4 Must See Beaches in the USVI
The USVI is made up of St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and about 50 other pretty tiny islands. If you fly into the USVI you’ll be flying into Charlotte Amalie (also the capital of the USVI) and can be pretty nerve wracking to fly into since it feels like you’ll land directly into the water as the runway is literally on the water. It is pretty cool to drive to the top of the neighboring mountains and watch the planes land though.
View from our Airbnb where you can see the airport on the top left.
My mom and I went to the USVI and have since become pretty big fans of the tiny islands. My husband and I also spent the day riding the dollar buses and hitchhiking around the islands a couple of years ago when we were on a Viking cruise with the family. The USVI gives you a nice mix of feeling like you’re in a different country while still being able to have cell service and other mainland comfort items as well.
The second time we went there we stayed in an Airbnb that was tucked away on the side of the mountains. We rented a car from the airport so we could have the freedom to drive around the island and quickly, upon exiting the airport, realized that you’re meant to drive on the left side of the road. lol. WHOOPS. That was a scary few seconds.
I highly recommend renting a car while you’re on the island because some of the taxis only go on certain routes and uber is not available in St. Thomas or St. John. You can hire one to take you to and from different beaches but you’re never really guaranteed one is going to be around when you need one. We ended up waiting for about a half hour when we took the ferry over to St. John and because we were so far out we, thankfully, found someone to half the taxi price with on our way back to the ferry terminal.
Image provided by www.vinow.com
So, finally, that brings me to some must see beaches while you’re in the USVI. Starting with St.Thomas.
The Secret Harbour Beach Resort at night.
1.) Nazareth Bay- Located at the Secret Harbour Beach Resort, this beach is both really beautiful AND easy to get to. The beach is located right behind the resort so not only do you have parking (park up the hill near the tennis courts) but there is also a bar and restaurant located right on the beach. Meant for the resort, you can still use these amenities and access the beach. The resort itself is pretty pricey at around $400 a night so do yourself a favor and rent a cheaper Airbnb and just drive to the bay. Also, there are TONS of ocean critters so bring your snorkel and mask. We saw plenty of fish, starfish, urchins…all the cool things. Also, just so you know, there are also lots of conch. While they’re really cool to look at, you’re NOT allowed to take the empty shells with you so don’t even think about it….
We found an empty conch and used it for a lil photo shoot. Mom did swim way out into the water to drop it where other tourists hopefully wouldn’t see it and take it. Taking shells like this can actually damage the delicate ocean ecosystem so be sure to leave them behind.
Be sure to bring your snorkel and mask. The ocean life is amazing here. You can see all sorts of amazing creatures. We saw urchins the size of beach balls and big, fat starfish.
2.) Maho Bay- Located on St. John, Maho Bay is about a 15 minute drive away from the ferry terminal. It doesn’t have any amenities nearby so if you’re looking for a beach with a restaurant and a bar, this one isn’t for you. It’s definitely more of a “natural” beach in the sense that it’s kind of out in the middle of nowhere and it’s literally a road and the beach. However, this one was one of my favorite beaches because while there aren’t many coral or urchins, it has SEA TURTLES. If you’re looking for the turtles go alllll the way over to the right side of the beach where the bouys are and swim out to about 50 feet where the water starts to get a little deep and there you will see some sea turtles eating some grasses. We got to swim around with the turtles with only 1 or 2 other people. What was great was that everyone was being super respectful of the turtles. No one was touching them or chasing them. However, no guarantee that it won’t swim right up to you!
3.) Salomon Beach- This beautiful beach is actually part of the Virgin Islands National Park so if you are a national parks bucket list person, this one is for you! You’ll need to hike down into the beach for about 20 minutes but it’s a pretty easy, downhill hike. HOWEVER if you’re wanting to hike back out, that’s another, more difficult task. Justin and I actually hitchhiked to the trailhead, hiked down into the beach and then took a zodiac back to the ferry terminal (which was actually pretty dang cool). This beach has -nothing- other than beautiful, natural beach so if you’re wanting to have some drinks or snacks you’ll need to pack them in (and out) yourself. In order to take the zodiac back out of the national park we had to find someone with the sign up list and put ourselves on the list to be picked up. They’ll give you a time slot and you need to be there and waiting right at your time so they can pick you up and take you back to the ferry. If you’re wanting so beautiful scenery and absolutely picturesque, clear water you’ve got to check out Saloman Beach. Here is some more hiking advice from St.John Beach Guide, “ Take the Lind Point Trail from the National Park Visitor’s Center on the eastern side of Great Cruz Bay. It’s about a 1 mile hike to Salomon Bay beach. At the “Y” take the path to the left. The hike is not particularly challenging and has several sightseeing spots.”
The view from the beach. If you love to watch catamarans and sail boats coming in and out of the harbor, this place is for you.
4.) Cruz Bay- While not great for swimming or lounging, this is a great beach for people watching, getting a bite to eat and grabbing a few drinks. There are some shops around the corner if you’d like to grab yourself a cute shirt as well! Cruz Bay is located right at the ferry terminal so you can hop on and off pretty easily. I’ve been here a couple of times and the energy is always pretty fun and laid back as people are relaxing with their rum runners and just watching the sun set. Speaking of, there are some great sunset pics to be had here as well. Check out The Beach Bar as well as The Terrace. You’ll really feel like you’re in paradise!
I haven’t been to these beaches yet but I’ve heard that Honeymoon Bay and Trunk Bay are also beautiful beaches on St. John. If you get the opportunity to safely travel one day, be sure to check out these areas and you’ll feel like you’ve fallen into someone’s desktop background. Also, some additional advice is to wear reef safe sunscreen when you go places like this. The coral reef should not be touched and can also be effected by sunscreen. Try out some Sun Bum. I’ve found that they’re are a pretty good brand without leaving giving you that white zinc look.
Let me know if you check out these islands in the future. Be sure to grab yourself a rum runner while you’re there!
-Tiff
