Ivan's Stress Free Bar, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

Kenny Chesney has a new song on his new album Life on a Rock called When I See This Bar and many speculate that one of the bars referred to in the lyrics is one of his favorites, Ivan's Stress Free Bar.   And why not, he filmed No Shoes, No Shirt at this bar and has become friends with Ivan. although in this video it appears to be Bomba's Shack on Tortola?  Which bar do you think he is talking about?

Although Ivan is not around much any more due to him having Parkinson's Disease, Ivan's family is continuing on his tradition!

We took a day trip over from St Thomas on our boat with some friends last weekend to get our fix of Jost Van Dyke. On Sundays, the Soggy Dollar Bar becomes more like a spring break party anymore, with an influx of the younger crowd from St Thomas and St John, and along with that comes competing boat stereos with a mix of the day charters coming in all fighting for a spot on the beach. Not that I am that old, but having to constantly fend other boats off of your boat does not make for such a relaxing afternoon. Although we have walked over to Ivan's before, we thought we would spend the day there instead.

After we cleared customs we were able to pull right in, right in front of Ivan's and we were the only boat on the beach!  There was a mix of several people, mostly couples enjoying the beach that were camping in tents or in Ivan's cabins.  Yes, Ivan's is also a campground!

We had some beers and eventually made it up to the bar for some drinks and a lunch of cheeseburgers.

We had the bar to ourselves! After eating, we decided it was time for a walk to go visit Mic over at Soggy Dollar Bar for a Painkiller.  You can walk from one side of White Bay over to the other.  There is an old road that now has steps that goes up and over the rocks, but I would wear some sort of foot wear when you go over!  There are some really great views on top of the path!

Now for an Original Pain Killer at Soggy and a quick hello to Mic!

Time to walk back to Ivan's

In the picture above is Ivan's and you can see our boat was the only one there at the beach!

It's that time of day

That we all knew would come
To pay for all the rum
And pull up anchor cause we're done
It's that time of day
I see a cotton candy sky
So many colors in my eyes
Proof again God's alive

This ain't a goodbye
It's a "till I see you again"
What a wonderful time
We've all shared my friends
Another day at sea
Has come and gone away
So adios to Jost
Adios to Jost
Adios to Jost

It's that time of day

Sometimes living here can be a real bitch at times, and many days you feel like that you sacrificed a lot to live in paradise, but a day at Jost and being able to go over there any day certainly makes up for it! 

If you are ever down here and want a lower budget place to stay, and to escape it all then here is info for Ivan's, just click!