Saltwell Bottom Beach was recently opened to the public by a private family. If I heard the owner…read morecorrectly the land has been in the family for over 100 years. It is located on the less traveled east end of the island. They are very friendly people...welcoming and warm. The beach is beautifully untouched and the natural beauty is tranquil. The beach and parking is free. You can hang out and relax or enjoy swimming in the beautiful water. Another option is to rent a clear bottom kayak. They have a pretty big inventory and rent them for $15.00 an hour. We stopped by the beach to rent a kayak to use for Lime Out.

This was my first time to the Island and we rented a house nearby. It was great to find something…read moreso close to us to get into the ocean. Very relaxing

Such a BEAUTIFUL BEACH - highly recommended beach... also with a gift shop with souvenirs and…read moresnacks and more   - - -   June, 2025 Visit   - - -   Short Review,   Cinnamon Bay Beach...   ... has an island you can swim / snorkel to... many fish to see closer to the island   ... has a view of Great Thatch, British Virgin Islands   ... has indoor facilities... gift shop, snack bar (indoors and outside), campsites   ... not crowded       - - - Additional information: - - -   My wonderful wife planned a relaxing trip for us to St. John's, US Virgin Islands (just east of Puerto Rico), in June, 2025; we had a great time... such a beautiful island!     We snorkeled two beaches on St. John, and we enjoyed them both.   Cinnamon Bay Beach stuns you with its beautiful colors... the beach has light tan sand, helping make the water is a light green-blue color... stunningly beautiful!!     - - - Why Cinnamon Bay Beach - - -   Most of St. John is a National Park and most of the northern part of the island provides a nearly continuous beach... nearly continuous because peninsulas that extend into the water separate each beach from the other.    We looked at the map and read the reviews and picked Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay beaches  because they looked more likely to have slightly smaller crowds, as cruise ships apparently visit other beaches (at least when we visited).  When we visited we were not alone and it was also not crowded.   Both are within a couple miles of each other, so while they are similar in overall look and feel - similar color of the water and sand, similar plants, etc., they are unique in what you can see underwater when you're snorkeling, and unique in the views from the beach.     - - - Taxis to and from - - -   To get to and from Cinnamon Bay Beach, you can drive or take a taxi.  The taxis on St. John, at least the ones we saw, are all trucks, with the driver in the cab, and the passengers sitting, open air, in the back... on benches with a roof over our heads.  The taxis run all day and will stop at multiple beaches to drop off and pick up passengers along the way.      - - - Cell / Mobile service - - -   Cell phone service is present, but the signal is a bit weak - 1 to 2 bars of signal strength.      - - - The beach - - -   Even if you never get in the water, the scene is beautiful... the water color is such a beautiful shade of blue...   Enya's "Caribbean Blue" (from 1991 album "Shepherd Moons") was playing in our heads, and was surely inspired by waters like these...   The sand is light and soft   Beautiful green trees and plants along the beach.     - - - The view from the beach - - -   Cinnamon Bay Beach is a beautiful beach and view of the British Virgin Islands' (BVI's) Jost Van Dyke in the distance and Great Thatch island closer... both BVI; St. John's Whistling Cay is visible, closer to the left, and Mary Point, closer to the right; Cinnamon Brach curbs east, and out into the water to a point that becomes Maho Bay and we stayed within Cinnamon Cay..     - - - The water... snorkeling - - -   On any given day, the water quality and aquatic life are things you cannot control.  The day we visited water quality and aquatic life were both goo -  the water was so clear and we saw so many fish, especially as we snorkeled out toward the island... which is much closer than it looks.. 5-10 minutes of calm to quicker leg kicking should get you there.     - - - Snorkeling - what we saw - - -   While snorkeling we were blessed to see: ⁃            a stingray swam by right as we started out !! ⁃            many more parrotfish-like blue-green-purplish fish and others ⁃            on the way back in, two squid!!     - - - Back on the beach - - -   We enjoy laying back and relaxing... and taking photos of our feet as they point toward the sand + surf... and we captured another one here on Cinnamon Bay Beach.   What a great afternoon!     - - - The surf, the lack of on St. John - - -   We have been blessed to visit the Caribbean a couple times and have noticed that there is not much surf, not many waves. On an early trip someone explained that the Caribbean is just at a position in the ocean that the rides are not small; brief internet searches suggest the tide only varies a few inches to a foot or so... such small changes don't lead to many waves. You'll likely see and enjoy hearing waves "lapping at the shore," but you're not likely to do much body surfing... if you have a boogie board, while you could bring it on your flight, you'll likely be better off leaving it at home. - - - Gift Shop - t-shirts, hat pins and more - - - - - - Thank you - - - Thank you to all the park team members who maintain Cinnamon Bay Beach, and to the taxi drivers getting us visitors to and from the beach! ----- ----- -----

Full disclosure I didn't actually swim at this beach but I spent an hour or so here because it's…read moreactually a huge beach! The internet says it's one of the most famous ones and I can see why - the water is crystal clear, bright blue (as are most of the other national park beaches lol). It's spacious though, and in addition to the beach itself, there is a snack vendor area where you can buy lunch (like sandwiches and drinks), and a gear rental place for snorkeling etc. They also have a small restaurant adjacent to the campground cafeteria area which does breakfast and dinner (but not lunch). They have pretty clean bathrooms and showers too, and the most parking of all the beaches that I went to. They even had an info booth; the lady there was fairly knowledgeable about the park although I don't think she was an actual ranger (she wasn't in the ranger outfit). There's also a little area right at the entrance to the beach that is part of some ruins, it's a nice photo op spot. Overall this is a great beach! Def recommend.

Beautiful beach with crystal-clear, lovely water and breathtaking scenic views. The atmosphere is…read morepeaceful and perfect for relaxing or enjoying nature. However, the bathrooms were a bit scary and could definitely use improvement.

We tried Trunk Bay first but parking was a nightmare so we headed on down (up, down, up down) the…read moreroad to Maho Bay. We found a parking spot in a lot and only had a short walk to set up our camp in some nice sun/shade. There are a lot of kids and families here, so expect playing, screaming, etc. but eventually they have to eat something so you'll get some nice quiet. We snorkeled right in front of where we were sitting and saw sea turtles munching on the sea grass. So cool. The beach is not super wide but it's enough to plunk down a chair and have a little shade. Perfect. Water is calm. It's the first place we saw donkeys on the island. We loved it.

Hidden inside Lindquist Beach, part of the peaceful shoreline of Smith Bay Park, is one of those…read morerare places on Saint Thomas where the crowds seem to disappear. The sand stretches out wide and pale, the water sits calm and glassy, and the trade winds drift through the sea grapes like a quiet whisper. It's the sort of beach where time slows down, where you spread out a towel, listen to the gentle surf, and realize you've stumbled into a corner of the Caribbean that still feels wonderfully untouched. I remember being here with my wife somewhere between the warm sun and that impossibly blue water, the day turned quietly romantic. We wandered down the beach laughing, the breeze tugging at her hair, and at one point she reached for my hand and pulled close enough that the world seemed to shrink to just the two of us and the sound of the tide. We lingered there a while, wrapped in the moment, the kind of simple, sun-soaked memory that makes a place feel a little magical long after you've left the sand behind.

Absolutely beautiful Well kept and less crowds if you're…read morelooking for that. Water is amazing

absolutely heaven on earth!!…read more clear blue waters, soft sand, snorkeling (lots of fishes and saw a permit fish almost a yard big!!), showers & restrooms, bar with alcohol, food & dessert shacks (get the shrimp burger), rentals (for chairs, canopy, snorkel gear), $5 admission I do appreciate how they don't give out plastic!! Please protect the oceans and be green :) recycle + reusable metal straws

Trunk Bay is an absolute must when you're in the USVI National Park! Took the Red Hook Car Ferry…read moreover to St. John. Talk about a wildly stunning ride! Trunk Bay is home to the only underwater snorkeling trail in the U.S. national park system. The beach is pristine, tucked into the park with soft white sand and crystal blue water. The marine life is incredible! Full of depth, color, and light. Totally dreamy, super chill, and the perfect spot to soak up the sun. Out of all the beaches in VI National Park, this is my favorite. A radiant, sun soaked escape!

Beautiful beach, great for snorkeling and relaxing…read more - - - - - - - - June, 2025 Visit - - - Short Review, Hawksnest Beach... ... is an absolutely beautiful beach... so much color... ... is so relaxing ... not crowded - - - Additional information: - - - My wonderful wife planned a relaxing trip for us to St. John's, US Virgin Islands (just east of Puerto Rico), in June, 2025; we had a great time... such a beautiful island! We snorkeled two beaches on St. John, and we enjoyed them both. Hawksnest Beach stuns you with its beautiful colors... the beach has light tan sand, helping make the water is a light green-blue color... stunningly beautiful!! - - - Why Hawksnest Beach - - - Most of St. John is a National Park and most of the northern part of the island provides a nearly continuous beach... nearly continuous because peninsulas that extend into the water separate each beach from the other. We looked at the map and read the reviews and picked Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay beaches because they looked more likely to have slightly smaller crowds, as cruise ships apparently visit other beaches (at least when we visited). When we visited we were not alone and it was also not crowded. Both are within a couple miles of each other, so while they are similar in overall look and feel - similar color of the water and sand, similar plants, etc., they are unique in what you can see underwater when you're snorkeling, and unique in the views from the beach. - - - Taxis to and from - - - To get to and from Hawksnest Beach, you can drive or take a taxi. The taxis on St. John, at least the ones we saw, are all trucks, with the driver in the cab, and the passengers sitting, open air, in the back... on benches with a roof over our heads. The taxis run all day and will stop at multiple beaches to drop off and pick up passengers along the way. - - - Cell / Mobile service - - - Cell phone service is present, but the signal is a bit weak - 1 to 2 bars of signal strength. - - - We really enjoyed the snorkeling and views on Hawksnest beach. - - - The beach - - - Even if you never get in the water, the scene is beautiful... the water color is such a beautiful shade of blue... Enya's song "Caribbean Blue" (from the 1991 album "Shepherd Moons") was playing in our heads, and was surely inspired by waters like these... The sand is light and soft There are some brain coral close to shore, at the water's edge, that you can readily see Colors... beautiful green trees and plants along the beach. - - - The water... snorkeling - - - On any given day, the water quality and aquatic life are things you cannot control. The day we visited water quality and aquatic life were both goo - the water was so clear and we saw many fish, and a ray! - - - Snorkeling - what we saw - - - While snorkeling we were blessed to see: - A sea turtle right away - Then a school of blue fish with yellow fins - so nice floating with them - as we approached the beach, a ray swam by !! - - - Back on the beach - - - We enjoy laying back and relaxing... and taking photos of our feet, pointing toward the sand + surf... and we captured another one here on Hawksnest Beach. What a great afternoon! - - - The surf, the lack of on St. John - - - We have been blessed to visit the Caribbean a couple times and have noticed that there is not much surf, not many waves. On an early trip someone explained that the Caribbean is just at a position in the ocean that the rides are not small; brief internet searches suggest the tide only varies a few inches to a foot or so... such small changes don't lead to many waves. You'll likely see and enjoy hearing waves "lapping at the shore," but you're not likely to do much body surfing... if you have a boogie board, while you could bring it on your flight, you'll likely be better off leaving it at home. - - - Thank you - - - Thank you to all the park team members who maintain Hawksnest Beach, and to the taxi drivers getting us visitors to and from the beach! ----- ----- -----

This is another of the pretty famous USVI national park beaches. I didn't actually swim here but we…read morecame to scope it out. The parking lot is smaller compared to other beaches, and there wasn't much area available on the side of the road either - that was part of why we decided to not bother with swimming. That said, I walked onto the beach and it is as blue and stunning as the other main beaches, just gorgeous! Pretty spacious too, and I could see not too far out from shore a darker area which would be consistent with the "excellent snorkeling" I read is available at this beach per the internet. Random note, there were also quite a few chickens on this beach lol. I saw online sometimes random wild donkeys also walk by? The internet says don't pet them. I didn't see any lol.

During our honeymoon we figured it would be fitting to visit honeymoon beach! Since we visited…read moreduring off season it was basically empty, so we nearly had a whole beach to ourselves! Beautiful clear waters and we were visited by a stingray and sea turtle. We did have to take about a mile hike to the beach, but we saw a taxi drop by at some point so I guess there is an option to be driven there. The hike was no bad and fairly flat the entire time, with some rocks. I managed in flip flops. It looked like there were concessions that may be open during a busier time, but were closed when we visited.

Free entry and parking, but $10 round trip PER PERSON for a shuttle to the beach (which is far from…read morethe entrance). Hike it or pay. This beach was not that great compared to the beautiful secluded beaches that St. John has to offer. Pretty disappointing honestly. It was SO CROWDED on a Sunday. So many people, floaties, and kayaks polluted the water. Lots of debris in the sand and in the water too. A lot of their trees have swarms of bees too! When we came around 2:00 PM, there were strong waves that would constantly slap us in the face with salt water. The water was not peaceful at all. There is also a lot of people in line at the Bikinis On The Beach Bar. It was not worth it and the food is so overpriced. They also have a gift shop where you can rent beach chairs, floaties, and kayaks... but honestly, they just leave them all over the beach anyways. Just use them for free. If you are looking for a beach to party at with a big group with lots of rentals and you don't mind the $10 shuttle fee... This might be the place for you.

Magens Bay , a place so beautiful it feels like a Caribbean postcard come to life…read more This famous crescent beach on Saint Thomas stretches nearly three-quarters of a mile, tucked between green hills that naturally block the Atlantic swells. That's why the water is so unbelievably calm and clear the kind of crystal blue where you can watch fish glide beneath you while you float or stretch out in the sun. But there's a little history beneath all that beauty. Centuries ago the Taíno people lived along these shores, and legend says the notorious sea rogue Sir Francis Drake once used this peaceful bay to hide ships while waiting to ambush Spanish treasure fleets sailing through the Caribbean. Today it remains protected as a public park a perfect curve of white sand and glassy turquoise water where travelers come to swim, sunbathe, and for a moment... live the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

We didn't realize you had to pay to enter. $7 per person plus $2 for parking. We only planned on…read morestaying an hour or so but still paid so we could see the beach. We walked from one end to the other which was a nice way to people watch and enjoy the white sand and blue water. We were there on a Sunday and it was crowded. Parking was easy to find. It was quite lovely. The water was calm. Wish we would have had more time to swim and relax here.

I searched all over the Internet to find a good beach and I have to say the online information is…read moregarbage. This to me was a hands-down, most beautiful white sand beach with calendar type photos. We were greeted by Myra who gave us amazing food and drinks and the people here were super friendly. The water is crystal clear and gorgeous and I promise you won't get a better Caribbean experience than this location.

I loved this beach. It's secluded, clean and as beautiful as all the other ones in St. Croix. It is…read morelocated right next to the buccaneers hotel. Drive like you were going to the buccaneer, but instead of going into the hotel, take a right. You will see a guard for a neighborhood. Tell them your going to the beach and they will let you in. You'll drive straight until it dead ends. There's parking on the right. Then you'll have to carry your stuff through a canopy of trees to get to the beach. Some of the tree canopy is low lying, so you'll have to duck for just a bit. Take your own chairs, blankets, etc. it's just sand and water. No facilities available. Shade is available under trees. The day I went, there was one other small group there, but for the most part, we had the whole beach to ourselves.