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Gorgeous Beaches With A Little Something Extra
What we found exploring more of the beaches on the US Virgin Islands
This is our third trip to the United States Virgin Islands in three years. We’ve found it a great place to get some warmth and sun and recharge during our cold Wisconsin winters.
All three years we’ve used the same resort on St. Thomas as our home base. It is on Sapphire Beach on the island’s East End, near Red Hook. The advantage to staying in the same place is mostly that it is only steps (not a drive) from the beach and we get to know the area.
From the start, we’ve traveled to St. John, by ferry, to get to some of the beaches within our National Park on the Virgin Islands. Two thirds of St. John is national parkland for the United States. It is a treasure.
Our first beach exposure on St. John was one we hiked to, called Honeymoon Beach. A mile hike through the dense tropical foliage from the town of Cruz Bay will get you to a stunningly beautiful beach. Soft white sand and clear turquoise waters great you as you emerge drench with sweat from the trail.
We went back to Honeymoon Beach last year and although it was still beautiful, resort staff made us feel unwelcome as we stepped onto the sand. Maybe they saw us hike in. I don’t know how they set us apart from the resort guests but they did.
Of course we had every right to be there, as it is a public beach but they treated us like intruders since we were not staying at the resort located behind the beach. We have not yet decided if we’ll return this year to Honeymoon.
The second year of our return to the Virgin Islands, 2024, we stayed for two weeks and had more time to explore. We went to Magen’s Bay, a beach on St. Thomas that…
