The US Virgin Islands are home to well known beaches like Magens Bay in St Thomas and Trunk Bay in St John. While these beaches are beautiful and relaxing we were on a quest to experience the hidden gems or secret beaches on the islands. We found secluded paradise at three beaches – Sandy Beach and Neltjeberg Beach in St Thomas and Little Cinnamon Beach in St John. This post shares how to visit Sandy Beach in St Thomas.
Disclaimer: This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase an item using one of our links we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
How to Visit A Secret Beach in St Thomas
Sandy Beach – Botany Bay – St Thomas
Sandy Beach is located in the private gated community of The Preserve at Botany Bay in St Thomas. This community is described as secret, secluded and a hidden gem. From Charlotte Amalie visitors can take Veterans Drive to Brewers Bay Road to Fortuna Drive. The drive to Botany Bay includes wonderful views of the Caribbean.
Directions from google maps will navigate visitors to the entrance to the gated community.
While visitors are not allowed to drive into the private community they can park alongside the road and walk through the gated entrance after checking in with the attendant.
The check in process requires a government issued photo identification. The attendant requires visitors to provide personal information on a tablet and a picture is taken of each visitors photo ID. A map is provided of the Preserve at Botany Bay to walk to Sandy Beach. Visitation hours are from 7 am to sunset. All visitors must sign back out at the Visitor’s Center by a certain time. The website states 7 pm but the map we were provided stated 6 pm when we visited.
Once through the gate visitors can view the area where Sandy Beach is located below and begin the walk to the beach.
The path is paved and pretty easy to follow. To access Sandy Beach follow the paved side walk and signs.
The walk is about 1 mile and does involve walking up and down steep hills. The road eventually curves around to a dead end with stairs that lead to the beach.
The sand is soft and the water a gorgeous blue. The beach did have many smooth rocks in the sand when we visited, but there was still a large sandy area for laying on the beach.
We spent about an hour at Sandy Beach and were the only people at the beach the entire time we were there. We enjoyed every minute on the beach and only left because we had plans to hike to Neltjeberg Beach the same day.
Tips for Visiting Sandy Beach
- Easy navigation to Botany Bay: Prior to traveling, download the Google map for St Thomas. This will allow a smart phone to utilize the Google map even if the phone does not have cell service or wifi.
- Access to Botany Bay: make sure to bring your photo ID. The Visitor’s Center attendant is required to take a photo of your ID. Visitors are not allowed beyond the gate without a valid ID. For additional information about Botany Bay access, visit the community’s website and download the Visitors Guide.
- Safety While Visiting: Visitors also must sign a liability waiver prior to entering Botany Bay. There are no lifeguards on duty, there are no public restrooms and there may be areas with no cell phone service. For all safety information visit the Botany Bay community’s website and download the Visitors Guide.
- Path to Sandy Beach: wear shoes that will provide support walking up and down steep hills. Bring protection from the sun (hats, sunscreen, etc). Bring snacks and water, especially on a sunny day.
- Time at Sandy Beach: wear a swimsuit if you plan to get in the water. Bring a camera to catch a few beautiful snapshots of this secluded paradise.
Our next two posts will share how to visit Neltjeberg Beach in St Thomas and Little Cinnamon Beach in St John. We did capture video footage of our adventures at Sandy Beach, Neltjeberg Beach and Little Cinnamon Beach. Check out our video below if you are looking for secluded experiences in the US Virgin Islands.
We also created travel vlogs for our time on St Thomas and St John:
If you enjoy our content let us know by sharing a comment and subscribing to our blog and YouTube Channel Explorcation.
To hear more about Jamie & Skylar’s journey, listen to the podcast interview on “If I Could Tell You One Thing”:
I need to be there for like 2 weeks!! Looks amazing! Great pictures! Thank you for sharing!
Right? A few days is not enough! We easily could have stayed for weeks 🙂 Thanks for the visit!
It looks like an amazing paradise. Funny, the last picture looks like Jamie is “packing heat”!, lol.
Oh my it does! I had to go look at the pic haha. It is actually a watch that takes the picture. Thanks for checking out our site!