Jimmy Buffett wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise" while staying in a red-roofed house at Cane Garden Bay (CGB) on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. He was waiting there for repairs to be completed on his boat after a rough sailing trip. During this time, he frequented Stanley's Welcome Bar on the beach, where he enjoyed the cheeseburger that inspired the song
. Buffett himself recounted that after a difficult two-week sailing trip, he arrived at Village Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola, where he found a menu featuring American cheeseburgers and piña coladas. Despite the burgers being overcooked, they tasted like "manna from heaven" to him, fulfilling his fantasy after eating only canned food and peanut butter during the rough voyage. He wrote the song the next day at the marina or nearby
. While other locations such as Le Select Café in St. Barths and Cabbage Key in Florida have claimed to be the inspiration, Buffett’s own accounts and those who knew him confirm the British Virgin Islands, specifically Tortola's Cane Garden Bay and Village Cay Marina area, as the true place where he wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
