cinnamon bay

the beach was wide and sandy, with nice amenities of the national park service such as water, toilets/showers, visitors center. When I went it was more in the afternoon on a weekday so it didn't seem crowded at all. just across the street from the entrance to the beach, there is a cool part of the park where you can see the old ruins of old sugar can factories too so be sure to check that out too.

We love Cinnamon Bay. It is one of the longest beaches in St. John. It is also wider than most. It has a great view of Cinnamon Cay and Peter Bay estates. You can also see Jost Van Dyke in the distance. There are facilities here. Restrooms, showers and foot showers. There is a small gift shop that has some beach gear and necessities. You can also rent paddelboards, kayaks, hobie sailboat, and skimboards There is also a restaurant. When we were here we didn't eat but have eaten in the past and thought it was convenient and fine. On this day we spent 3 hours around the corner on the right side of the beach. This is were the beach is the longest and you can have more space. It is one of the nicest walking beaches on the island.

With all of the beautiful beaches in St. John it's very difficult to pick a favorite but we definitely enjoyed Cinnamon Bay. It was absolutely beautiful, is a long and very wide beach with lots of options for shade and nice breezes. Definitely one of our favorites. Be sure to make a stop at the Cinnamon Bay Archeology Museum & Lab and the ruins across the street. Both are well worth it.

Gorgeous beach, combined with no entry fee and smaller crowds than Trunk Bay, make this a must-visit stop for the kids. Our family visited at 10:00am and loved the vista of the beach. It's nearly as beautiful as Trunk Bay, but is less crowded with day-trippers and has strong winds (this is THE place for windsurfing on St. John's!). Highly recommended for a visit to a beautiful north shore beach!We snorkeled and relaxed in the morning. By 1pm, however, the winds picked up and made it unpleasant to stay on the beach for my two sons (9 yrs. 7 yrs). We washed the sand off our feet at the washing station (near the restrooms) and enjoyed lunch (hot dogs and burgers) at the Tree Lizard restaurant. Watch out for those aggressive birds! After lunch, we took a short stroll to the historical sugar mill ruins (a 30-minute loop trail). If you have young kids who do not have the patience or stamina to withstand a long hike (e.g., Annaberg ruins), I would recommend the Cinnamon Bay ruins. It gives you a short window on the sugar mill that existed on this location and provides an easy and pleasant nature-walk loop through the forest. My sons liked watching the lizards/birds and finding a giant termite nest. You can also see the ruins of stone terraces that once held sugar cane plants. After viewing the ruins and the 2 tombstones of the estate owners, I recalled seeing the marker for the "slave workers" buried near the Cinnamon Bay beach (just behind the snorkel rental shop). If you look on the pathway along the beach, there's a colorful stone marker that is a sobering reminder of the history of slavery on St. John's. It was fascinating to learn how the proximity of Tortola (BVI) to St. John's and the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act (prohibiting slavery in the British empire) accelerated the decline of the sugar mills. Slaves who escaped to nearby Tortola were automatically granted freedom. Also, one quickly learns as a visitor how precious water has been (and still is) for people living on St. John's (which lacks natural groundwater sources, but uses filtered rainwater). The lack of water made life downright inhospitable for the Danes and slaves. It was also interesting to learn that the United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 out of fear that Germany would acquire them first. It's possible that the deep waters to the north and south of the islands were attractive to Germany during World War I for U-boat development and training.

Wonderful beach with a great reef for snorkeling on the far east end. The reef had tons of hole in it for fish to swim in and through so there was always a surprise to look for! There was a lot of wind on the day we visited but that did not cloud the water or make conditions too rough. Excellent snorkeling. Also, talk to Matt at the rental booth for paddle boards or anything else. He was VERY helpful with great instructions!

A spectacular beach. Not too crowded with the expected powdery sand and crystal blue waters. It was nice to be able to get lunch and rent anything you need. $7 taxi ride from Cruz Bay.

In our week long stay we went to Cinnamon Bay twice because of the beauty of the beach and the amenities. They are one of the few beaches that have paddleboard and kayak rentals so we went there to try paddle boarding. The only problem was it was so windy that we never had the opportunity to try. Other people that did rent were towed to another location so they could come back with the wind at their backs. There were some people wind surfing which I think this beach is perfect for. They also have showers, restrooms and a restaurant. I had a smoothie at the restaurant which was gigantic however don't expect fresh fruit as it's a liquid poured out of a container.

The taxi here from Cruz Bay was wild, yet attractive ride through the narrow, winding road,up and down the steep hills, filled with lush greenery! At the Cinamon Bay entrance from, the road, is a large restaurant, bathroom facilities and campground. It is a short walk to the white sand beach. The plus for us with this beach is the level ground as you enter the water. Most of the other beaches have a big drop off just after you enter the water. The negative is the strong winds that keep coming up, blowing so much sand in your face. After a couple of hours, with ears full of sand, we taxi cabbed to Caneel Bay for some time at that beach and Honeymoon Beach, a short walk away. Then dinner at the Caneel Bay Resort, which was quite good. Taxi to Cruz Bay and late ferry back to St. Thomas rounded out the day.

I just returned from a short visit to St. John. Cinnamon Bay was a nice campground. I stayed in a platform tent. The tent was large for my needs (solo) but might be a bit small for a family of four. You are provided fresh linens for the cots, and towels. The cots are not like your bed at home, but comfortable; remember you are camping. It rained several times (mainly at night) and the tent was nice and dry. The wildlife is every where. When I stepped out of my tent the first morning, two dear were using the front canopy as shelter. I expected them to run away, but they stayed as I headed for the showers. There is no hot water for the showers, it is cool but not cold water. The beach is wonderful, the grounds are kept cleaner then most parks. The food at the Tree Lizard was ok, not great, but not bad. The staff was nice and offered several helpful tips about things to do on the island.Overall, a nice few days. And I hope to return for a longer stay in the future.

This is a beautiful, long beach that has a gentle slope into the water. The only problem was on the day we visited, the wind was so strong that it was impossible to sit. In a matter of only a couple of minutes, the sand had blown onto everything. I did go for a long walk and loved all the little hidden places behind the rocks, etc. it also wasn't very crowded that day.

Came to Cinnamon Bay for the first time in February. This beach is incredibly beautiful. A campground is on site so there are "supplies" available at the convenience store and restaurant on the walk to the beach. A short walk takes you from the shops to the beach. Showers and bathrooms are available for free as well.

Of all the beaches in St Thomas and St John, this was my favorite. It was large enough to satisfy my need to walk on the beach and quite beautiful. It was not crowded and wide enough to lay out a blanket and not feel like people were looming around you. The facilities were excellent as well.

This review is solely for Cinnamon Bay watersports. The beach itself was ok, and the lunch at Cinnamon bay was sub-par. Cinnamon Bay Watersports: We recently stopped by Cinnamon Bay Watersports and rented SUPs for 2. We rented for the day at $80 each. I've rented from other establishments (outside of St. John) and comparatively, these SUPs were in excellent shape. We were given several recommendations where to explore. We went from Cinnamon to Maho and then over to Francis... stopping each time to explore underwater using our snorkel gear. We scooted around the bay for a while and fought some wind back to cinnamon. It was great exercise, and a great way to explore without a car. Oh PS - rent snorkel gear from somewhere else... the woman at the snorkel hut (separate from the watersports station) could care less, and we ended up with some crappy snorkel gear that didn't fit.

We rented a CAT after taking a sailing class from Kendall and had the most amazing time!! This is a wide beach and has lots of sand to find your SPOT to soak up the rays or mingle with friends. There is a lot of activity going on at this beach because of the campground beside it. Yet it also has snack bars and places to eat and get a fun cocktail, its an awesome beach and Family Friendly. We love this beach…..its one to come to for FUN

The beach is amazing, there are beautiful paths to walk through the camping areas, there is food, a bar, but not too near the beach, so the beach feels secluded. Gorgeous!