There is some confusion to the beaches of St. Kitts online, I also wanted to give some helpful tips and ‘features’ to each one.
Here are the most common beaches you would probably go to:
South Frigate Bay (Timothy’s Beach Resort)
This beach stretches from right in front of Timothy’s Beach Resort to a white house (residential, I think) on the other side. Probably one of the busiest and most popular beach.
On this beach you will find Mr. X’s, Vibes Beach Bar (haven’t been), and Boozies (highly recommended) among a couple of others.
The part from the dock in front of Timothy’s to about mid is usually the busiest. But I think the nicer part of the beach, sand wise and quietest, is on the other end of the beach by that white house.
There are lots of fish in waters of this beach and you can see the pelicans diving there all the time – pretty cool!
Best snorkeling is by the dock, especially on the other side of the rock formation. The other side of the beach has actually really good snorkeling and bigger fish, but the water is a little more rough.
South Frigate Bay has probably the safest snorkeling on the island, the water is very calm.
South Friars Beach – Shipwreck cove, Carambola Beach Club.
This my favourite beach on the island, and area in general – in front of Shipwreck.
The Beach stretches from Shipwreck Beach Bar and Grill to the Carambola Beach Club on the other side. Both are busy, but the Carambola side is extremely packed with people and vendors. Shipwreck has the authentic vibe to it, the beach chairs are free to use. Food is also pretty good there and the drinks are great – get the funky monkey. The forest behind it has moneys, and you can see them come down or hang around the bushes all the time. The owner also feeds them between 4 – 6 pm.
If you are looking for quiet, the space between the two has really nice beach and water.
There is a little reef in front of Shipwreck and the snorkeling there is fantastic! There are urchins, and jellyfish has been reported. You will see lot’s of activity in the water. There is also a clear path to a floating dock and the water there is really nice and urchin free.
Say hi to the resident octopus for me.
Cockleshell Bay – Reggae Beach
This beach is at the very end of St. Kitts, and you can see Nevis right across the water. I think it also has the nicest sand on the island. The water is nice and calm but the snorkeling is pretty poor here – there is a lot of sea vegetation just off the shore.
There is a sitting area with free sun beds right in front of Spice Mill and Reggae Beach, I have also read some people getting charged $5 -$10 per bed. The area in front of Spice Mill is more posh and quiet, while Reggae has loud music and more upbeat. There are lots of water sports rentals there as well.
You can also catch a taxi to Nevis by Reggae beach – it also seems to be best and cheapest option to do so.
If you like to lounge around on the beach and get into the water for a short dip, this is probably the best spot on St. Kitts to do it at.
Turtle Beach
Based on reading some of the reviews online, it seems like there is a good number of people who mistake Turtle Beach for Cockleshell.
I think Turtle Beach is a hit and a miss. It is on the Atlantic so the water is rougher but good for water sports – you can do wind surfing there.
The beach it self is full of seaweed and debris. Snorkeling is OK, from time to time you may see a stingray or other marine life that you won’t see on the Caribbean side. You need to be a really good swimmer and I recommend fins.
If you don’t make it to his beach you won’t miss much.
White House Bay, Christophe Harbour (Salt Plage)
Whatever the name is, there is a really small beach that is mostly targeted towards the residents of the real estate development there. They probably don’t want to make this place touristy and tourist don’t get dropped off there. It is a public beach however, so you can use it. The sunbeds belong to residents so you won’t be able to use them – unless there is no one around.
If you are not going to snorkel I wouldn’t bother coming here but if you love snorkeling I have a surprise for you! This Bay, I think has the best snorkeling on St. Kitts. There are two spots:
One is in front of the beach and to the left; there is a good amount of fish within the rocks and underwater seascapes. There is also a sunken ship by about 30 – 50 yards out in that direction!
The second spot is on the other side of the beach by the hill. You will see pelicans dive there. The beach there is all rocky so make sure you have shoes to walk there or take it slow walking. The marine life there is in large quantities, and you can explore between the rocks and along side the cliff. I would suggest to be a good swimmer to snorkel there though.
Hope it helps, and you can see more pics on my Instagram 🙂