It has been 3,008 days since Hurricane Irma closed the Caneel Bay Resort for good. Since then, little to no demolition has occurred on the property, and a redeveloper has yet to be publicly announced. I have reached out to the National Park Service (NPS) multiple times over the past few months, and have not received a response regarding the property’s future. The last correspondence I received was back in May. At that time, I was told that NPS was conducting “qualification reviews” and additional information would be released later that month or in June. That never happened.
So what it going on at Caneel Bay? Honestly, I don’t think many people know. The good news is that there is land access to several of its beaches, and all are accessible from the water. Here is a rundown of everything that’s currently accessible at Caneel Bay:
The Beaches
- Caneel Beach: Caneel Beach is the main beach that you can see from the overlook on Route 20. Caneel is a very calm, western-facing beach. This is one of the three beaches on the Caneel property that you can walk to. To access Caneel Beach, you can taxi to the entrance of the Caneel Bay Resort and walk in. You can also park on the property for free. The walk to Caneel Beach is less than five minutes from the parking lot. It’s probably a 10-minute walk from the entrance. There is a short set of stairs to walk down, and then it is a flat walk to the beach. Caneel Beach does not have any amenities other than three portable toilets, which are cleaned daily.
- Little Caneel Beach: Little Caneel Beach is located on the southern side of the dock. This can also be seen partially from the overlook. You can swim over to Little Caneel Beach from Caneel Beach. You can either swim around or under the dock. If you swim under the dock, be mindful of the rebar that extends down in a few places.
- Honeymoon Beach: Honeymoon Beach is accessible from the Lind Point Trail. If you start the trail from behind the Visitor Center in Cruz Bay, it is roughly a mile walk. If you start at the top of the hill near the Virgin Islands National Park sign at the entrance of the park on Route 20, it is roughly a 10-minute walk. That hike, however, is all downhill. You can also access Honeymoon Beach via taxi from the entrance of the Caneel Bay Resort. The taxi cost is $6 per person, per way. (Children under 12 are free when you purchase it online.) The taxi ride is less than 10 minutes. The Caneel Bay Beach Club is located at Honeymoon Beach. See below for more information on that. (Click here to read a 2022 post about the Lind Point Trail hike to Honeymoon Beach.)
- Salomon Beach: Salomon Beach is also accessible from the Lind Point Trail. It is a few minutes closer when hiking the trail from the Visitor Center in Cruz Bay. It is maybe five or so minutes longer when starting the hike from the top of the hill. There are no amenities here.
- Paradise Beach: This beach is only accessible by water. You can only go up to the high tide water line per Virgin Islands law. There are no amenities here.
- Scott Beach: This beach is only accessible by water. You can only go up to the high tide water line per Virgin Islands law. There are no amenities here.
- Turtle Bay Beach: This beach is only accessible by water. You can only go up to the high tide water line per Virgin Islands law. There are no amenities here.
- Little Hawksnest Beach: Little Hawksnest is located on the west side of Hawksnest Bay. If you are at Hawksnest and are looking at the water, this is the small beach to your left where you see some old hotel rooms with white roofs. These rooms can also be seen from The Windmill Bar. This beach is accessible by water. It is also accessible via a trickier rock scramble from Hawksnest Beach. There are no amenities here.
Amenities: Food & Beverage
- Caneel Bay Beach Club: The Caneel Bay Beach Club is located at Honeymoon Beach. The beach club has food and drink available for sale. They also rent lounge chairs, have restroom and shower facilities, as well as a small retail shop. The Caneel Bay Beach Club is located on the eastern side of the beach. If you plan to take the Lind Point Trail to Honeymoon, walk to the other end of the beach for the beach club.
- ZoZo’s: ZoZo’s is an upscale dinner restaurant located on Caneel Beach. It reopens for the season on Wednesday, December 10th.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.