Lone star, Barbados
A deeply alamorous vibe and clintele defly
mask the fact that this St James haunt was once a garage. Now a four- room inn
and beachside restaurant, it has crisp blue awnings, white tablecloths and alick
crowd of European guests. In a destination known for inspiring indolent days,
the Lone Star actually motivates people to plan in advance: tickets to its New
Year’s Eve After- Party ( with a band and DJ ) go on sale in September. 00 1
246 419 0599; main from US$18
Mullins Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Barbados
Mullins
Restaurant
Pipng out a stream of regagae and calpso,
this beach shack in St peter is one of the island’s busiest lunch spots. It is
near a Robert Trent Jones Jr- designed golf course, banana- boat rental stalls,
a beach trampoline, plus rock- climbing and turtle tours. The crowd doesn’t
descend just for the flying- fish sanwich, but it is a draw, as is the Cajun-
spiced mahi- mahi at dinner space is limited, so book ), and the rum punch: it
is three parts strong ( rum ), two parts weak ( water ), and one part sour (
lime juice ). 00 1 246 422 2044; mains from US$25
Incle Roddy’s Beach Bar & Grill, Barbuda
Incle
Roddy’s Beach Bar & Grill, Barbuda
Clear day at Uncle Roddy’s yield views of Antigua,
Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis. Over grilled local lobster, you will watch
these islands fade into a tie- dyed by the whirr of agenerator: the place is
completely solar powered: Dinner needs to be booked ahead. Incidentally, the
eponymous Roddy was once a barman at Barbuda’s famous K Club resort: ‘I used to
look after Princess Diana,’ he says. If his cocktails were good enough for her,
you can be sure that the Barbuda Smash ( rum, Coitreau, pineapple juice, lime
and bitters ) is good enough for you. 00 1 268 785 3268; mains from US$11
Wreck Bar & Grill at Rum Point, Grand Cayman
Wreck
Bar & Grill at Rum Point, Grand Cayman
One of the finest bars on Grand Cayman, and
with the fewest airs and graces, this rustic place, right on the powder- white
and of the island’s north- west point, is a 50- minute drive from the neon
lghits of Seven Mile Beach ( it is best to go by speedboat ) and a real local’s
local. There are hammocks slung between the trees, amazing snorkelling right
from the beach ( a huge but friendly barracuda lives under the jetty ),
delicious conch fritters and jug- loads of the Caymans’ ever- popular national
drink, the Frozen Mudslide ( Khalua, Baileys, vodka and ice ), which is said to
have been invented here. 00 1 345 947 9412 mais from US$7
Time ‘N’ Place, Jamaica
Time
‘N’ Place, Jamaica
This that ched beach shack in Trelawny is
much more low- key than those in Montego Bay or Negril. In fact, it looks so
charmingly authentic it has become a favourite backdrop for fashion shoots.
Jerk beef- marinated for a week- is the speciality. A cruise- ship terminal in
nearby Falmouth recently began disgorging guests, but you can still enjoy
relatively serene that is great for birdwatching. And there are night cruises
in a nearby bio- luminescent bay. 00 1 876 843 3625; mais from US$5
Foxy’s, Jost Van Dyke
For more than 40 years, Foxy Callwood and
his wife Tessa have been throwing the Caribbean’s most rollicking party at this
‘mother bar of JostVan Dyke’. There are guitarists at lunch and happy hour,
live bands three nights a week, and beach barbecues on Friday and Saturday
nights- a siren song to anyone in the BVIs with a yacht, dinghy or catamaran.
The menu of focused on the catch of the day and selections from the bar’s own
microbrewery. Despite its reputation for rowdiness, Foxy’s is child- friendly:
there’s snorkelling and swimming, and there will soon be a scale model of a
sloop to teach kids how to sail. ‘We had a giant trampoline out back,’ says
Tessa, ‘but the drunks kept falling off’. 00 1 284 495 9258; mains from US$ 22