On the one way just down from St. John Car Rental and next door to Lucky Chops, Baby’s Mini Mart has everything from ice to gum, cold beer to batteries. Stop in when walking through town to grab that last minute thing you forgot or ran out of.
Beach Bum
Just 20 feet off the ferry dock is a staircase that will take you up to Beach Bum where you will find beach rental gear including snorkels, masks, fins, rental GoPro cameras, tents and more.
VI Body Wellness Spa
VI Body Spa offers Massages, Facials, and Nails in their Cruz Bay location or they will come to the villa to treat our guests to some relaxing treatments.
Tap & Still
Morgan's Mango
La Tapa
Banana Deck
Great spot right in Cruz Bay, looking out over the Beach Bar, the Banana Deck serves up some amazing steaks, seafood dishes, excellent salads, and, of course, drinks of your choosing from behind the bar. It’s a great place to just relax in the shade on a lazy afternoon or hit them up Sunday and enjoy the Bloody Mary Bar. You can pay for one drink and mix your own Bloody Mary, Screwdriver or other drink - or pay a little more for unlimited trips back to this DIY bar.
Cruz Bay Landing
A staple of Steve’s for years for some great, early morning breakfasts (they open at 7am), nice lunch in the park, and even happy hour and dinner. Todd, Boo, and the rest of the crew serve with a smile and we keep coming back.
Also a great first stop when you get off the ferry and last stop before you board to (sadly) go home.
Longboard
They call it a coastal cantina. We call it asian fusion relaxation location. Delicious rice bowls, tacos, sushi rolls, queso dip, fresh fish ceviche, and a great drink menu of custom concoctions including 2 slushy machine favorites: frozen painkiller and passionfruit froze.
Follow them on Instagram and get $5 off your next visit!
Cafe Roma
Chris' Limo & Taxi Service on St. Thomas
With multiple passenger vans in his fleet, Chris can arranged to pick up your entire group at the airport for your trip over to the ferry and at the ferry docks for your trip home.
St. John Car Rental
The owners of St. John Car Rental are close friends of ours and we spent almost a year renting from them monthly while we helped the villa and island recover from the storm AND then purchased Great Expectations. We can’t recommend them highly enough. Their office is a flat walk from the Cruz Bay ferry docks. Their staff helps you with a smile. Their vehicles are cleaned and serviced and their prices are competitive. With over 80 vehicles in their fleet - from 2 door Jeep Wranglers to 6+ passenger Ford Explorers - so long as you plan far enough ahead, they will have your vehicles waiting for you.
Caneel Bay Beach
Located within the (still closed) Caneel Bay Resort, Caneel Bay Beach faces west. Since the resort remains closed, this beach is only accessible via hiking trail.
Brown Bay
A 20 minute hike from the main road to find this sandy spit of beach. The trail path goes up hill and then over the crest and then down hill for another 10 minutes or so to the water’s edge. You should be able to find a shady place to rest along the sandy and pebbly shoreline. Chances are pretty good that you will be able to enjoy the beach in privacy.
You will find decent snorkeling along the eastern side of the bay. If you have energy left for more exploring look for the ruins on the western side of the beach.
South Haulover Beach
Just south of North Haulover Beach and on the other side of the road, the sandy beach is worth the drive out to the East End to get some serious private beach time. South Haulover’s water is strikingly blue, with reefs on both sides of a deeper channel coming in the center.
North Haulover Beach
North Haulover beach has great snorkeling and hiking and you will find it just off East End Road (which is a great drive as well).
Hansen Bay (Vies Beach)
Located right next to the former Vie’s Snack Shack, Hansen Beach is a wonderful spot to get away from it all. Check out this photo by St John beach guide to really appreciate how wonderful a spot this is. For a small fee of $3, they offers parking and a beach chair. Hansen Bay has the soft white silky sand that St John is known for. It also has a very easy and shallow entrance so it is a good option for the little ones or those who are not great swimmers. Most days it also offers lots of protection from big waves but, make sure you bring lots of sunscreen as there is one large area with shade up near the picnic tables.
Often moored off the beach is the new floating taco bar Lime Out. Due to safety concerns they do not let you swim out, but there are plenty of kayaks and SUPS for rent on the beach.
Because this is a private beach, there are some other fun things: pickup barbecues on some Sundays and dogs are allowed (always on their leash).
Great Lameshur Bay
This cobblestone beach is more out of the way and less traveled than its’ neighbor to the west — the sandy Little Lameshur beach. Locals and very experienced snorkelers are the most often visitors to this out of the way beach
Cruz Bay
The beach located in front of Cruz Bay’s Wharfside Village commercial area is home to many moored charter boats, deck chairs, The Terrace, Banana Deck, The Beach Bar dinner seating, Dr!nk & Rum Hut bar seating, High Tide, not to mention a whole lot of nighttime hanging around. As of Jul 11, 2019, Beach Bar & Rum Hut are still not completed.
Not really meant for swimming and sunning, but you’re in the islands – do what you have to do! It is the happenin’ place to be if you want to enjoy sunsets with other like minded limin’ people many of whom will be roaming the beach and visiting some of the many shops or restaurants which line the harbor.
Cruz Bay harbor is the main people ferry dock that can take you to St. Thomas and the BVIs. The northern section of Cruz Bay harbor is home to the Virgin Islands National Park offices and is where the water taxis load and unload their passengers.
Cruz Bay is also home to The Battery which is where you will find many of the USVI government offices and the US Customs office (where you will arrive when coming from the British Virgin Islands), which is currently under renovations.
Cinnamon Bay
Cinnamon Bay is another National Park beach with multiple services (like Trunk Bay) including fixed tent and adobe camping and a full-service restaurant. There is plenty of parking and a complete water sport rental shop on the beach for everything from snorkel gear to paddle boards.
Cinnamon Bay beach is wide providing lots of opportunity for building sand castles and playing frisbee. There are also plenty of places to find a shady spot, if that is your preference. Good snorkeling can be found at both ends of the beach as well as out around the island off the beach. As with virtually all the National Park beaches, Cinnamon is a wonderful spot for the little ones who are just learning to swim. The shallow entrance, silky sand, and clear, clear water allow for people to see fish while still in very shallow waters.
The Cinnamon Bay self-guided trail offers boardwalk access which meanders through the historic ruins. You can find the trail entrance located across from the exit gate of the Cinnamon Bay Campground. There is great wildlife to be found as well as ruins left by the Danish settlers which can be seen along the trails, including the ruins of the original Cinnamon Bay sugar mill.
Taxis are readily available to transport people to and from Cruz Bay.
NOTE: Since the hurricanes of 2017, the services at Cinnamon Bay are limited. There is no fixed building camping and limited tent space camping.