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.

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.

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

This is a great little beach without the crowds and noise. Since the large hotel at the point was…read morenot yet open, we had this beach almost all to ourselves. It has great views of the St Croix on the horizon, and is located on a part of the island that has slightly bigger waves than many of the other nearby beaches. Snorkeling on the left (east) side of the beach is pretty good, with some decent aquatic life. We went out beyond the point to the east, and saw lobsters, squid, urchins, and plenty of fish. For the beach, I'd recommend water shoes did you have them. The entry to the beach is pretty rocky with shells and coral. After getting in a few feet past the beach, it's very sandy. The Sandbar and Salt Shack are nice places located along the beach that have food and drinks. We were able to get parking in the kit behind the Sandbar, but with all of the construction, parking was limited. I believe taxis will drop off and pick up from the area behind the Sandbar. This has been in of our family's favorite beaches for years. We're glad it's still maintained and business is coming back to life after the hurricanes a few years ago!

MorningStar Beach is amazing beautiful resort Places is…read morebeautiful love staying here. Can't wait to go back again.

Nice beach in front of a condo complex. Very calm harbor. Not too many people on the beach. There…read moreis a nice bar/and grill on site. Friendly & knowledgeable bartenders. Being your own gear if you aren't staying onsite though. They will ask you to move off the condo lounge chairs (understandable given that those who are staying should have access to those). Bring loads of bug spray or you will be eaten alive by sand fleas. They're voracious!

beautiful beach! enjoy the water! u will need to rent beach chairs but totally worth it! magens bay…read moreis a must! this beach is the 2nd must!!

Sapphire Beach is stunning! Come for the sunset and you'll definitely end up staying. Soft light,…read moreblue water, with easy, breezy island energy. There's parking right by the beach followed by a beautiful walk through the cabanas that sets such a peaceful tone. The event space is dreamy! Open, airy, and perfectly placed. Once you step onto the sand the water is clear, glowing blue. Simple, stunning, and a really nice place to unwind.

Listen, not all beaches are created equal. Some are crowded, loud, filled with people wearing hats…read moretoo big for their heads and taking selfies like it's an Olympic sport. Sapphire Beach? That's a whole different animal. This is where I first stumbled back when I was younger, fresh off a cruise ship that still somehow catered to humans with actual careers and social skills. We're talking a mix of doctors, nurses, librarians, accountants basically a bunch of people who could've handled a cocktail conversation without spilling it on the floor. Somehow, we all crammed into a cab together like a weird, classy, floating circus and headed into paradise. From the first step onto the sand, it was like sneaking into a secret club. Quiet, but not dead alive in that off-the-beaten-path, slightly dangerous way that makes your heart race. And just to make sure I was awake, an iguana ran across my path like it had a personal vendetta against my shoes. Almost had a heart attack, but then I laughed because that's the thing about Sapphire: it keeps you on your toes. It doesn't apologize for being beautiful. It doesn't care if you're clumsy. You just show up, and it rewards you. The people you meet here are the kind of humans that make you feel like life is actually interesting. A local guy struck up a conversation, telling stories I'm pretty sure he made up, but I didn't care he had charm, he had laughter, he had a way of making the sun shine brighter. You can sip a drink, let the waves tickle your toes, and feel like you're part of some romantic, slightly naughty adventure. This is not a beach where you're polite and reserved. No, this is where you can be foolish, wild, flirt with danger a little, maybe even flirt with the cute stranger who's laughing too loud nearby. I've been back to St. Thomas a handful of times since that first visit. I've done tours, cruised other islands, seen a million beaches but none hit like Sapphire. It's my private playground, where you can act like a bad boy, a romantic, a reckless genius, all while the ocean hums in approval. And the best part? You don't have to shout to be noticed. You just exist there, and somehow that's enough. So here's the takeaway: take a cab with strangers, meet a few locals, sip something dangerously strong, and let the beach do the rest. You'll leave with sand in your shoes, a tan line on your soul, and a story that sounds like it belongs in a movie. Sapphire Beach isn't just a beach. It's adventure, romance, comedy, and a little bit of crime all rolled into one glorious, sun-drenched package. It's my kind of bad, my kind of fun, and if you listen closely, you might just hear it whispering your name too.

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!

I live here on st Thomas and this is probably my number 1 beach. It has great snorkeling, and has a…read morelittle something for everyone, in the middle of the beach is great for just sitting in the water or on the beach as there are not many rocks. The left has big rock as and coral all along in the water where you can find octopus, crabs, fish, stingrays. If you are more adapt at snorkeling you can go out towards the left and past the university dock and there is some great snorkeling there with sea cucumbers, giant pufferfish, eagle rays, some have reported lion fish over in that area even. The right of the beach is filled with rocks, coral and sea glass on the sand. I will leave some photos of all the creatures Ive got on my GoPro. Also tons of sea turtles

Great sandy beach to wade around and do some snorkeling to see a few things. It wasn't too crowded…read moreand no hassling which was nice.

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.

This is a nice beach on the island's North Shore. Parking here can get pretty tight. There is no…read moredesignated lot. I had to find a spot on the side of the road. The beach has chair rentals and a boat ramp, but I am not sure if the ramp is operational. It is not a very large beach. I would say it is between a quarter to a half of a mile long. It has white sand and beautiful warm blue water. In addition to sitting out in the sun, you can snorkle, scuba dive or equus horseback ride (ride a horse in the water). They tout scuba divers being able to dive the world famous Wall, which is an area about 150 yards from the shore the depth goes from 35 feet to over 3,000 feet. The beach has access to some nice waterside bar and grills such as Leatherback Landing and Spratnet Beach Bar & Grill. On weekend they have a band out there that jams. Speaking of weekends. This beach can get a bit crowded. While I was there, there was a a large gathering of locals having a good old picnic. It looked like they were having a great time. This is one of the few designated beaches on the North Shore. It is a very low key and laid back place. It is a great time for all. I recommend checking this beach out, doing some of their fun activities and getting a good bite to eat and a savory tropical drink.

What a great STX beach!!! It is in front of Sweet Bottom…read moreDive Shop which is awesome. Great people. There's also The Landing restaurant which is one of our favorites on island! The sand is nice. Great for snorkeling and even better for diving. Walk in, swim out a bit and you are at a 1000 ft wall. Amazing!