
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