What's the best beach to visit in St. John's?

[Joaljoe]

We are cruising next week and one of our stops is in St. Thomas. We don't do any snorkeling or any other excursions....we just want to visit a nice beach where we can relax and enjoy the water. Calm waters....does that exist there? I'm not a big fan of big waves...can't swim and they scare me. LOL

 

We are at this port from 8am-6pm so what would you suggest would be the latest we leave St. John's?

 

Thanks!

[richtersl]

We are cruising next week and one of our stops is in St. Thomas. We don't do any snorkeling or any other excursions....we just want to visit a nice beach where we can relax and enjoy the water. Calm waters....does that exist there? I'm not a big fan of big waves...can't swim and they scare me. LOL

 

We are at this port from 8am-6pm so what would you suggest would be the latest we leave St. John's?

 

Thanks!

 

There are no beaches with big waves on St. Thomas or St. John. The biggest "waves" I saw were no more than a foot high, if that. You will not have a problem with swimming at any of the beaches there. The salt content is higher than that of stateside ocean beaches so you'll feel really bouyant.

 

Trunk Bay has very little surf. But it's the most popular beach on the island with tourists and cruise ship passengers so it will be very crowded this time of year. :eek: Cinnamon Bay is an excellent alternative but there are small waves there. Another alternative worth looking into would be Honeymoon Beach, which is accessible by a trail from the ferry dock in St. John.

 

I have photos of Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay here:

 

http://lrichters.smugmug.com/Travel/162954

[Serendipity43]

Linda,

 

I've taken a look at your photos (they are beautiful)! Can you advise as to how one gets from Saint Thomas to Saint John, and how from there they make it over to Leinster Bay? It's gorgeous (reminds me of the beaches in Greece).

 

Also, is the trail to Watermelon Cay clearly marked or easy enough to find? About how long is the swim?

 

Thank you!

[2Feathers]

Serendipity... Most cruise passangers stopping in St. Thomas take a taxi to Red Hook, then catch a ferry to get over to Cruz Bay, St. John. There you can hike to several beaches, rent jeeps and tour on your own, take a taxi to a beach or for an island tour, or rent a boat or dinghy and reach the island's beaches by sea.

 

Leinster Bay has to be reached either by jeep or taxi or boat. To get there by jeep/taxi, you drive to the Annaberg ruins site (about 20-30 minutes drive), and then take walk down a trail (about 8/10 mile). At the end of the trail, you can swim out to Waterlemon Cay. As you can see, its not the easiest place to reach, and certainly difficult if your only there for a one day cruise stopover, but if you can swing it, I would highly recommend it, as it probably has the best snorkeling on the island! Have fun!

[richtersl]

Linda,

 

I've taken a look at your photos (they are beautiful)! Can you advise as to how one gets from Saint Thomas to Saint John, and how from there they make it over to Leinster Bay? It's gorgeous (reminds me of the beaches in Greece).

 

Also, is the trail to Watermelon Cay clearly marked or easy enough to find? About how long is the swim?

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. :)

 

Waterlemon is gorgeous, but difficult to do as a cruise ship excursion because of the travel time involved. We visited there on a land-based vacation. From St. Thomas, it winds up being about a 4 hour round trip, including waiting times.

 

I remember reading two posts from folks who actually did it as an excursion:

 

One was from a young couple who rented a jeep for the day and even had time to have lunch at Coral Bay. They didn't mention which ship they were on, but it had to have been one that was docked in St. Thomas longer than the others. I can't imagine it having been a very relaxing day.

 

The second post came from folks who took a cab there and made arrangements with the cab driver to pick them up. The cab driver ran late and was not there at the designated time so they had to hitch a ride back to the ferry dock with someone. They almost missed the ferry ride back.

 

If I were to do it as a cruise ship excursion, I'd make sure my ship was docking at St. Thomas for at least a 10 hour period and then rent a jeep upon arrival at St. John.

[Serendipity43]

Everyone-

 

Thank you so much for your feedback. I think that may end up making both my DH and I stressed out unfortunately, however we're still thinking of going to the more readily accessed beaches of Saint John.

 

Trunk Bay Beach and Cinnamon Beach are close to the ferry, correct?

[richtersl]

Everyone-

 

Thank you so much for your feedback. I think that may end up making both my DH and I stressed out unfortunately, however we're still thinking of going to the more readily accessed beaches of Saint John.

 

Trunk Bay Beach and Cinnamon Beach are close to the ferry, correct?

 

Actually, Honeymoon Bay is the closest and walkable from the ferry dock. And, they have good snorkeling. :)

 

Depending on the the time of year Trunk Bay can be very crowded. I'd avoid it during the winter months when it will be packed with vacationers and cruise ship passengers. Cinnamon Bay is next door to Trunk and will not be nearly as crowded. Trunk and Cinnamon are about a 15-20 minute cab ride from the ferry dock. You can actually visit those two in one day. Walking is not recommended because a steep hill separates the two but they are a 5 minute cab ride apart.