Photo of Salomon Bay by Constance Wallace
Travel writers, travel professionals and beach connoisseurs the world over seem to agree that St. John has the best beaches in the world. This is a powerful statement. In order to make this assertion more than an idle boast, dreamed up by tourism promoters and Madison Avenue advertising pe.cgie, we need to identify just what factors make one beach more beautiful or desirable than the next one.

An ideal beach must have soft, preferably white, powdery and sensual sand. Moreover this soft sand must extend into the sea so that walking into the water is a.cgieasant experience.

The water at an ideal beach must be warm, crystal clear and calm. Murky or churned up water will not do. An absence of large tides, strong currents or big waves is also important. Furthermore the water should have a wide range of colors from light turquoise, to greens and dark blues. These blues should be offset by the reds and oranges of colorful coral reef near the beach for good snorkeling.

The view from the beach is also important. A limited view of only sea and horizon is not nearly as desirable as one which includes the panorama of islands, cays, rocks and small bays such as can be seen from all St. John beaches.

The shape of the beach contributes to the perceived perfection. A relatively small bay surrounded by green hills and shade providing, tropical vegetation (preferably coconut palms) is better than a straight seemingly endless line of sand set against a low lying, commercially developed or uninteresting background.

There are, undoubtedly, isolated beaches in other parts of the world that meet these requirements. Our island still wins the best beaches award. The north shore of St. John has, not one or two perfect beaches, but beach after beach, one around each point or headland from Lind point to Mary Point and beyond. There's Salomon, Honeymoon, the seven Caneel Bay beaches, the Hawksnest beaches, Jumbie, Trunk, the Cinnamon Bay beaches, Maho, Little Maho and Francis Bay. This is not to mention the other beautiful (perfect) beaches on other parts of the island such as Salt Pond Bay and Lameshur.

Finally, the beaches you will find on St. John are uncrowded. Most of the island is protected by the National Park and remains wild and natural.

Therefore, I can say without fear of contradiction, "St. John has the best beaches in the world!"

© 1996 by Gerald Singer