Toes-in-the-sand beach bars, glitzy casinos, steamy salsa clubs, live local music and, of course, lots of rum – this is the Caribbean after dark. We asked a panel of Caribbean travel experts to nominate their 20 favorite destinations for nightlife, and for the past four weeks USA TODAY 10Best readers have been voting for their favorites.
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Salsa strains orchestrate the nightlife of steamy San Juan, but in addition to the Latin dance clubs, you will find a lively scene that includes everything from discos, gay bars and casinos to a vibrant performance arts scene. If you party with the locals, you will kick it in late in the evening around 10 p.m. and party until daylight, particularly on weekends. Old San Juan is a great place for bar-hopping, particularly around San Sebastian Street. Most places feature live music.
Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism Company
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Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
Better bone up on your meringue dancing skills before you take off for the Dominican Republic. From the local colmados mini-market hangouts to hot lounges, dance clubs and casinos, Dominicans turn out to celebrate their love of life, food, music and dance. The greatest concentration of party til you drop nightlife is in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone and along the Malecon ocean boardwalk. Resorts too entertain with live local music, some until 6 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism
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A lot of Curacao’s partying happens at the beach both day and night. Near capital Willemstad, the side-by-side long stretch of Mambo (a.k.a. Seaquarium) Beach and Jon Thiel Beach are the island’s party headquarters, especially on Sunday nights. Look also for action in the major resorts. The island’s proximity to Venezuela makes salsa popular enough for an annual two-day festival. In the night clubs, you’ll hear everything from reggae to samba. A government run and regulated bordello adds another dimension to local nightlife.
Photo courtesy of Curacao Tourist Board
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Trinidad
Trinidad & Tobago
It does not have to be Carnival time to find the people of Trinidad dancing and music making, but you will find a flurry of nightlife in the weeks leading up to the winter festival. Look for the panyards where local Carnival bands are practicing for the event. Pan (steel drum), calypso and soca were invented here, and that’s what you’ll hear in the night owl clubs around capital Port of Spain, particularly along Ariapita Avenue. Also, check out who’s on stage at the National Academy for the Performing Arts.
Photo courtesy of Go Trinidad and Tobago
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Local bars, disco, nightclubs, live resort shows and casinos: Nightlife happens everywhere on Antigua and much of it showcases the native music, dance and culture. On Sundays, the Shirley Heights neighborhood hosts the island’s biggest party as the sun sets – with local rum and food plus live steel drum, reggae, soca and calypso music. The Rush Entertainment Centre on Runaway Bay is a collective of a piano bar, casino, sports bar, restaurant and nightclub.
Photo courtesy of Antigua & Barbuda Tourist Office
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Energetic Aruba boogies day and night. Most of the action centers around capital city Oranjestad and the major resorts. Downtown, the locals gather at Dutch pub Café Chaos. Senor Frog’s is the place along the resort strip on Palm Beach. If you would rather party beachside, head to MooMba Beach Bar & Restaurant for live music and tasty cocktails and food. To do a pub crawl without having to designate a driver, hop aboard the Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus.
Photo courtesy of Mats Adamczak / Flickr
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On the Dutch side of things on this island, gambling is legal and adds a giddy brightness to the after hours. The Maho district is particularly known for its casinos, while Simpson Bay touts its bar and club scene. At the latter, nightlifers can easily pub crawl from one hot spot to another to enjoy rum punch, reggae, salsa and other island music. For something quieter, check out the movie theaters or the Casino Royal Theatre for plays and cabaret shows.
Photo courtesy of St. Maarten Tourist Bureau
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With an estimated one rum shop for ever y160 island residents, Barbados, the birthplace of rum, loves to party. By day and night, its neighborhood rum shops are the place to catch a game of dominoes or cricket on the radio. For the island’s most highly touted after-dark rummy scenes, head either to the locals’ party known as Fish Fry in Oistins or to the smart clubs of St. Lawrence Gap. Local “boogie” buses will take you there for a few dollars. Along the resort-lined Gold Coast, Holetown’s First and Second streets lively up with music and bistro dining come dark.
Photo courtesy of Barbados Tourism Authority - UK
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A quiet island with a firm grip on its culture and heritage, St. Kitts has a small nightlife scene that largely takes to the beaches, with the exception of a place or two in capital Basseterre and its cruise ship port area. The two main beaches for bars and clubs include South Friars Bay Beach and South Frigate Bay Beach. They range from self-proclaimed “shacks” jamming to a reggae beat to chic clubs for eating, beaching and drinking.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
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College students deem this one of the top spring break destinations in the world, and of course that means enough bars to drown exam score woes. With a legal drinking age of 18, Cancun attracts a young crowd, but the party goes on year-round. One of the most famous overserve establishments, Carlos n’ Charlie’s encourages raucous consumption. In high season, long lines snake out the doors of many popular spots in Cancun’s Hotel Zone.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
The top 10 winners in the category Best Caribbean Destination for Nightlife are:
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Curacao
- Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago
- Antigua
- Aruba
- St. Maarten
- Barbados
- St. Kitts
- Cancun
Additional nominees in the category of Best Caribbean Destination for Nightlife included Grand Bahama, Grand Cayman, Havana, Jost Van Dyke, Montego Bay, Nassau Paradise Island, St. John, St. Lucia, St. Martin and St. Thomas.
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Melanie Reffes, Mark Rogers and Chelle Walton (10Best) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of Caribbean travel.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners.
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The Experts
Melanie Reffes
Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist... Read More
Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com, she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog The Caribbean Romance Report on MarryCaribbean.com and a contributor to the travel aviation publication Captain Jetson (captainjetson.com). When she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Melanie Reffes
Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com, she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog The Caribbean Romance Report on MarryCaribbean.com and a contributor to the travel aviation publication Captain Jetson (captainjetson.com). When she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Mark Rogers
Mark Rogers’ travel assignments have taken him to... Read More
Mark Rogers’ travel assignments have taken him to 56 countries. He’s well-known in travel circles for his award-winning coverage of Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and Asia. When traveling, Mark glides along two parallel tracks: one track is researching the story; the other is gathering striking moments and odd bits of information that spark an idea for a novel or screenplay. He’s currently living in Mexico, building a house overlooking the Pacific. Contact Mark at markrogers627@gmail.com.
Mark Rogers
Mark Rogers’ travel assignments have taken him to 56 countries. He’s well-known in travel circles for his award-winning coverage of Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and Asia. When traveling, Mark glides along two parallel tracks: one track is researching the story; the other is gathering striking moments and odd bits of information that spark an idea for a novel or screenplay. He’s currently living in Mexico, building a house overlooking the Pacific. Contact Mark at markrogers627@gmail.com.
Chelle Walton
Chelle Koster Walton took her first Caribbean trip... Read More
Chelle Koster Walton took her first Caribbean trip to Jamaica in the 1970s and has been in love with the region ever since. Author of the award-winning Caribbean Ways: A Cultural Guide, she served as contributing editor and contributor for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine for more than 15 years. Two-time winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for International Writer, Walton is also the author of Explorers Guide: The Bahamas and a guidebook app about Nassau.
Chelle Walton
Chelle Koster Walton took her first Caribbean trip to Jamaica in the 1970s and has been in love with the region ever since. Author of the award-winning Caribbean Ways: A Cultural Guide, she served as contributing editor and contributor for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine for more than 15 years. Two-time winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for International Writer, Walton is also the author of Explorers Guide: The Bahamas and a guidebook app about Nassau.