Magens Bay is the beach that put St. Thomas on the map. Shaped like a heart and sheltered by low hills on three sides, it curves for nearly a mile along the north shore, with calm turquoise water, white sand, and the kind of tropical backdrop that ends up on travel magazine covers. It has been listed among the world's ten best beaches by various publications often enough that the designation has become almost tiresome — but the beach earns it.
There is a small entry fee, payable at the gate on the road down from the ridge. Facilities include changing rooms, a beach bar, and equipment rental for kayaks and paddleboards. It is busiest in the late morning when cruise ship excursions arrive, and quietest in the early morning and after 3pm when the day-trippers begin heading back. A short walk to either end of the beach finds slightly calmer patches away from the main cluster of sunloungers.
The drive north over the central ridge is itself worthwhile: Drake's Seat, near the top, is a traditional viewpoint looking out over Magens Bay, and on clear days you can see St. John, Tortola, and the outlying British islands beyond.