Maho Bay Beach

Located on the northern part of the island of Saint John, Maho Bay Beach – also called Maho Beach – is a narrow 1,600-feet-long curve-shaped white sand beach with a few nearby rocks and reefs.  This beach is a part of a national park named Virgin Islands National Park.  TripAdvisor listed this beach as one of “the best 25 beaches in the Caribbean” as a part of its Travelers’ Choice awards of 2024.  In addition, Travel+Leisure magazine also praised this beach, and it is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The travel website theculturetrip.com also listed this St John beach as one of the most beautiful beaches of Saint John.

Although Maho Bay Beach does not have lifeguards, it has many other amenities, including restrooms, some gazebos, concession stands selling food and drinks, picnic tables, barbecue areas, and rental facilities for kayaks, canoes, and snorkel gear. Please note that picnic areas, gazebos, restrooms, and barbecue areas are located in the western part of the beach. 

Maho Bay Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, paddleboarding, boating, jet-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the shallow water here is usually calm.  In addition, it is also popular with snorkelers and scuba divers, who visit here to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity – the western part of the beach is ideal for beginner snorkelers.  This beach is a popular site for watching sea turtles and you can see many kinds of sea turtles at Maho Bay Beach.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or snorkel here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, some parts of the seafloor here can also be pebbly and this makes water activities difficult.  If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Maho Bay Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Caribbean Sea and the Saint John shoreline, especially at sunset.  There is also an observation area near the beach that offers amazing views.  

If you like shopping, there is a shopping site named Maho Crossroads near the beach – this site offers many interesting shopping stores and food truck options.

Although Maho Bay Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities, some of the restrooms here are wheelchair-accessible. 

Getting to Maho Bay Beach is easy – from the nearby town of Cruz Bay, you need to drive along a road named North Shore Road for approximately five miles.  After driving for five miles along North Shore Road, you will reach Maho Bay Beach.  There are a few free street parking spaces at the western end of this beach and a larger free parking lot at the eastern end of this beach.  We recommend visiting Maho Bay Beach early because it can get slightly crowded.  In addition, the parking area here sometimes gets quickly filled up, especially after 11 am.  Parking at Maho Bay Beach can get slightly difficult after this time.  In addition, we also recommend visiting here at low tide because at high tide some parts of this beach can get significantly submerged. 

Please also note that you need to apply reef-safe sunscreen while visiting here because sunscreen varieties that can harm the coral reefs are prohibited.  In addition, we also recommend carrying bug spray while visiting here because this beach can also sometimes have a lot of mosquitoes and sandflies.

The beach received its name – Maho Bay Beach – after the Maho tree, which is the local name of a plant named hibiscus tiliaceus.

There are many attractions near Maho Bay Beach St John.  Annaberg Plantation is a historic site that has the remnants of an 18th-century sugar plantation – this site has ruins of a windmill, a sugar factory, and an enslaved labourers’ village and it offers an interesting insight into the local history.  Trunk Bay Snorkel Trail is an underwater snorkeling trail that passes near many coral reefs within a bay named Trunk Bay – you can see many kinds of animals while snorkeling here including turtles, parrotfish, and barracuda.  Another popular attraction is the nearby town of Cruz Bay – this town offers a variety of fun shopping stores, restaurants, and art galleries.  Cinnamon Bay Beach is a popular nearby beach that  offers many fun activities including swimming, snorkeling, beachcombing, and kayaking – this beach also has a campsite, a makeshift museum, and a nearby hiking trail named the Cinnamon Bay Trail.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Bajo El Sol Gallery & Art Bar is an art gallery that features local artworks – in addition, this gallery also has a bar and it also hosts many fun events including artist talks, poetry readings, and film screenings.

If you are getting hungry, there are many great restaurants near Maho Bay Virgin Islands.  Paddle Inn Tiki Bar is a great bar near the beach that offers a variety of amazing cocktails and it also offers great snacks.  Rain Tree Cafe is a cafe that offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including seafood, eggplant, pancakes, and steaks.  Morgan’s Mango offers amazing Caribbean-style dishes including seafood, Cuban-style chicken, pork tenderloin, and Jamaican-style steak – it also offers refreshing cocktails and hosts live music performances.  The Windmill Bar is a restaurant and bar that has a windmill from the 18th century – it offers many amazing dishes including tacos, burgers, mac-and-cheese, and sandwiches and it also hosts live music events.  Greengos Cantina serves amazing Mexican-style dishes for lunch and dinner including burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and tacos – it also offers refreshing tequila.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Skinny Legs Bar and Grill has a relaxed ambiance and it offers outstanding burgers, chili, hot dog, and sandwiches – this restaurant has also been praised by Esquire magazine.

If you are looking for a hotel near Maho Bay Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star The Westin St. John Resort Villas offers a variety of amenities including a pool, a fitness center, a kids’ club, tennis courts, multiple restaurants, a spa, a pool, a hot tub, a playground, and a private beach area.  The Gallows Point Resort is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool with sun loungers, a terrace, a fitness center, a garden, barbecue areas, and a gift shop.  Another great nearby Maho Bay resort is the Grande Bay Resort that offers many amenities including a pool, a spa, a fitness center, and jeep rental facilities.  A more affordable accommodation option is the 3-Star Estate Lindholm that offers many amenities including a saltwater pool, watersports equipment and beach chair rental facilities, gardens, beach towels and beach chair loaner facilities, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Cinnamon Bay Resort & Campground that has interesting historic sites – this resort also has cottages and tent campsites and it offers many amenities including a restaurant, rental facilities for beach chairs and watersports equipment, a sundries store, and barbecue areas.