St. John Villa Rental Beach and Snorkel Guide
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St. John Villa Rental Beach and Snorkel Guide |
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| Honeymoon & Solomon Beaches | |
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Honeymoon and Salomon beach exist within the same bay and are separated only by a small rocky point of land. They both contain the magnificent qualities common to all the beaches of St. John's north shore, but they differ from the other beaches primarily in how you get there. You can go by boat, but almost everyone arrives by the nice scenic walking trail. Without a doubt, the most picturesque beach. |
| Hawksnest Beach | |
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Hawksnest Beach is a St. John locals' favorite and the preferred beach for families with children. The reason for this, is that Hawksnest is not only one of the most beautiful beaches on St. John, it is also the most convenient. It's the closest north shore beach that you can drive to from Cruz Bay and the parking lot is close to the beach, so there's no need for a long walk carrying your beach chairs. In the late afternoon, many native St. Johnians come to Hawksnest to "take a soak" after work. |
| Jumbie Bay Beach | |
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If you're looking for a small, private, intimate beach without having to walk a long trail to get there, then Jumbie is an excellent choice. Go ahead and put your beach blanket down in one of the little coves of sand that extend inland, under the small seagrape trees for filtered sunlight and enhanced privacy. The shoreline at the center of the beach is dominated by a smooth cement-like material called beach rock. Nonetheless, you can still get into the water in soft sand on either side of the rock. |
| Trunk Bay Beach | |
| Cinnamon Bay Beach | |
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Cinnamon is the place to go for beach activities and water sports. Besides the regular swimming, sunning, snorkeling and picnicking, Cinnamon offers windsurfing, kayaking, volleyball, and camping. Cinnamon Bay is operated as a campground and offers facilities designed to support the campers staying there. These facilities are also available to the public. They include a small general store carrying basic provisions, the Tree Lizards restaurant, a snack bar, lockers, restrooms, changing rooms, showers, telephones, picnic tables and barbeque grills. Entrances to the Cinnamon Bay Loop Trail and the Cinnamon Bay Trail are located across the road from the main parking lot. At the end of the road to the beach on your left (west), you will find Cinnamon Bay Watersports where you can rent sea and surfing kayaks, beach floats, windsurfers and sailboats. Cinnamon Bay Watersports also offers windsurfing and sailing lessons. |
| Maho Bay Beach | |
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Maho Bay is the only north shore beach that you can drive right up to. It's the very informality of this beautiful and often-photographed beach that makes it so special. It's right there by the side of the road. There is a parking lot farther down on the right. All you need to do is just pull over and find yourself a nice palm tree to lay under and enjoy the beautiful water. In addition to its convenience, Maho Bay is calm and shallow, making it a great place to bring the kids, get them used to the water or teach them how to swim. |
| Waterlemon & Leinster Bay Beach | |
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From the small and tranquil sand beach at the east end of Leinster Bay, you can access Waterlemon Cay (not Watermelon) for what most visitors describe as the "Best Snorkeling on St. John." This beach also makes an excellent cooling-off stop after a hike on the Leinster Bay, Johnny Horn or Brown Bay Trails. There are pit toilets and a trash bin near the parking lot. There are some ruins called Annaberg that you can take a small hike and it's a site to see, of the British Virgin Islands. |
| Salt Pond Beach | |
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The Blue Cobblestone Beach snorkel offers the opportunity to explore an underwater environment that usually occurs further offshore and in deeper waters. Here, protected by the hilly Ram Head Point, the seas are generally clear, calm and tranquil and the reef is colorful and diverse. There is a nice scenic hike out to Ram Head, you wouldn't want to miss the spectacular panoramic view. Once you park, take a small trail down to a beautiful white sand beach. The Salt Pond Bay has amazing snorkeling close to the shorelines on the bay. |
| Francis Bay Beach | |
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Francis Bay is a beach that really invites you to settle down and stay a while. It's an ideal beach for a picnic. The bay faces west, leeward of the trade winds and tends to be calmer than other north shore beaches. During the week, there are not many visitors here, and because the beach is so big, it is almost always possible to find a nice private spot. Take a nice walking trail around Francis to check out nature, you won't be disappointed. |