Honeymoon Beach, St. John Overview
Honeymoon Beach (located next to Salomon Beach) is one of the most beautiful and popular beaches in Virgin Islands National Park on St. John. Honeymoon Beach is home to some of the last remaining leaning palms the island as once famous for prior to Hurricane Maria in 2017 along with crystal blue waters, white sands, along with a snack shack (that has booze).
Honeymoon Beach is located adjacent to the currently-shuttered, luxurious Caneel Bay Resort.
In this post we’ll cover everything you need to know about Honeymoon Beach and the hike to them including:
- Honeymoon Beach Tips & Things to Know
- Honeymoon Beach Trail Information (Lind Point Trail)
- Best time to visit Honeymoon Beach
- Honeymoon Beach Snorkeling
- Getting to Honeymoon Beach
- Honeymoon Beach post-hurricane Maria
- Photos of Honeymoon Beach, Salomon Beach, & Lind Point Trail
Honeymoon Beach – Virgin Islands National Park, St. John USVI
Things to Know Before Visiting Honeymoon Beach
Closed-toed sandals or hiking boots are your friend.
- FOOTWEAR: We recommend wearing hiking sandals or shoes for the hike down to the beach. Most of the trail is rocky and root-filled which could cause problems for folks wearing flip flops.
Do not touch our dear friend, the sea turtle.
- Sea Turtles: Green Sea Turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Believe it or not it is a felony to touch one. As tempting as it might be, resist the urge and admire from a distance. We’ve all gotten pretty good at social distancing – best to apply these practices to our sea turtle friends as well.
Goggles and flippers for the win.
- SNORKEL GEAR: There is an actual underwater trail in Virgin Islands National Park – how cool is that? In order to best experience it along with so many other amazing underwater spots, you need snorkel gear! This is the inexpensive set we used. We also liked this cool American Flag swimming cap
Underwater camera housing… to ruin, or not to ruin.
- UNDERWATER CAMERA HOUSING: So here we must add the caveat that we lost a camera to the depths in Virgin Islands National Park (at Maho Bay). Anytime you get your camera near water, let alone saltwater, you’re taking a risk. With that being said we have used this underwater camera housing in the past and had luck with it.
Please, Wear Sunscreen.
- SUNSCREEN: Many sunscreens have been outlawed in the Virgin Islands due to reef-damaging ingredients. Goes without saying but we’ll say it anyway – wear sunscreen! The Caribbean is unforgiving on unprotected skin. We’ve made that mistake enough times to make lathering up a top priority. We highly recommend this one (which is reef-safe).
Rash guards are great for extra UV protection, especially after that inevitable burn.
- RASH GUARD: We were told to be sure and pack rash guards for this trip not so much for the coral etc but for extra UV protection (especially for Will who burns easily). We got these inexpensive ones off amazon and we were sure glad to have them.
Where to Stay
Visiting Virgin Islands National Park? If you haven’t decided where to stay (yet) check out our helpful guide on visiting Virgin Islands National Park for tips. Don’t have time? Here’s our favorite place to stay on St John.
Due to the long term closure of Caneel Bay (the only resort in the park destroyed by the 2017 hurricanes) and the ensuing battle with the park service over the future management of the property, the closest hotels & resorts are back in Cruz Bay.
Best Time to Visit Honeymoon Beach
The best time to visit Honeymoon Beach is in the morning around to claim a good spot on the beach before it fills up. This beach is an idyllic setting to spend a day relaxing.
Getting to Honeymoon Beach
The Trailhead to Honeymoon Beach is a 2 minute drive from Cruz Bay where the main island ferry lands. To get to the trailhead folks can drive and park or just walk from Cruz Bay.
Honeymoon Beach itself can either be accessed by water via a boat or the Lind Point Trail.
Honeymoon Beach Trail Info (Lind Point Trail)
The Lind Point Trail to Honeymoon Beach is a lovely trail that starts in Cruz Bay at the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center and takes hikers to Salomon Beach and then Honeymoon Beach. The trail is 1 mile each way and is a bit rocky and root-filled so be sure to wear hiking sandals or shoes.
Lind Point Trail Length: 1 mile each way
Time Needed: 30mins
Snorkeling Honeymoon Beach
Honeymoon Beach offers warm, crystal clear waters making for fun snorkeling opportunities. The ocean bottom is mostly sandy with occasional sea turtles, rays, and more.
If you’re looking for snorkel gear this is the inexpensive set we used. We also liked this cool American Flag swimming cap!
If you’re looking for an underwater camera rig, we used this underwater camera housing in the past and had luck with it.
Snorkeling gear is available at the seasonal snack shack at Honeymoon Beach.
Best Photo Spots Honeymoon Beach
The best spot to photograph Honeymoon Beach is from the beach itself taking advantage of some of the last remaining leaning palms on the island since Hurricane Maria struck in 2017.
Honeymoon Beach After Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria had a devastating impact on the Caribbean islands, especially St. John, home to Virgin Islands National Park. Many of the photos of the park you’ll find feature locations that have been totally changed since the hurricane hit the island in 2017.
With that being said, Honeymoon Beach is one of the few spots that was left with leaning palms and is still stunningly beautiful – well worth the trip!
*all of our photos of the park feature it in its current condition, post-2017 hurricane Maria damage
Nearby Honeymoon Beach
There are many amazing spots near Honeymoon Beach including: America Hill Ruins, Maho Bay, Trunk Bay, Annaberg Ruins, Cinnamon Bay, and Francis Bay.
Experience Virgin Islands National Park in 8K
VIRGIN ISLANDS 8K is a visually stunning journey through one of the most beautiful national parks in the world, Virgin Islands. Journey with More Than Just Parks as we explore this tropical paradise located on the outskirts of the Caribbean Sea.
Swim with sea turtles, explore ancient jungle ruins, relax on white sand beaches, and soak in the island beauty. This is Virgin Islands National Park.
Getting to Virgin Islands National Park
Closest Airport: STT – Cyril E. King Airport (distance – 13 miles from Cruz Bay)
The fastest way to get to Virgin Islands National Park is by plane, flying into St. Thomas’s Cyril E. King Airport Airport. Cyril E King Airport on the neighboring island of St Thomas (also part of the US Virgin Islands so no passport required for Americans) is the closest (and most affordable) place to fly into to get to Virgin Islands National Park.
Rental Car: St Thomas (Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, Dollar, more)
Ferry to St. John
Ferry: After flying in to St. Thomas you’ll need to catch a ferry over to St. John. This can be done in one of two places currently: Charlotte Amalie, or Red Hook (furthest from the airport but closest to St John). The cost per adult to ride the ferry is $20 each way.
Best Time to Visit Virgin Islands National Park
The best season to visit Virgin Islands National Park is Winter when temperatures are still warm and both humidity and crowds are down.
Winter is also known as the rainy season but rain typically comes and goes quickly in the Virgin Islands. This is a great time of year to visit as well as winter marks the end of Hurricane season.
Who doesn’t dream of tropical islands during the dead of winter? Can’t just be me…
I would recommend visiting anytime between December through April.
Driving in Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park has no official park shuttle to get around the park. To get around the park visitors will need to bring their own mode of transportation.
Currently a car is the best mode of transport in the park and can tourists not from the island should find a rental car from St Thomas and take the ferry to St John.
Alternatively, there are a few taxi services that operate on the island, mostly open air “safari-style” vehicles. Many of these taxis run on a fairly regular basis from Cruz Bay to many of the top tourist spots on St. John.
Helpful Related Articles
Virgin Islands National Park Guide: Epic Guide to Virgin Islands National Park
Things to Do Virgin Islands: 12 Amazing Things to Do in Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands Facts: 10 Interesting Facts About Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands Seasons: Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter
Virgin Islands Locations Worth Exploring:
Trunk Bay, Maho Bay, America Hill Ruins, Honeymoon Beach, Waterlemon Cay, Reef Bay Trail, Francis Bay, Annaberg Ruins, Whistling Cay, Catherineberg Ruins, Ram Head, Caneel Hill Trail
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