Lime Out VI

Top choice in St John


What could be more gratifying than paddling into the turquoise sea, tying up your kayak or SUP to a floating solar-powered restaurant, swimming over to the bar and noshing on tacos packed with blackened tuna or rum-glazed ribs? Oh, and then there are the creative craft cocktails (served in reusable adult sippy cups). Make an afternoon of it!

Get here by renting a kayak or paddleboard on the beach at Hansen Bay. Better yet, set off from Haulover Bay with SolShine SUP for a more active adventure.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby St John attractions

1. Salt Pond Bay

2.95 MILES

Salt Pond Bay provides decent snorkeling in calm water. Keep an eye out for turtles. Two dandy trails take off from the beach's southern end: the Ram Head…

2. Leinster Bay

3.33 MILES

This bay adjoins the Annaberg mill ruins. Park in the plantation’s lot and follow the trail along the water for 25 minutes. Some of St John’s best…

3. Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins

3.92 MILES

Part of the national park, this site near Leinster Bay is home to the most intact sugar-plantation ruins in the Virgin Islands. A 30-minute self-directed…

4. Long Bay

3.94 MILES

Long Bay is an attractive 1-mile stretch of white sand well used by joggers and walkers. A top-end resort sits on the eastern portion, where you can get…

5. Smuggler’s Cove

4.03 MILES

Near the island’s northwestern tip, Smuggler’s is a gorgeous patch of sand that is lightly trod compared to its neighbors, as access is via a crazy-narrow…

6. Apple Bay

4.19 MILES

Apple Bay is long and narrow, and is known as the ‘surfing beach,’ especially from late December to March, when the consistent swells roll in. It’s not a…

7. Norman Island

4.56 MILES

Since 1843, legend has told that treasure is buried on Norman Island, supposedly the prototype for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. It fits the…

8. Maho Bay

4.7 MILES

The water here is shallow and less choppy than elsewhere (good for snorkeling and kids), and it’s a good bet you’ll see green sea turtles in the early…