Maho Bay, St. John: The Sea Turtle Beach (And Why Families Love It)

Maho Bay is our answer when guests ask, "What's the one beach we can't miss?" Trunk Bay is more photogenic, but Maho is the beach you'll actually remember a year later — because Maho is where you swim with sea turtles.

The sea turtles

Maho Bay has the largest seagrass meadow on St. John's north shore, and green sea turtles graze in it almost every morning. Wade or swim 30 to 50 yards straight out from the middle of the beach. Float quietly, keep your fins still, and look down at the grass. You'll often see three or four turtles within twenty minutes.

The rules: stay at least ten feet away, never touch or chase them, and let them surface for air without crowding. Boats are required to slow to 5 knots in the bay for the same reason.

The food trucks

Maho is one of the only St. John beaches with a real food scene. A rotating cluster of food trucks parks across the road — usually a Caribbean BBQ truck, a smoothie / açaí bowl truck, and a sandwich place. Bring cash; the trucks sometimes lose card service in heavy rain.

Parking and getting in

Park along the shoulder of North Shore Road on either side of the beach. There is no formal lot. The beach is essentially the road, which sounds ugly but is wildly convenient — you walk five steps from your car onto sand. If you forgot a towel, your car is right there.

From Sunset Villa

Maho is a 20-minute drive from the villa, a little farther than Trunk Bay but worth the extra ten minutes for any morning where the goal is "see a turtle, eat a fish taco, take a nap." We almost always pair it with a stop at the Peace Hill ruins on the way back for sunset views.