The Beaches of St. Croix: Our Favorites & How to Choose

Ask ten people on St. Croix to name their favorite beach and you may get ten different answers.

Some are best for snorkeling. Some for swimming. Some have beach bars and chairs steps from the water; others reward you with an almost-empty stretch of sand after a hike in the sun.

We have our favorites—and one very clear favorite.

Cane Bay Beach: The One We Love Most

We may be biased, but if we could choose only one beach on St. Croix, it would be Cane Bay Beach.

When we're at Oceans, this is how we start almost every day. After coffee, we make the lovely eight-minute walk from the villa to Cane Bay and swim or snorkel for a quarter to half a mile.

Mornings are our favorite time. The beach is usually at its quietest, the water tends to be calm, and the small group of regulars who gather here in the mornings couldn't be friendlier.

And then there is what's beneath the water.

Just beyond the first reef, swim east along the outside of the reef and you'll reach an area locals call the Fish Hotel. Hundreds of juvenile fish congregate here, along with an ever-changing cast of larger residents. We've seen sea turtles, pufferfish, squid, lobsters and eels, along with schools of colorful reef fish and plenty of parrotfish.

No boat. No excursion. Just walk down the road, put on a mask and swim out from the beach.

Back on shore, Cane Bay has another advantage: it's easy. There are plentiful shade trees, and The Landing Beach Bar provides beach chairs and WiFi, so Oceans guests don't need to lug chairs back and forth from the villa.

By the time we've swum, walked the beach and made the eight-minute walk home, our exercise rings are usually closed for the day.

Not a bad way to start a morning.

Best for: Morning swims, snorkeling, shade and an easy beach day close to Oceans.

From Oceans: Go early. Cane Bay is at its most peaceful in the morning, and that's when we love it most.

Rainbow Beach: For Effortless Swimming

When we want to spend a day on the west end, Rainbow Beach is our pick.

One of the remarkable things about Rainbow is how protected the water can feel. Even when the wind is howling elsewhere, we've arrived to find Rainbow looking like a swimming pool—calm, crystal clear and that almost impossible Caribbean turquoise.

It's also one of the easiest beaches on the island for making a day of it.

Rhythms at Rainbow Beach is right there, with food, drinks and beach concessions, and sometimes live music. You can swim, have lunch, order a cocktail and settle in without needing to bring your entire beach setup with you.

We especially like Rainbow as a reward after hiking out to the Ham's Bluff Lighthouse. Do the hot, rugged part first. Then head to Rainbow, get in that beautiful water and have lunch at Rhythms.

Best for: Calm swimming, turquoise water, a west-end beach day and combining the beach with lunch and drinks.

From Oceans: Pair it with a morning hike to Ham's Bluff Lighthouse. You'll appreciate that first swim even more.

Sandy Point: For Sheer Beauty

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge is something completely different.

The beach is vast, wild and gorgeous. There are no restaurants, no beach bars, no rows of chairs—and that's exactly the point.

But Sandy Point requires a little more planning than the typical St. Croix beach day.

Access is limited, generally to weekends during the season when sea turtle nesting doesn't require the beach to be closed. There are no amenities and essentially no shade. Expect plenty of walking, and because of protections for the beach and nesting habitat, you can't simply sink a beach umbrella into the sand.

Come prepared for sun and bring plenty of water. Oceans provides beach towels and beach chairs for guests to take along when exploring the island, but keep in mind that you cannot sink an umbrella into the sand at Sandy Point.

In other words, don't arrive expecting Rainbow Beach.

Come prepared and enjoy one of the most spectacular undeveloped beaches on St. Croix.

Best for: Natural beauty, long walks and experiencing St. Croix without development.

From Oceans: Check that Sandy Point is open before making the drive, and plan around the sun. This isn't the beach we'd choose for an all-day lounge without shade.

Dorsch Beach: A Relaxed Frederiksted Beach Day

For another west-end option, we like Dorsch Beach, particularly because of the amenities available around Sand Castle on the Beach.

The water along this stretch of the west end is often calm and inviting, and having food, drinks and other amenities nearby makes Dorsch an easy choice when you want a comfortable beach day without carrying everything with you.

It's a nice middle ground: beautiful west-end water with more convenience than a completely undeveloped beach.

Best for: An easy west-end beach day with amenities close at hand.

From Oceans: If convenience matters as much as the beach itself, we'd choose Dorsch over one of the more remote beaches.

Jack & Isaac's: Beautiful, But You'll Work for It

Jack and Isaac Bays regularly appear on lists of St. Croix's most beautiful beaches, and with good reason.

They're secluded, undeveloped and wonderfully peaceful.

But this is one beach where we think visitors should understand the tradeoff before deciding to go.

From Oceans, it's a long drive to the east end, followed by a hike down to the beach carrying whatever you plan to use for the day. There's no shade on the hike and essentially none once you reach the beach. There are no concessions waiting for you, either.

For some people, that's exactly the appeal. Pack light, bring plenty of water, make the hike and you may be rewarded with a gorgeous beach that feels far removed from the busier parts of the island.

For others, there are equally beautiful ways to spend a beach day on St. Croix with considerably less effort.

Best for: Seclusion, hiking and travelers who enjoy earning their beach.

From Oceans: It's beautiful, but we wouldn't make this your only St. Croix beach day. Go because you want the hike and the remoteness as much as you want the beach.

So, Which Beach Should You Choose?

If you're staying at Oceans, we'd make Cane Bay your everyday beach. Walk down in the morning, swim or snorkel, say hello to the regulars and see what's happening at the Fish Hotel.

When you want to explore farther afield, choose based on the kind of day you want:

• Rainbow Beach for ridiculously clear, calm water with food, drinks and an easygoing beach-bar atmosphere.
• Sandy Point for the wildest and most spectacular stretch of sand.
• Dorsch Beach for west-end beauty with convenient amenities.
• Jack & Isaac's for seclusion and an adventure getting there.

You don't need to visit every beach on St. Croix to feel as though you've experienced the island.

In fact, one of our favorite things about staying at Oceans is realizing that you don't have to go anywhere at all.

Some mornings, the best beach on St. Croix is just an eight-minute walk away.

The Oceans Take

We've explored beaches all over St. Croix, but Cane Bay is the one that has become part of our life here.

There's something wonderful about finishing your coffee, grabbing a mask and walking down to the water without getting into a car. We never know exactly what we'll see—the Fish Hotel teeming with hundreds of little fish, a turtle gliding past, a pufferfish tucked near the reef, or maybe something we've never seen there before.

Then we swim back, walk home and get on with the day.

For us, that's hard to beat.