Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The one thing Cinnamon is not great for is snorkeling, since the area lost much of its
underwater life in recent storms. Still, many visitors enjoy flippering around, and you can
rent snorkel gear ($7 per day) at the Beach Shop, just east from the Water Sports Center.
A small island - Cinnamon Cay - that you can swim to for sunbathing floats offshore.
Be careful during winter months, when wind and swells can roll in from the northeast.
Maho Bay
SNORKELING BEACH
Don't confuse Maho Bay beach with the small beach servicing Stanley Selengut's eco-tent
campground (
Click here
); that beach is Little Maho Bay and it's around the point to the
east. Maho Bay beach stretches along North Shore Rd east of Cinnamon Bay. Come here
for protected waters when other North Shore beaches are taking a beating from the north-
easterly winds and swells in winter. The calm and shallow water makes it a popular place
for families with young children. The snorkeling is over turtle-grass beds, where you might
see hawksbill and green turtles feeding in the early morning. Alas, the sand fleas are brutal
at Maho.
There are no facilities and no parking lot; just pull over at the side of the road and voilà
- you're at the beach.
Francis Bay
SECLUDED BEACH
A popular yacht anchorage because of the calm seas, this bay also boasts a long arch of
broad sand around its fringe. There are bathrooms, picnic tables and barbecue facilities
here, but few people. Francis Bay is a great beach for walking or embarking on a bird-rich
trail hike, and don't be surprised if you run into a clutch of wild donkeys, goats or even a
horse, which hang around to scavenge in the garbage cans. The southern end of the beach
toward Maho provides good snorkeling in shallow water with lots of little silvery fish. The
bay is also prime for sea turtle sightings.
To get here follow North Shore Rd (aka Rte 20) as it veers inland at Maho. After a short
stretch you'll come to a fork in the road. Veer left, and continue left when you come to the
shoreline road.
Leinster Bay
SNORKELING BEACH
This bay adjoins the grounds of the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins, and the beach has been
named Waterlemon Beach after an island in the bay. To get here, park in the plantation's lot
and follow the dirt road/trail around Leinster Bay. The sandy part of the beach is about 880
yards along the shore to the east.
