Rhythms at Rainbow Beach

I’m not sure exactly how Rainbow Beach got its name, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually had a lot to do with rain. The island’s most popular beach bar, especially on Sundays, is centrally located on St. Croix’s West Coast, some of the island’s tallest peaks and dense rainforest just a few miles behind it. Prevailing weather patterns, particularly during the summer months, make brief afternoon showers a fairly regular occurrence here. That doesn’t stop the party, though. Live bands play on and everyone keeps dancing. When you’re already wet from the sea and feeling the vibes, a little rain doesn’t hurt one bit.

A big part of the Caribbean experience is routine. The sun rises and sets around the same time everyday, the temperatures don’t vary much from day to day, and the wind generally blows in the same direction. So it should be no wonder that routine would govern islanders’ lives and Sunday on St. Croix is the quintessential example. The first half the day varies slightly from person to person: breakfast, maybe church, etc. But before long, it’s westward to Sandy Point. Drinking and fun goes until 4 when park rangers clear the beach, then it’s a mass migration to one of two places: Domino Club (home of the beer drinking pig and some killer mamajuana) or Rainbow Beach. For me, it’s usually Rainbow. Great food, great drinks, all your old (and new) friends, plus you get to extend the boozy beach lime into the wee hours of the night.