The Best Bars in Turks and Caicos

It’s hard to believe that even paradise has its own pub, but this one on Grace Bay Road is everyone’s favorite on Providenciales for a lively night out that will almost certainly end up on the dance floor. Expect all the usual English pub classics including pints all around, a daily happy hour, an up-for-it tourist crowd and some decent bar food. There are special events most nights, too, including soccer events, barbecues and Thursday’s legendary karaoke.

The biggest party on Providenciales, the Thursday Night Fish Fry at the Bight Park is a chance to grab a rum or ice-cold beer, graze on fried fish and local specialities in the open air and dance to live music alongside locals. Restaurants from all over the island set up stalls to feed the crowds, while party-goers can browse handicrafts and watch high-energy dance groups as the sun goes down.

It may look like your average beach bar, right on the sand at Blue Hills, but there’s nothing ordinary about this Providenciales institution. Head on down to this collection of wooden huts and picnic tables for lunch and you won’t leave until late. After you’ve feasted on (what else) the famous cracked conch, sit back and take in the sea views with a powerful rum punch as local DJs blast out the tunes. Go on Wednesdays and Sundays for live reggae bands.

It’s a lofty claim, but the Sandbar claims to serve the best rum punch on the island, so it’s only fair you hurry along to judge it for yourself. No shoes or shirt are necessary at this idyllic beach bar on Duke Street, where the views of turquoise water and white sand are almost blinding. It’s open for lunch and dinner from Sunday to Friday and serves great burgers, salads and seafood but is just as welcoming if you’re calling in for a cold beer.

Close to Chalk Sound and around 20 minutes by car from Grace Bay, this waterfront bar and restaurant comes alive at night. There’s live entertainment most evenings, including top local bands, fire dancers and more, plus it’s open late so you won’t find yourself heading back to the hotel hungry for more. Be sure to go in time to dine, as the seafood is unmissable.

Though this long-established restaurant at the Sands overlooking Grace Bay is known for its food (try the award-winning conch chowder), they love guests popping by for a drink, too. Just pull up a chair at the bar where the staff – and local regular Hubert – will fill you in on island gossip and whip up a specially made cocktail just for you. There’s live music four nights a week, and you’re likely to spot dolphins as you drink. There’s even a bell to ring if you see one.

Head 0.3mi (500m) north on the beach away from the Cruise Center to find this charming mojito hut, run by local couple Jack and Janet. Always open if a cruise ship is in port, the bar serves up barbecued food and cocktails in the sand, while the couple’s dogs Calypso and Topher scamper between guests looking for playmates. Head to their website before you go and enter your details, and they’ll even give you a free shot of rum to start your day in style.

A seriously sophisticated spot for sunset drinks, Infiniti is the longest bar in the Caribbean, stretching 90ft (27m) across Grace Bay Club and out onto the beach. Take a seat at the gleaming infinity-edge bar and choose from the extensive wine selection and knockout cocktail list, all detailed in a menu that lights up when you open it. Fire pits and fairy lights complete the romantic picture for an island night out to remember.

South Caicos is smaller and sleepier than the better-known Turks and Caicos islands, so bars are few and far between, but this one is a stunner. With a 360-degree wraparound terrace, the Great House has views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Caicos Bank and is set within the 770-acre (312ha) Sailrock Resort. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner but is a must-visit spot to watch the sunset sipping a Sail Rock Painkiller, a heady mix of white rum, dark rum, grapefruit juice, orange juice and piña colada mix.