‘Performance and Cocktails’ featured in Kiteworld issue #75. 

From downwinders to downing beers this issue! We’ve asked some of the most widely travelled and sociable pro riders and KW contributors to fill us in on some of their all-time favourite spots for sinking a few cold ones after another momentous kite session. Bottoms up, buddy!

 

CARIBBEAN

HAPPY ISLAND BAR – UNION ISLAND, THE GRENADINES

Tip-off by: Colleen Carroll 
At the best kite spot on Union Island in the Grenadines you’ll find a bar that is bound to make any kiteboarder smile. It’s a kite-in kite-out bar serving up refreshments without you even having to land your kite. Hit it at sunset when the tunes are pumping and the rum punch is flowing. It’s important to remember to drink and kite responsibly here!

Tip-off by: Tom Court 
No shortlist of bars would be complete without ‘Happy Island’ on Union. Ride all day at Jeremie Tronet’s centre and sail out to Happy Island as the sun starts to fade. You can tie your kite to the downwind edge of the bar (or not – as you wish). Grab a drink, listen to tunes, take in the amazing Caribbean atmosphere and party with the people from the boats. Don’t drink too many rums though, or you’ll struggle to kite back to shore!

 

CABARETE BEACH FRONT – DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Tip-off by: Tom Court 
Cabarete has a great selection of beach bars that line the one-street town. It is possible to end your kite session right out front, land your kite, walk up the beach, select your bar of choice, get an ice cold beer and settle into some aprés session beer yoga.

 

 

BLUE BAR – CABARETE

Tip-off by: Matt Pearce 
No shortage of party venues, some are more reputable than others, but for me the stand out option is Blue Bar. It’s literally nothing more than a shack, flanked by moto-concho taxi ranks, with no stools and almost zero decoration. The draw is that they serve the strongest Cubra Libres known to man at a cost of about $1.50 a pop. Some absolutely ludicrous nights out have started (and possibly ended) in Blue Bar.

 

ABRACADABRA – ANTIGUA

Tip-off by: Jake Kelsick 
On the south side of Antigua you’ll find a good mix of traveling sailors, kiters and party-goers all sipping on some rum and busting a wine to some good reggae tunes.

 

COW WRECK – ANEGADA (BVI’S)

Tip-off by: Jake Kelsick 
One of the sweetest after-session chill and drink spots. You can literally kite in front of the bar and restaurant – most people usually do a downwinder and finish at Cow Wreck. If you ever make it out there, order a ‘Pain Killer’ – a well known BVI special, which perhaps unsurprisingly involves quite a bit of rum!

 

NECKER ISLAND (ROOF-TOP PERCH)

Tip-off by: John Bilderback 
I shan’t debate my qualifications for the dubious honour of making it onto this elite selection panel – however, my first selection isn’t about the booze. An optimum location to relax and laugh at how good you have it is the little rooftop perch on the watersports building at Necker Island. There’s only room for about eight people on five or six giant pillows, there are no facilities, you have to climb a ladder, and yet somehow it’s the most luxurious spot I can think of to sit, look and laugh at damn near anything you’re not doing at the moment in the outside world. (Sadly, it’s so nice that even a pro with documentary dedication of JB was having too much of a special time to whip the lens out. Some things are best left to the imagination. – Ed)

 

THE SAND BAR – PROVO, TURKS AND CAICOS

Tip-off by Sam Medysky
Provo is a small island and the Sand Bar is the spot to go for a good night out. Most of the locals will be out and there are plenty of tourists to hit on our chat up.

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USA

WATERMEN’S BAR AND GRILL, CAPE HATTERAS

Tip-off by: Jake Kelsick 
The home of Triple-S. The Watermen’s Bar and Grill seems to drain my bank account every time I visit the Outer Banks. Good food and ice cold beers on the tap, it’s the ideal place to chill before and after a session.

 

Tip-off #02 by: Sam Medysky 

All the Kona brews on tap plus Real has brewed their own Triple-S lager. Finish a session in the slick, land in the back yard and head straight to the bar, dripping wet craving a crisp cold beer! Not to mention live music several nights of the week.

 

 

HALEIWA JOE’S

Tip-off by: John Bilderback  
My favourite place to go after a kite session is, without question, Haleiwa Joe’s on the North Shore of Oahu. Situated next to the Rainbow Bridge over the Anahulu Stream, ‘Joe’s’ brings locals and tourists together for outstanding seafood and wickedly good cocktails. Clark behind the bar has a MaiTai without equal and you can keep the glass, if you can remember. And there’s a little beach inside.

 

CAFE DES AMIS – MAUI, HAWAII

Tip-off by: Jalou Langeree 
Every year I travel back to Maui for the Naish product shoot and after a long day of shooting we grab a drink during happy hour at Cafe Des Amis. It has the best atmosphere in Paia, they do great MaiTais, the lentil crepes are awesome and on Fridays there’s live music.

 

 

BRAZIL

 

AMARELA – TAIBA, BRAZIL

Tip-off by: Sam Medysky 
I was a bartender at Amarela one season and I can tell you it’s a fun spot. Their Halloween party is one of my personal favourites. Good tunes, good capi’s and lots of dancing on the bar and tables.

 

 

EUROPE

 

BAR TUMBAO, VALDEVAQUEROS – TARIFA, SPAIN

Tip-off by: Tom Court 
Epic kite scene and, although a little crowded in mid-summer, the aprés kite scene definitely benefits from this! There are always lots of good riders and fun people to hang with and in summer it can get pretty loose, rolling on for as late as you like!

 

BOSSA – TARIFA, SPAIN

Tip-off by: Matt Pearce 
Tarifa’s a legendary party town but my favourite haunt has always been Bossa. It’s just inside the archway at the top of the Old Town and is one of those places that you just stop in at early in the evening and end up staying all night. Incredible mojitos, an awesome posse of regulars and fantastic coffee during the day if you’ve hit it too hard the night before.

 

FLASHPOINT – EL MEDANO, TENERIFE

Tip-off by: Matt Pearce 
A really cool, laid back beach bar. They do good food, it’s a great place to watch the sun go down and the perfect post-session venue for a couple of (usually more) beers. Flashpoint breakfasts are also the stuff of legend and there’s always a fun, relaxed, international vibe.

Tip-off #02 Mark Shinn 
Any bar on your local spot is a good one! Flashpoint offers hope to a great number of windsurfers and kiters – you can pretty much go there alone at any time and meet friends. The beer of choice has to be Dorada Especial – what else would you expect?!

 

SURF CLUB KSN – HOLLAND

Tip-off Jalou Langeree 
We spend so much time here when we are at home. The whole family comes together for after-kite beers and BBQs. Kiteboarding started for Kevin and I at KSN, it’s right on the beach and has a great hangout and bar.

 

RBSC SAILING CLUB – DUINBERGEN, BELGIUM

Tip-off by: Mark Shinn 
My absolute favourite bar is the sailing club in Belgium. Fifty metres from the shore-line, great characters and all kinds of Belgian beery goodness. There’s an open fire to sit next to while you watch the action on the water, too.

 

BEE CAMP BEACH BAR

Tip-off by: Jake Kelsick 
Making it to and from Russia is an experience in itself, but I enjoyed the full-on Russian experience at the Rail Masters event late last year. To one side there’s a full-on kite park, then a short walk across the sand bar there’s Beeline’s killer beach bar set-up: drinks, food, and pretty Russian girls everywhere!

 

AUSTRALIA

 

SUNDAY SESSION, COTTESLOE – PERTH

Tip-off by: Tom Court 
So although this isn’t strictly on the kite spot, on a Sunday during the summer season in Perth you can kite the world-class flat water spots around Freemantle, or hit the cross-onshore waves of Scarborough, and then drive a short distance to the Sunday Session. It’s an all-day party that happens all along the sea front, consisting of all-day drinking, good music and fun vibes. Perth in general has a good scene in the right season.

 

SOUTH AFRICA

 

CARLUCCI’S – CAPE TOWN

Tip-off by: Matt Pearce
It’s not actually a bar, but I’d argue it’s one of the world’s busiest kiteboarder hangouts. They do incredible coffee, amazing breakfasts, lunch and snacks and it’s great for jumping on the wifi, checking the forecast and shooting the breeze with your fellow kiters. They sell beer too, so it surely qualifies.

 

Tip-off by: Jalou Langeree 
The place where plans are hatched every morning, located right on the Kite Beach boulevard, overlooking the ocean and Table Mountain. The staff are super-friendly, they know your favourite drink and make you feel very welcome. Lots of people and lots of talking when you’re straight out of bed – a good way to wake-up (so I guess it’s good for after a session the night before!).

 

DOODLES – BLOUBERGSTRAND, CAPE TOWN

Tip-off by: Sam Medysky 
Cape town is fairly inexpensive compared to Canada and the USA to start with, but if you hit Doodles on Thursday nights during happy hour you can get a beer for 50 cents – incredible! Finish a downwinder from Sunset to Doodles and reward yourself with one or several cold ones.

 

PAKOLOLOS AND DOODLES – BLOUBERGSTRAND, CAPE TOWN

Tip-off by: Tom Court 
Cape Town is a yearly event for the kite industry, not only thanks to consistently strong wind, but also the lifestyle. Both these bars are just metres from the water’s edge and watching the sunset over Table Mountain has to be the best way to start the year!

 

SHIMMY BEACH CLUB – CAPE TOWN

Tip-off by: Matt Pearce 
Sunday seems to be the definitive party day in Cape Town and Shimmy Beach Club was a go-to destination last season. The place is massive with a huge open air dance floor, incredible views of the harbour and there are always awesome local and international DJs playing that draw a large and diverse crowd. There’s also a swimming pool in the middle of the dance floor. You’re not supposed to jump in it and the bouncers will throw you out if you do, but you can probably guess what happens…

 

OUTRO – Some brain cells were harmed in the making of this feature, so this is by no means a definitive list. Several classic aprés-sessions may have been forgotten.

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