Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort

This property is closed through 2019 for repairs made necessary by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Caneel Bay, one of the island’s more secluded and protected bays, is home to Caneel Bay Resort, a historic luxury hotel founded by Laurance Rockefeller. After opening the resort in 1956, Rockefeller donated the land on which it lies to become the Virgin Islands National Park, which covers about 60 percent of the island. Day-trippers can easily reach Caneel Bay by taxi from Cruz Bay. The resort has no fewer than seven beaches, including Honeymoon Beach, a short hike away. Come here to relax on the main beach, book water sports at the diving and snorkeling center and have lunch at the hotel restaurant.

Caneel Bay resort arranges day-long charters on sloops through its local partner New Horizons. The boats hop between the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Guests stop to swim in the natural pools at the Baths on Virgin Gorda and have a Painkiller cocktail at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke.

The U.S. National Parks System is synonymous with mountains, rivers, and forests. But it also encompasses marine environments, including the coral reefs and pristine beaches of Virgin Islands National Park. Created by preservationist Laurance Rockefeller in the 1950s, Caneel Bay is set on a 170-acre peninsula on the northwest side of St. John and is the only hotel in the national park. Guests won’t find phones or TVs in any of the 166 rooms, suites, and cottages. The resort is a place to unplug and a base for exploring the island by land—miles of rain forest hiking trails lead to the remains of old sugar plantations and pre-Columbian petroglyphs—or by sea at one of the many snorkeling and scuba sites.

“I love that Caneel Bay Resort is part of a national park,” says David Chang, chef at New York City’s Momofuku. “I just relax, fish, and read on the beach.”

Oh wow, it doesn’t get any more relaxing than this. Find a boat captain and see more islands then back to the clear blue waters and national park setting with a variety of wildlife to to entertain you. Find your way into Cruz Bay, walk or take a short taxi ride for some incredible food views and shopping (if your into that).

Wake up, rub the sleep out of your eyes, open the back door of your comfy room and step onto white sand and breezy, quiet, secluded Hawksnest Beach. Watch the pelicans fish in front of you, snorkel over to the strip of beach where Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger married, and snorkel back in time to wave to the Caneel Bay server who will take your drink order and be back with it in 15 minutes. Forget your name, occupation and cares, and enjoy the beautiful mindlessness of one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.