Port Salut Beach House Bar and Grill

I absolutely reject tourism in Haiti, unless I’m the tourist. Yes it’s a selfish position but I don’t want anyone else enjoying the pristine beaches and secluded waters of Haiti’s coastline. Honestly and realistically that probably won’t be an issue in Haiti for years and years to come. But for the few daring travelers that do venture to Haiti I have a new find on the south west coast in the south department. Well, Port-Salut isn’t new to anyone who has spent enough time in Haiti however the Port-Salut Beach House Bar and Grill or Kay Nadine is new and it’s the type of place every low budget high quality “roughing it” traveler is looking for.

PSBHBG or Kay Nadine for short is a small 5 room joint perched on a rock ledge overlooking the crisp Caribbean sea, which you can fall right into directly from the back yard of the beach house and swim for hours in its buoyant waters. All rooms have plenty of lighting when the thick wooden shuttered windows are swung open and a touch of Haiti painted or hung somewhere on the walls, as well as mosquito netting, which wasn’t needed during our stay. The place is clean and bathroom amenities are surprisingly functioning. The upstairs dining room, bar and hammock haven is perfectly laid out with a high thatched roof, plenty of breeze and 180 degree views. You can spend most of your day on the top floor and never feel guilty about not having gone to the beach. As for the food, well the toughest part is choosing between large fish yellow tail snapper or lobster which were certainly caught that morning or even better that afternoon. And the preparation is a pleasant surprise of Haitian spice. The white sandy beach covered in coconut trees is just a 5 minute walk down the road past the pleasant homes and smiles of the Haitian fishing families that still live her. And for the “overly ambitious”, this is a lazy beach atmosphere, there are 2 beautiful cascades just a few minutes hike outside of town. The staff, though just learning the trade is kind, courteous and on the ball. Anything we asked for we received.

Above, as I skeptically admonish Haiti’s capacity to reign in tourists until years and years from now at present there are actually 2 or 3 domestic flights a day from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes. So you can find yourself in Les Cayes from the capital in just 48 minutes. From there on Les Cayes to Port-Salut is just a 30 minute drive on a perfectly paved road. So eventually when people realize that expensive all inclusive resorts are the same on every island, are boring, and want to find something different, they should find the Port-Salut Beach House Bar and Grill.