It’s time to go international on our dive bar journey – all the way to a little island called Jamaica! If you’re wondering if a Jamaican dive bar is the same as an American dive bar, you would be absolutely correct.

In March of this year, I decided it was time to start ticking some things off my bucket list since it was my 30th (ugh) birthday, In an effort to start “living my truth,” I had to start with visiting a place I’ve been dying to go to for over 10 years – Jamaica. My initial goal was to visit everything Bob Marley related, but I ended up doing none of those things. I still had a fantastic time nonetheless.

I started off in Montego Bay, where dive bars were few and far between. I did find a little place that was right next to my Airbnb, that I regrettably cannot remember the name of. This place was more of a restaurant than a bar, but I spent my time throwing back Red Stripes and chatting with a cab driver sitting next to me at the bar. I spent longer there than I had anticipated and my friend and I talked about things to do in Jamaica, astrology (we found out we are both Pisces), and he offered to sell me a blunt (because, you know, it’s Jamaica). It was a nice evening, but not as intimate a setting as the kind I prefer at dive bars.

After a couple of days in Montego Bay, I headed out to Negril. I hadn’t really researched things to do there aside from my absolutely breathtaking Airbnb, Banana Shout Resort. It’s no surprise that I’m not really a resort type of gal (after all, I find solace in grimy dive bars). That’s why Banana Shout was absolute heaven for me – the Airbnb is made up of a couple of little bungalow cottages right on the cliffs of the ocean and is more of a secluded getaway than a resort. Next door is a popular restaurant and tourist spot called Rick’s Cafe where you can drink, eat, cliff dive, and dance the night away. After staying next to Rick’s for three nights, you’ll get a little tired of hearing the same playlist of music every night though…

Negril is a hotspot for tourism along Seven Mile Beach and there are booze cruises that stop at all the bars along the beach. While I did go to Margaritaville (and met a nice Jamaican boy there) and Rick’s Cafe, nothing compares to a little place called The Boat Bar.

I’m not exactly sure how I came across The Boat Bar, but I know the advertisement for live reggae music is what drew me in. So I made my way to the bar, ready for those irie vibes. When I walked up, there were so few patrons at the bar that I wasn’t sure if they were open yet or not, but luckily they were. I took a seat at the bar and the bartender was immediately welcoming – we chatted for a bit before the music started.

If you’re wondering what a dive bar in Jamaica is like, it’s basically the same as in America, but on the beach. Unlike the other tourist hotspots in Negril (read: Margaritaville), The Boat Bar is an open-air bar on the sand with only a few plastic lounge chairs. When I arrived, there was a woman who seemed to have already been there for hours smoking and sitting in the sun. Along the back wall of the bar, there were handmade paintings of beach scenes and sunsets for sale. I bought one of the pieces for $20 and still have it hanging on my wall – it’s just as stunning as the day I bought it. The stage where they play music was a small setup similar to what you would find at a karaoke bar.

While I was waiting for the music to start, I noticed a fever of stingrays flapping along the shore and decided to go for a swim. As you can imagine, the sand along Seven Mile Beach is as pure white as the snow with crystal clear blue water. After my swim, I took a spot on one of the lounge chairs to dry out in the sun and bought some sugarcane and starfruit from sellers walking by.

As a single white female in a foreign country, it wasn’t long before I drew the attention of a guy we’ll call Daniel. He was a local and the bartender jokingly told him not to bother me while I was there. I said it was fine and talked to Daniel, but declined his offers to buy me a drink. He chatted with me while we sat and listened to the music, but nothing else too exciting to share from this interaction – sorry guys!

The band played classic reggae songs as well as some reggae style versions of other popular songs and they were fantastic! I stayed at the bar for a little over four hours and enjoyed every minute there. I cannot say enough good things about The Boat Bar and I hope to make it back there one day!