Balaou Floating Bar
A dinghy-only lounge anchored in Grand Case Bay where bokits, cold rum and sunset DJs float on the Caribbean.
Why Go
Grand Case is famous as the island's culinary capital, but Balaou takes the whole idea offshore — a solar-powered raft moored a few hundred meters out, reachable only by a two-minute skiff ride, where lunch turns into golden-hour cocktails without anyone ever really deciding to stay.
The Experience
You call from the Grand Case jetty (or from Grand Case Beach Club's pier) and Captain Jo's team sends a dinghy out to collect you. Two minutes later you're stepping barefoot onto a wooden platform bobbing gently in the bay, with the pastel houses of the French-side village on one horizon and Anguilla on the other. There are about a dozen floating loungers tethered around the deck — you can eat at the bar, sprawl on a daybed, or slip straight into the water with a tumbler in hand. A DJ spins mellow house and Caribbean grooves as the crossings continue all afternoon, and by 5pm the whole raft is quietly leaning west to watch the sun drop behind Creole Rock.
What to Try
Order the bokits — the Guadeloupean fried-dough sandwiches are the house specialty, and the lobster version is the splurge worth splurging on. The wood-fired pizzas travel surprisingly well on a raft, and the tapas plates are made for sharing across loungers. For drinks, stick to the rum-based cocktails served in reusable tumblers (part of their zero-plastic policy) and ask what the bartender is muddling with local fruit that day.
Insider Tip
Skip the pontoon pickup and arrive under your own power: rent a paddleboard or kayak from Grand Case Beach Club or Petite Plage and paddle out — Balaou lets self-propelled arrivals tie up for free, and you'll feel like you earned the first rum punch. Also: they close every year from about August 10 to October 20 for the off-season, and they're weather-dependent even when open, so text +590 690 22 82 00 the morning of to confirm the raft is running.
The Practical Stuff
Open daily 11am to sunset (closed roughly August 10 – October 20). Access is by their complimentary dinghy from Grand Case pier — call ahead — or by your own boat, jet ski, paddleboard or kayak. Cash and cards accepted, USD and EUR both fine on the French side. Reservations recommended on weekends and around sunset; book via balaou-restaurant.com or balaourestaurant@gmail.com. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a dry bag for your phone, and shoes you can leave in the dinghy — everyone's barefoot on board.
Pair It With
- Grand Case Beach Club (Petite Plage) — The easiest launch point — you can spend the morning on Petite Plage, then flag the Balaou dinghy straight from the resort's pier for lunch.
- Creole Rock Watersports Guide — Snorkel the protected marine reserve at Creole Rock in the morning, then dry off with bokits and cocktails a few hundred meters south on the raft.
- Bleu Emeraude Hotel Guide — A stylish French-side base a short walk down Grand Case Boulevard — perfect for stumbling home barefoot after a sunset session on Balaou.
- Friar's Bay — Pair Balaou's floating lunch with a lazy afternoon at Friar's Bay's beach shacks for a full French-side, water-first day.
