A trip to Jamaica without exploring its incredible bar scene, is a trip wasted. The best bars truly embrace that island lifestyle with trademark reggae music (or, as often, just the natural sound of the sea), casual atmosphere, and stunningly beautiful sunsets. Red Stripe or rum punch, boozing is a great way to take in the culture, and these five bars, from mild to wild, are the essential honeymoon hot spots.
-
Rick's Cafe
Rick's Cafe W End Rd, Negril, Jamaica
As you may have noticed, Rick’s is one of our favorite restaurants on the island, but it’s also the perfect watering hole. It has one of the best views of the sunset, so you’ll probably run into throngs of Instagram-happy tourists. You can drink on the deck, drink on the rocks, or drink at the outdoor pool to a soundtrack of live music. Rick’s is also a major cliff diving spot. Tourists and locals alike jump from 35 feet high, right into the crystal clear water, then go back to the bar and drink to their death-defying experience. Just kidding, it’s totally safe, but post-dive shots still go around like there’s no tomorrow.
sunset view | live music | cliff diving
Blackwell Rum Bar
The Caves Hotel, Negril, Jamaica
The Caves is one of the most romantic resorts in the world, and you have to make a point to see it. Expect breathtaking, mindblowing scenery, and a well thought-out design blended perfectly in nature. You can also expect one of the best bars on the island–Blackwell Rum Bar–just on the interior rim of a limestone cave. It’s even more romantic here because you have gorgeous ocean views, refreshing ocean breezes, and the sound of the waves crashing nearby. The moonglow reflecting off the surface of the water doesn’t hurt either. It’s the type of place a guy would pick to pop the question to his girlfriend, but of course you’ve already done that, so just buy her whichever drinks she’s craving.
limestone cave | gorgeous ocean views | moonglow
Floyd’s Pelican Bar
Floyd's Pelican Bar
When we say that Floyd’s Pelican Bar is on the ocean, we mean it literally. Floyd’s is located on a platform floating in the sea and the only way to get there is by boat. You’ll find yourself in the middle of crystal-clear waters in a ramshackle hut perched on wooden stilts. It’s sort of what you’d imagine some drifter would build during a zombie invasion. Inside, there’s a bunch of international flags, and license plates from random states since, as you might imagine, locals don’t hang out here. Feel free to carve your name in the wood (everyone else does) to leave your legacy and knock back a Red Stripe (or whatever else strikes your fancy.)
literally on the ocean | ramshackle hut | tourist attraction
Rockhouse Restaurant
Rockhouse Restaurant, West End Road, Negril, Jamaica
Rockhouse Restaurant in Negril is a perfect little spot with perfect sunsets for that perfect cocktail hour. In a word, it’s… perfect. In fact, it’s so perfect it feels like the ocean breeze, the massive sunset, and the romantic atmosphere must be controlled by a television crew somewhere in a room with a control board and monitors We’re talking Truman Show perfect. While dinner is the main attraction on this rustic cliffside terrace, it’s a popular drinking spot after hours–because perfect should always be experienced with a cocktail.
perfect | romantic atmosphere
Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Negril, Norman Manley Boulevard, Negril, Jamaica
Sometimes your girl just wants to dance. There’s no arguing, you just take her somewhere she can dance. But if you’re smooth, you’ll take her somewhere you’ll be able to sit back and drink a beer while she conquers the dance floor, somewhere like Margaritaville. It’s wild and lively, with four open terraces and a 100-foot water slide that takes you from the bar straight into the water. The bar, located in Negril, is open day and night, and it gets crazy after the sun goes down. It’s possibly the least romantic bar on the island, but taking her here to dance might just be the most romantic thing you can do.
wild and lively dance floor | water slide | not-so-romantic
