This article was originally posted on Dec. 22, 2022. Food and beverage is now available at the beach club.
It took a little bit longer than expected, but the Caneel Bay Beach Club at Honeymoon has finally opened! And I have to say, the place looks great.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Honeymoon beach, it’s located within the Caneel Bay property on St. John’s north shore. Caneel Bay was a beautiful resort that has been closed since Hurricane Irma back in 2017. Since then, the future of Caneel Bay, the resort, remains in limbo. The Caneel Bay Beach Club is not affiliated with the resort. It is simply leasing the space from its current operators. Ok, now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s get to the details!
The Caneel Bay Beach Club is now offering upscale services to guests visiting Honeymoon beach. Guests can choose the full day beach experience which includes round-trip shuttle service from the entrance of Caneel Bay to Honeymoon beach, a lounge chair, a luxurious terry velour beach towel, unlimited drinking water served in a reusable cup and a personal beach attendant. The beach club attendant will assist in getting food and beverage, and they will also offer cold towels a la the old Caneel days. The cost of the full day beach experience is $150 per person. Children 12 and under are free.
Guests can also opt for a full day cabana rental. Cabanas includes four chaise lounges and a living room-like setup, beach towels, a bottle of wine and an ice chest, unlimited drinking water served in a reusable cup and a personal beach attendant. The cost of a cabana rental is $800 for the day for up to four guests. Each cabana has a seven guest limit, and each additional guest costs $150. Groups of eight or more will have to rent additional cabanas.
Want to experience the Caneel Bay Beach Club, but you don’t want to commit to a full day? You can purchase hourly concierge services – a lounge chair, beach towel, unlimited drinking water and a beach attendant – for $25 an hour up to six hours. If you opt for the hourly option, but choose to stay longer than six hours, the beach club will honor the full day rate of $150. The hourly option does not include the shuttle transportation.
Now I know that many of you probably want to know more about the shuttle service. The shuttle from the entrance of Caneel Bay is available to everyone, even those who choose to visit Honeymoon, but do not want to partake in the beach club’s offerings. The only caveat here is that if the Caneel Bay Beach Club feels that it has reached its capacity for the day, it will no longer offer shuttle services to new, non-beach club guests wanting to visit Honeymoon. Transportation to and from Honeymoon can be reserved in advance by non-beach club guests.
Now let’s chat about food and beverage. The food will be provided by ZoZo’s, which is also located on the grounds of Caneel Bay. They will begin serving food “soon,” and here is a sneak peek of the menu:
Mark Snyder – the owner of the Caneel Bay Beach Club, not to be confused with Mark Snider, the owner of the Lovango Resort & Beach Club – is proud to offer a robust beverage program at the beach club, which will include organic, local fruits and a great wine list, among other things. They will even have a coconut cart onsite where guests can enjoy fresh coconut, fresh coconut water or perhaps even a cocktail or mocktail inside of a coconut. Here is a sample of their beverage offerings:
The beach club will offer additional wines by the glass, as well as bottles of wine and champagne. Bottles are also available to go.
For those of you who would like to enjoy Honeymoon beach without being involved in the beach club, you are more than welcomed to do so. You can purchase food and/or drinks, use the restrooms and showers, or shop in the new gift shop. You can even pop in for a sunset drink or two at the end of the day.
“All of the beaches are public. People are welcome to come and use the beach,” owner Mark Snyder said. “We aren’t trying to force people to spend a lot of money if they do not want to. That being said, like any beach club experience, we are trying to keep the environment a classy, calm, curated experience. People are welcome to come and not partake in the beach club experience.”
The Caneel Bay Beach Club is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until sunset. For more information or to book a full day beach experience, a cabana or the shuttle, you can do so online at www.caneelbaybeachclub.com.
(End note: This is not a paid post. I simply write about things I find to be fun & interesting. I hope you’re enjoying Island Tidbits.)
Good morning. Is there a charge for the shuttle if you’re not purchasing services?
Good morning. Is there a charge for the shuttle if you’re not purchasing services?
Hello Karen, yes there is. It is $12 roundtrip.
Thanks Jenn! & Merry Christmas !
After owning a house on St John for 20 years we sold it in 2019. We had been visiting the island for 12 years before we built. It broke my heart to sell it and “ leave” the island . Your articles are wonderful ! The Honeymoon beach one makes me want to jump on a plane! Maybe next year.
Thanks Jenn! & Merry Christmas !
After owning a house on St John for 20 years we sold it in 2019. We had been visiting the island for 12 years before we built. It broke my heart to sell it and “ leave” the island . Your articles are wonderful ! The Honeymoon beach one makes me want to jump on a plane! Maybe next year.
This sounds fantastic, can’t wait to visit for a day. Menu looks delish! Would love to escape the bomb cyclone Winter storm here in Ohio right now.
Jenn: I had read earlier that the beach club would not allow outside food and drinks, but I don’t see anything on their website that addresses bringing your own food and drink. Do you know what their position is? We’ve always enjoyed Honeymoon beach, but it I’m skeptical about whether this is a good thing or not.
PS – So glad to see you writing again!
Nevermind…I found the answer on the website. You cannot bring your own chair or cooler via the shuttle. You have to hike in to bring your own stuff. Not a fan.
Hi Greg, thank you so much for reading! I’m glad you found me here. 🙂
I’ve seen mixed opinions on this, so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out.
I’m my opinion this is taking away from the DIY way of STJ. I want to enjoy the simple beauty of the beaches and not have to pay exorbitant prices for luxury services
I’m my opinion this is taking away from the DIY way of STJ. I want to enjoy the simple beauty of the beaches and not have to pay exorbitant prices for luxury services.
I dont see why i cant bring a small cooler with waters and snacks. This is a rip off. They are taking the beach away from people who just want to enjoy the water and not pay exorbitant prices for fancy food and drinks !
Merry Christmas everyone! Can we walk to Honeymoon from the trail from Caneel or is it that trail only accessible by shuttle? We used to hike Caneel Hill and walk to beach after. Can we do that now?
Merry Christmas! The only way to walk in is via the Lind Point trail. The operators of the Caneel Bay Resort are not allowing anyone to walk in from the entrance.
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