Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beaches
Your real selection starts about 1 mile north of town on the North Shore;
Click here
for de-
tails.
Frank Bay (Cruz Bay Beach)
ACTIVITIES BEACH
True, the beach hardly compares to those on the North Shore, but it's an easy walk from
town and a pretty place to watch the sun set. There's decent snorkeling off the point near
the desalination plant. To avoid the coral, enter the water at the beach's less-rocky south
end, near the pipes that go to the plant. Be careful of speedboats and the wake from passing
ferries.
To get here, head south of town past Wharfside Village and the Gallows Point Resort and
down the hill. Along the road, you will see a thin beach with a few coconut palms. Beach
houses line the other side of the street, and the island's desalination plant chugs along at the
far end of the beach. There's also an open-air restaurant cooking up traditional West Indian
fare at the south end.
Great Cruz Bay
RESORT BEACH
Broad but short, Great Cruz Bay fronts the Westin Resort. The water is calm and great for
swimming; it's not so great for snorkeling due to cloudiness. Non-resort guests are wel-
come to use the beach and its water-sport rentals, restaurants and bar by the pool, though
the lounge chairs are for guests only. The beach is about 1.5 hilly miles south of Cruz Bay
via Rte 104 (Southside Rd); look for the Westin sign and park in the resort lot.
Activities
Diving & Snorkeling
St John has cool dive sites, all of which are accessed by boat, including wreck dives on the
General Rogers
and RMS
Rhone
. A two-tank trip including gear costs around $95 (about
$160 to the
Rhone
, plus a $25 British Virgin Islands customs fee). The following shops
in Cruz Bay also offer dive certification, as well as snorkel-gear rental ($8 to $10 per day
for a full set) and snorkeling boat trips (half/full day including gear around $65/125) that
