Bankie Banx's Dune Preserve
CNN's #1 beach bar in the world, hand-built from driftwood on Rendezvous Bay
Why Go
A rum-soaked, reggae-scored temple of Anguillan cool, stitched together from shipwreck timbers by a homegrown music legend who still takes the stage most weeks.
The Experience
Rendezvous Bay curls in a long white arc facing St. Martin, and tucked into its dunes is a shambolic wooden compound that looks like it grew out of the beach itself. Bankie Banx ΓÇö Anguilla's beloved 'Anguillian Troubadour' ΓÇö built the Dune Preserve from salvaged boat hulls, driftwood, and beachcomber finds, and every corner is layered with faded photos, hand-painted signs, and instruments waiting to be picked up. Barefoot regulars nurse rum punches under thatch, the Caribbean breeze does the air-conditioning, and by night the whole place shifts gears into one of the region's most storied live-music rooms. Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays the stage lights up around 9pm; on a good night you might catch Bankie himself, his son Omari Banks, or a surprise sit-in from touring friends who've included Jimmy Buffett and John Mayer over the years.
What to Try
Order the house rum punch and then work your way toward the homemade infusions behind the bar ΓÇö the 'Tree of Life' and the notorious centipede rum are conversation starters. If you time it for a Sunday buffet, load up on stewed fish, jerk-tinged ribs, plantains, and lentils. Otherwise stick to the beach-bar staples: grilled local snapper, ribs, and rice-and-peas, all better because you're eating them with sand between your toes.
Insider Tip
For the full mythology, come during Moonsplash, the reggae festival Bankie founded and still headlines every March ΓÇö it's the island's cultural high-water mark. On any other week, arrive by 4pm on a live-music day to claim a driftwood bench with a clear sightline to the stage and the sunset over St. Martin; after dark the parking area gets tight, so share a taxi from the West End.
The Practical Stuff
On Rendezvous Bay in western Anguilla; easiest approach is past Aurora Anguilla's original entrance (opposite Hughes Medical Center), then left toward the sea. Open daily for drinks and casual bites from around noon into the evening; live entertainment Wed/Fri/Sat from ~9pm. Cash and cards accepted, prices moderate for Anguilla. Call ahead on show nights: +1 264-729-4215. Very casual dress ΓÇö swimsuit and cover-up is standard by day, barefoot-chic by night.
Pair It With
- Rendezvous Bay — The Dune Preserve sits right on it ΓÇö spend the afternoon swimming and strolling this two-mile arc before you drift in for sundowners.
- Cap Juluca — Just down the same bay; walk the sand for 20 minutes to see Anguilla's most photographed Moorish-white resort architecture, then head back to Bankie's for the night.
- Blanchards Beach Shack — Meads Bay lunch spot on the opposite coast ΓÇö pair a daytime lobster roll and rum punch there with an evening set at the Dune Preserve for the classic Anguilla one-two.
- Moonsplash Music Festival — If you're on-island in March, Bankie's own reggae festival at the Dune Preserve is the definitive way to experience the venue at full tilt.