Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
snorkeling off the east point. You must sign in at the guardhouse when you enter the resort
property, and pay $10 if you're parking.
Travelers can use the hotel's restaurants and bars. Joggers sometimes come to the beach,
then jog the resort grounds and trails before returning for a dip. Because the resort has so
many beaches and the grounds are so expansive, all the beaches are tranquil. Beach chairs
are for resort guests only.
Hawksnest Bay
FAMILY BEACH
The bay here is dazzling to behold, a deep circular indentation between hills with a broken
ring of sand on the fringe. Because the main beach lies right along North Shore Rd and is
the closest public beach you can reach by car from Cruz Bay, it can get busy, particularly
after school when young St Johnians come to cool off. On winter mornings, Hawksnest is
at its quietest and shadiest.
There are changing facilities, picnic tables and barbecue pits. Snorkelers will find the
reef just a few strokes off the central beach. If you prefer to be alone, swim around the
rocks at the west end of the beach to a secluded strand tucked under a cliff. You can make
a similar swim at the east end of the main beach to Oppenheimer's Beach.
PEACE HILL
Pull over when you see the Peace Hill sign shortly after driving past Hawksnest Bay.
If you're willing to walk about 200 yards you'll be rewarded with moody ruins of an
old windmill and superb views out to sea. A statue of Jesus once 'lorded' over the
hill, but Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 proved to be the stronger force. Look for the
plaque marking his former post.
Oppenheimer's Beach
SECLUDED BEACH
Also called Little Hawksnest and Gibney's, this strand lies on the eastern edge of Hawk-
snest Bay. To get here, take the dirt road to the left just after you pass the public beach
at Hawksnest (it'll be about 530 yards, or the third driveway). Go through the gate and
down the driveway to reach the shore. This is not a National Park Service beach. The land
