We stumbled by Nature Boy Beach Bar by accident a few years ago while walking Long Bay Beach in Tortola.Unfortunately the bar was closed at the time and so on our recent visit to Tortola we decided to stop by once again.
The bar itself is small and has been assembled with materials found on the beach and land, but it’s located on stunning Long Bay Beach, just about where the road takes a left for Smuggler’s Cove.
Secluded and quiet, Nature Boy Beach Bar is a great place to relax, take in the scenery and enjoy a cold beverage.
Chat with Winston, aka Nature Boy, about Long Bay and the surrounding areas history. He eagerly shares his story about how he has built his own place in the sun – the bar and his home behind it.
If you’re in the area, or headed past it on the way to Smuggler’s Cove, be sure to stop in to say hi to Winston, enjoy a cold beer or Rum Punch and checkout the amazing scenery. As Winston says, it’s “Natures Little Secret”…
All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit. Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC
Many of you have already visited, or at least heard of Sunset Bar and Grill on Maho Beach in St. Maarten, but did you know there’s another fun bar at the other end of Maho? It’s called Guy’s Driftwood Boat Bar, and yes, as the name implies, the bar is a boat.
A little quieter than its neighbor down the beach, Guy’s Driftwood Boat Bar is a great place to relax, enjoy some reasonably priced beverages and stare out at the gorgeous blue water of Maho Bay. Order a $2 beer or a rum concoction and sit at the boat bar, or grab a seat at one of the picnic tables.
Or lounge in a beach chair overlooking the water.
Wherever you sit, you’ll be treated to a great view of Maho Beach and airplanes landing at the airport just behind the boat bar full of lucky vacationers getting ready to start their next tropical adventure!
Fort Zachary Taylor Beach, located on the west side of Key West, scores this weeks Beach of the Week endorsement as a great place to hang out, have a picnic, spread a towel or rent a beach chair, snorkel and swim, fish, enjoy the sunshine and then get treated to some of the prettiest sunset views around. Key West is not really known for it’s beaches, but many feel that Fort Zachary Taylor Beach is the best on Key West – and it’s rumored to be the favorite among the locals. We think it’s well worth a visit.
Access: It can be a bit tricky to get to. Drive south on Southard Street and into the Truman Annex. Follow the road to a guard shack (small admission fee). Continue on a paved road to parking which is close to the beach. We saw quite a few people ride their bikes to the beach and there are bike racks available.
Beach: Areas of sand with some rocks in the swimming area, sheltered cove area which is good for children, gently sloping access, some shade, good snorkeling in the rocky areas.
Amenities: Many amenities available, including beach chair rental, snack shop, picnic tables, restrooms and showers, gift shop, and nature trail.
Swimming area
Recommended for: swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, fishing, people watching and watching sunsets.
Tips: Water shoes are recommended. If you have time, take the guided tour of the Fort located close to the beach. Then, move to the rocky west end as the sun begins to set to be treated to spectacular sunsets as the boats sail by….
Waiting for the sunset with some pirates who were in the area for a Pirate Festival!
Watch as the ship disappears into the sunset and then reappears again!
For an island with only a few hundred full time inhabitants and nicknamed The Barefoot Island for it’s laid back attitude, Jost Van Dyke has some of the best beach bars in the Caribbean and it would be a shame to miss any of them. While staying on Jost for a week last fall, we attempted to visit them all – some of them more than once! Here’s a listing of the ones we found. We’ve listed them starting at the west end of White Bay and working our way across the island.
One Love Bar and Grill – try the Lobster Quesadilla’s and a Bushwacker. Check out Seddy’s magic tricks.
One Love Bar and Grill
Jewel’s Snack Shack – stop by Jewel’s for a tasty hamburger, fries and rum punch before heading down the beach!
Gertrude’s – gotta try a BBC (Bailey’s Banana Colada). It’s rumored to be the best BBC on the island.
A BBC at Gertrude’s
Soggy Dollar Bar – if you haven’t heard of the Soggy Dollar Bar yet, well…really??? Jump off of your boat and swim in, using your soggy dollars to buy their signature drink “The Painkiller”. Can be a huge party in the afternoon with scores of thirsty partiers coming over on day trips from neighboring islands. Try your luck at the Ring on the Hook game. If staying on island, be sure to stop by the Soggy early in the morning or later in the evening to swing in the hammocks and enjoy a quiet tropical paradise. Call for reservations for dinner – beautiful setting and very good food.
Painkillers at Soggy Dollar Bar
Hendo’s Hideout – during our last visit to JVD we noticed a new building going up next to Soggy Dollar. This has since opened to good reviews as a new bar called Hendo’s Hideout. We haven’t had a chance to visit yet, but hope to soon.
Hendo’s Hideout before it opened
Ivan’s Stress Free Bar – take a short hike over a rocky outcropping and make your way over to Ivan’s. Stress Free for sure, enjoy a cold beer, or whatever…anything tastes great here. Check out the barbecue on Thursday nights (seasonal) and live music. Celebs have been known to drop by and jam with owner/musician Ivan Chinnery.
Ivan’s Stress Free Bar
Corsair’s – head on over the hill from Ivan’s (or better yet, call Bunn’s Taxi) and stop at Corsair’s for Wench Juice or a Pirate Punch. Order pizza to be delivered and if you’re brave, try the Pirate Sandwich for breakfast (toast, peanut butter, cheese, onion and fried egg with a shot of flavored rum)
Corsair’s
Ali Baba’s – Great place to hang out in the morning enjoying a cup of coffee. Come back later in the afternoon for a refreshing rum drink and a 2 hole chip and putt golf course on the beach…
Foxy is a fixture in his own bar and can frequently be found serenading and weaving a tale for his patrons. In addition to some very delicious signature rum drinks, Foxy sells bottles of his own rum – Foxy’s Firewater Rum in his gift shop – the Foxhole. We especially enjoyed the “Dread Fox” – made with his own rum and “Foxy’s Punch” which includes a mango float. On Friday and Saturday night, Foxy’s has a BBQ and live music.
Foxy’s Dread Fox
Sydney’s Peace and Love – Make your way up and over the hill to Little Harbour and pull in to Sydney’s Peace and Love. Help yourself to a beer or mixed drink at the honor bar and be sure to sign the wall.
Harris’s Place – stop by Harris’s place and have Cynthia, the owner, make you one of her fabulous Bushwacker’s. Tasty and potent and Cynthia is a a ton of fun to visit. Come back later for a sumptuous Caribbean Lobster Dinner next to the water.
Cynthia with a tasty Bushwhacker
Abe’s by the Sea – good West Indian cuisine and a pig roast on Wednesday’s. Quiet place to sit and enjoy a beverage.
Foxy’s Taboo – To get to the last stop on our Jost Van Dyke Bar Crawl, head over the hill past East End Harbour and pull in to Foxy’s Taboo.
Foxy’s Taboo is also owned by Foxy Callwood and is said to be named after his dog, Taboo. Great covered patio overlooking Diamond Cay. Try the Taboo Burger and an ice cold beer or enjoy a beverage sitting on the dock and watching the fish and stingrays swim by.
Foxy’s Taboo
So now that we’ve made our way across the entire Barefoot Island, pull up a chair, grab a beer here at Foxy’s Taboo and tell us – which bars have you had a chance to enjoy on Jost Van Dyke?
To see more posts on Jost Van Dyke and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory
Ever been to a beach bar that’s a bus? A beach bar bus? As we were planning our recent trip to St. Maarten, a friend mentioned a beach bar on beautiful Simpson Bay Beach that we needed to visit.We asked the name of it and set out to find it one sunny afternoon.
We were staying on the other side of theDutch Bridge fromthis bar so we took a hike down Front Street past the Dutch Bridge and turned back in to Simpson Bay Beach. The beach has gorgeous soft sand and turquoise blue water.
We stopped for a quick beverage at Mary’s Boon Resort and Spa and then wandered a short way over looking for a bar called Karakter.
Karakter Beach Bar Bus
Sure enough! The main part of the bar IS actually a bus and the drinks are mixed inside the bus. There are covered picnic tables, beach chairs and umbrellas in the ultra soft sand and it was a fantastic place to lime away the afternoon.
The bar is in close proximity to the airport, but the beach ambiance, beautiful sand and great drinks far outweighed the occasional roar of an airplane taking off or landing.
This table was reserved for some Rum Therapy!
Beach in front of Karakter
The Rum Punch is highly recommended – strong and fruity just like we like it.
Want to find out more? Check out their website here: Karakter Beach Bar
When visiting a new tropical place, we always try to scope out the funky beach bars and the locals hangouts. Before visiting St. Croix, we asked the folks at St. Croix Lime for recommendations. They obliged and also reminded us to check the calendar on their website for live music and updates.
Coconut’s on the Beach was a bar we saw mentioned on the website and passed by it while driving through Frederiksted and thought we’d stop for some liquid refreshment.
There was a cloud looming overhead and no cruise ships in port that day so Coconuts was quiet, but looked like a great place to sit back and relax.
We ordered a few Corona’s, sat down and took it all in. From Coconut’s you can see the cruise ship pier at Fredriksted, you can catch a glimpse of the lovely Sandy Point Beach or you can stare out at the beach right under the bar.
Would have loved to have been there to enjoy the nightlife and some live music! By the time we left, a few more tables had filled up and as we walked through the Wall of Lost Soles, we figured we’d be back someday…
