Secret Beaches and Coves in the US Virgin Islands You Can Only Reach by Boat

Spend a day discovering the blissful beaches and coves by chartering a yacht.

On the west side of the Great St James Island, Christmas Cove is a popular anchorage – a short sail from the marinas at Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie. The bluest of waters lure swimmers and snorkelers happy to spot conch and sea turtles, particularly around the island’s southern point, known as the Stragglers. Hungry? Place an order with Pizza Pi, a floating pizza restaurant anchored in the cove.

Lying 1.5mi (2.4km) off the northeast coast of St Croix, uninhabited Buck Island offers more than palm trees and white sand – the Buck Island Reef National Monument protects the island and its surrounding waters home to a vital ecosystem. Charter yachts make daily runs here from Christiansted Harbor, but you can also sail a private boat to hike, follow an underwater snorkel trail over the reef or picnic on the broad sands of Turtle Beach.

This historic dot in the middle of Charlotte Amalie Harbor was once a peninsula connected to the western edge of St Thomas. The short paddle across the channel from Frenchtown reveals ruins from early 19th-century English fortifications – along with a former marine railway, hiking trails to old British and Danish forts and several small beaches offering the winning combination of swimming and snorkelling.

Mermaid’s Chair is a slender strip of sand on the western tip of St Thomas, forming a heavenly connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. You can come on foot via a rugged, 3.6mi (5.8km) hike through a private community, but most people arrive by boat to enjoy this secluded beach facing the calm waters of Sandy Bay. Check your tide charts, though – the narrow beach can sometimes become covered at high tide.

This tiny photogenic dot of land in Leinster Bay sits in the middle of a spectacular coral reef creating excellent snorkelling. Thanks to the protection offered by Virgin Islands National Park, these waters are full of sea turtles and other marine life. Back on dry land, hikers love the trail around the bay – perfect for exploring the nearby Annaberg Plantation ruins.

The shallow waters surrounding this small island near Caneel Bay provide excellent visibility for snorkelling over tropical reefs teeming with corals and colourful fish – be mindful of the current, which is strong at times. Soak up the serenity of Scott Beach after a hike around the island, where plantation owners sent their families during the 1733 slave revolt. The wreckage of a plane that crashed here in the 1940s – flown by the then owner’s son – is still visible at the highest point.

Great Hans Lollik and Little Hans Lollik are a pair of privately owned, uninhabited islands in Coconut Bay. Great Hans Lollik – the larger of the two – is home to Coconut Beach, a golden crescent-shaped beach with excellent snorkelling in clear waters in a remote setting despite being just off the coast of St Thomas. Little Hans Lollik has a small, sandy beach that’s even less visited.

The 5mi (8km) Reef Bay Trail is one of the best hikes in the Virgin Island National Park – a rugged path that leads past petroglyphs and the ruins of a sugar mill before reaching uninhabited Genti Bay. Most hikers arrange pickup by boat in the bay rather than facing the long uphill hike back to the trailhead – but if you’re one of the two-day moorings in the bay, enjoy the short stroll to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill ruins, just behind the beach.

Spend a day discovering the blissful beaches and coves.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.