Nightlife

Ask around to find out which hotel might have entertainment on any given evening. Steel bands and fungi or scratch bands (African Caribbean musicians who improvise on locally available instruments) appear regularly, and nonresidents are usually welcome. Pick up a copy of Limin' Times, an entertainment magazine that lists what's happening locally; it's usually available at hotels.

Bomba Surfside Shack, Cappoon's Bay (tel. 284/495-4148; www.bombasurfsideshack.com), is the oldest and most memorable hangout on the island, sitting on the beach near the West End and attracting an uninhibited crowd. It's covered with Day-Glo graffiti, and odds and ends of plywood, driftwood, and abandoned rubber tires. Despite its makeshift appearance, the shack has the sound system to create a real party. Every month (dates vary), Bomba stages a full-moon party, with free house tea spiked with hallucinogenic mushrooms. (The tea is free because it's illegal to sell it, although you have to buy the cup.) Note that the drug in this tea could be dangerous to your body. If one consumes it, as hundreds of tourists do every year, it should be done with caution. Or, better yet, not at all. This place is also wild on Wednesday and Sunday nights, when there's live music. It's open daily from 10am to midnight (or later, depending on business).

The bar at the Moorings/Mariner Inn, Wickham's Cay II (tel. 284/494-2333; www.bvimarinerinnhotel.com), is the preferred watering hole for upscale yacht owners. Interestingly, drink prices are low. Open to a view of its own marina, and bathed in a dim and flattering light, this place has a relaxed atmosphere.

Adjacent to the previously recommended Spaghetti Junction, and run by the same people, the Bat Cave Bar (tel. 284/494-4880; www.spaghettijunction.net/batcave.htm) is located at Baughers Bay and has a 93-sq.-m. (1,000-sq.-ft.) disco.

Other places worth a stop on a barhopping jaunt include the Jolly Roger, West End (tel. 284/495-4559; www.jollyrogerbvi.com), where you can hear local or sometimes American bands playing everything from reggae to blues. In the same area, visit Stanley's Welcome Bar, Cane Garden Bay (tel. 284/495-9424), where a rowdy frat-boy crowd gathers to drink, talk, and drink some more. Finally, check out Sebastian's, Apple Bay (tel. 284/495-4212), especially on Sunday, when you can dance to live music under the stars, at least in winter.

Rhymer's, on the popular stretch of beach at Cane Garden Bay (tel. 284/495-4639), serves up cold beer or tropical rum concoctions, along with a casual menu of ribs, conch chowder, and more. The beach bar and restaurant is open daily 8am to 9pm.