"I can tell you how 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' got written. It was probably 1974, and I was on my very first boat, a 33-foot sailboat. We had gotten into some weather and had to go into Ponce in Puerto Rico to get fixed. We sailed from Ponce with a rigged-up bow spread that was broken, and it was a rough passage. We sailed into Roatán, got off the boat, and were starving. We were dying for a cheeseburger after being at sea for 10 days eating fish. And there, like an oasis, was this brand-new restaurant at the Village Cay Marina. We went in and just started gobbling cheeseburgers and drinking piña coladas because we were so glad to be on land. We had about three cheeseburgers each. For some reason, as I was walking out I looked and saw a package in the kitchen and the label was written in French: Cuoderrie Produit de Cheval. Do you know what cheval is? Horse. I went back to the guy and said, 'This will never do. You've got a good idea here, but you've got to take the horse meat off the menu.' We went back the next day and the owner was very proud that he'd gotten real hamburger from Puerto Rico, and we sampled the cheeseburgers again. I wrote the song right there: 'Cheeseburger in paradise, heaven on earth with an onion slice.'"

jimmy buffett's caribbean essentials

lodging
eden rock, st. barts; $275-$1,550; 011-590-590-29-79-99

four seasons nevis, nevis; $495-$2,550; (869) 469-1111

goldeneye, jamaica; $1,250-$5,000; (876) 975-3354

hotel oloffson, haiti; $69-$113; 011-509-223-4000

hurricane cove, nevis; $125-$325; (869) 469-9462

pink sands hotel, bahamas; $655-$2,100; (242) 333-2030

strawberry hill, jamaica; $325-$775; (876) 944-8400

restaurants
the caves, jamaica; jamaican; all inclusive; (876) 957-0270