It all began with Bankie Banks whose family owns the idyllic beachfront where the Dune Preserve Beach Bar sits. When Bankie was a kid, he camped along this beach that’s so beautiful, it feels like a mirage. Then one day, he and his best friend Bullett got this idea to turn their dream spot into the ultimate ramshackle beach bar. Built of driftwood and pieces of shipwrecked racing boats supplemented with regionally harvested woods, Dune Preserve was way green when all green meant was the color of grass. Today, it’s the hippest beach bar on Anguilla. Many think it’s the best in the Caribbean.

The beach bar, restaurant and concert area (Banks is also a touring musician) fills a 2-acre piece of land between a golf course and the CuisinArt Resort and Spa.

Bankie Banks, the owner of Dune Preserve

Banks (who has been described as part madman, part genius) had the vision and Bullett had the building skills. Together they’ve created a place that brings a funky touch to an island known for luxe resorts like Cap Juluca and Malliouhana. As the partners are fond of saying, “Its the only beach bar in the world where you are likely to run into a former president, a former pirate and a former Wall Street big wig in the same day.”