A quarter-mile of sand on the south shore of St. Thomas, below the Frenchman's Reef bluff at the mouth of Charlotte Amalie harbour — a few minutes from downtown, with the cruise ships passing offshore on their way in and out. Two resorts sit above and behind it, and the shoreline, like every beach in the territory, is public.
Skip today Rough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast. If you go, the least bad stretch left is 11 am–2 pm.
| Day | The call | Why | Best time | Cruise guests here | Sea at the beach | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Skip today | Rough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 11 am–2 pm | — | Rough · 2.9 ft | Thunder |
| Tomorrow | Skip today | Rough — 3.3 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 10 am–1 pm | — | Rough · 3.4 ft | Thunder |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Good | Choppy — WSW swell into the bay | 3 pm–6 pm | — | Some chop · 2.1 ft | 67% |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Go | Calm, glassy water | 10 am–1 pm | — | Calm · 0.2 ft | 41% |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Go | Calm, glassy water | 11 am–2 pm | — | Calm · 0.2 ft | 28% |
The call is the same one our beach report makes, refreshed every half hour: the swell reaching the beach (Open-Meteo's marine forecast), NOAA's sargassum satellite and the rain forecast. Morningstar has no cruise-crowd term in the model, although the ships pass in front of it. It is a model, not a lifeguard's report — and we found no lifeguards at Morningstar, so look at the water before you swim. The bars under each call are the hours from 8 am to 5 pm. Today's beach report
Taxi fares from town, the airport and Red Hook, the ships in the harbour, today's beach and weather reads and the island around it — each one opens the full page.
Morningstar Beach from OpenStreetMap: the sand on Morningstar Bay (hand-traced — OpenStreetMap has no outline for it), the resort buildings behind it and on the Frenchman's Reef bluff, the car park by the Westin, the dock in Pacquereau Bay on the harbour side of the point and the path round to it. Tap a pin for its section.
Morningstar Beach is on the south shore, at the mouth of Charlotte Amalie harbour. From town the road runs east along the waterfront past the Havensight cruise dock and over the hill to Frenchman's Reef; the beach is below the resort, on the far side of the point from the harbour.
Most visitors come by taxi. The tariff's stop is Frenchman's Reef, the resort above the beach, and the official per-person fares in the table run from Charlotte Amalie, the airport, Red Hook and the north side. The tariff has no fare from the Havensight dock to Frenchman's Reef, so agree the price with the driver before you set off. Driving, the island keeps left.
| From | 1 passenger | 2+ (each) | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Amalie | $12 | $9 | 9 min · 4.4 km |
| Airport (STT) | $15 | $12 | 20 min · 8.9 km |
| Red Hook | $18 | $15 | 20 min · 11.2 km |
| Magens Bay | $18 | $14 | — |
| Market Square East | $15 | $12 | — |
| Limetree | $11 | $8 | — |
| Mountain Top | $18 | $14 | — |
| Mahogany Run | $18 | $14 | — |
Per person, one way: fares set by the VI Taxicab Commission (rates revised October 24, 2022); night, luggage and waiting surcharges apply. Drive times are Google's for an ordinary day. Fare calculator for any two stops
Ships in St. Thomas today · Rent or take taxis? · The St. Thomas guide
Morningstar Beach is free. Under the Virgin Islands' Open Shorelines Act the public has the right to use and enjoy the shoreline — from the low-tide line inland 50 feet, or to the line of vegetation or a natural barrier, whichever is shorter — and no one may block it. The land behind the sand is the resorts': Buoy Haus Beach Resort and the Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef. Their beach loungers, watersports gear and pools are for their guests; their restaurants and bars take outside guests, and Sugarfin and Isla Blue take reservations.
| Entry to the beach | Free |
| Beach loungers and chairs | Resort guests |
| Kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel gear, Hobie Cats | Free for resort guests |
| Buoy Beach cabana | Rented; no price published |
| Valet parking (Buoy Haus guests) | $40 a day |
Buoy Haus lists 'exclusive access to beach loungers & chairs' and complimentary non-motorized watersports among what its guests get; the Frenchman's Reef site lists the same gear for the Westin's. We found no day pass, and no price for anyone else to use them. Bring a towel and your own shade.
| Sandbar (bar · food) | 11 am – 10 pm · 11 am – 9 pm |
| Sandbar golden hour | 5 – 7 pm daily |
| Sugarfin breakfast · lunch | 7 – 11 am · 11:30 am – 5 pm |
| Sugarfin dinner (from late October) | 5 – 10 pm |
| Sugarfin happy hour | 2 – 4 pm |
| Salt Shack (fire show 8 pm) | Fridays 5 – 9 pm |
| Isla Blue (upstairs) | 5 – 10 pm daily |
| Frenchman's Roast (coffee, beach gear) | 7 am – 10 pm daily |
The venues' own hours, as listed in October 2026. Sugarfin's first dinner night is October 16 on the Frenchman's Reef site and October 25 on Buoy Haus's; until then it closes at 5. Sandbar adds a paella night on Thursdays, 5 to 9 pm. Isla Blue is privately owned and operated. The beach itself has no closing time.
Checked October 15, 2026 against the Open Shorelines Act (12 V.I.C. §§ 402–403), as quoted by the V.I. Superior Court, Frenchman's Reef's dining page, Buoy Haus's things to do, its cabana rentals, its FAQ, Sugarfin, Sandbar and the Salt Shack. Hours change, especially in the off-season and as the dinner service starts: Buoy Haus answers on (340) 249-0123 and Frenchman's Reef on (340) 249-0100.
The sand runs east from the rocks below the Frenchman's Reef bluff; Buoy Haus and its restaurants sit right behind it, and the Westin is up on the point. Prices and hours are the resorts' own, as listed in October 2026.
Photo: KevinTheSeaCucumber, CC0About a quarter of a mile of sand facing south, out of the harbour mouth toward the open sea, with rocks at both ends. Facing south, it is out of reach of the winter north swells that close the north-shore beaches; the easterly trade wind blows along it rather than straight in. The ships bound for Charlotte Amalie pass close offshore.
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0The middle of the beach is sand; snorkelers head for the rocks at each end, and the resort points its guests to snorkeling just offshore. We found no lifeguards, so snorkel with a buddy, keep inside the bay on calm days, and stay well clear of the harbour channel — the cruise ships and other boats use it all day.
Three places to eat at sand level, all Buoy Haus's and open to outside guests: Sugarfin (breakfast and Caribbean dishes all day, happy hour 2 to 4), Sandbar (Spanish plates, shellfish and sangria, 11 am to 10 pm, golden hour 5 to 7) and the Salt Shack on the beach itself, wood-fired Caribbean dishes at communal tables on Friday nights only, with a fire show at 8. Isla Blue serves dinner upstairs.
The loungers on the sand and the non-motorized gear — kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkel sets and, at the Westin, Hobie Cats — are complimentary for the two resorts' guests. Buoy Haus also rents Buoy Beach cabanas. Neither resort publishes a day pass or a price for visitors, so a day visitor should come with a towel, shade and a mask.
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0The big building on the point is the Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef, 392 rooms when it reopened in September 2023, with cliffside pools, the Heavenly Spa and its restaurants up on the bluff. Buoy Haus, the smaller resort on the sand, gives its guests the run of the Westin's pools, spa and restaurants.
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0The resorts run the Flying Frenchman catamaran and private charters from the Frenchman's Reef dock. On the harbour side of the point, in Pacquereau Bay below Marriott's Frenchman's Cove, OpenStreetMap maps a dock and still maps a boat route from it to the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, and older guides describe a shopping water taxi; neither resort's site lists one in October 2026, so ask at the front desk before you count on it. A mapped path runs round from the cove to the resort.
OpenStreetMap maps the resort's car park by the Westin. Buoy Haus lists valet parking at $40 a day for its guests; we found no published policy or price for day visitors, so most come by taxi.
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0Green iguanas sun themselves on the rocks and lawns of the point. Watch them from a distance, and do not feed them.
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0Cruise ships bound for the Havensight dock pass the point on the way into Charlotte Amalie harbour — and out again in the late afternoon. From the beach you see them as they turn in; the cruise page has today's ships and times.
Photo: Prayitno, CC BY 2.0Across the harbour at Havensight, a cable car climbs to Paradise Point in under ten minutes, for the view of the harbour, the town and — on a clear day — Puerto Rico and St. Croix, with shops, a bistro and a bar known for its Bushwacker at the top. It opens on most ship days from 9 am; check its calendar, which in October 2026 has several closed days.
Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0The capital is a few minutes back round the harbour: the Danish warehouses of Main Street, Fort Christian, the waterfront and the restaurants. Morningstar is the easy swim before or after a morning in town.
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0The Frenchman's Reef dock is home to the Flying Frenchman, a catamaran for up to 125 people that runs day and sunset sails, and the concierge books snorkel trips and private boats from it. Book through the resort; we found no fares from the operator itself.
Photo: Jim Wilkinson, Public domainAcross the harbour mouth to the west, Water Island's Honeymoon Beach faces calm Druif Bay, with a beach bar and a live camera. The ferry leaves from Crown Bay Marina on the west side of the harbour.
Everything at sand level belongs to Buoy Haus and takes outside guests. Sugarfin opens for breakfast at 7 and serves Caribbean dishes through the afternoon, with dinner from late October; Sandbar, steps from the sand, does Spanish plates, shellfish, paellas and sangria from 11 until late, with a golden hour from 5 to 7; the Salt Shack, on the beach, serves wood-fired Caribbean plates at communal tables on Friday nights, with a fire show at 8.
Up the hill, the Westin has Shorebird (buffets), Luna Mar (Mediterranean, over the harbour), the Lobby Bar and the Edge Bar by the infinity pool. Downtown Charlotte Amalie is a few minutes away for more.
Warm all year: highs in the mid-80s °F in winter and around 90 °F in late summer, with short tropical showers rather than all-day rain. December to April is the dry season and the heart of the cruise season, when the harbour is busiest.
Morningstar faces south, so the winter north swells that close Magens Bay and the north shore for a day or two at a time do not reach it; the easterly trade wind blows along the beach rather than onto it. Its rough days are more likely to come from the south, when a storm passes south of the islands in the summer and autumn hurricane season. The call at the top of the page reads the swell, the seaweed and the rain every half hour.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Rain | Wind | Seas offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Thunderstorms | 84° / 78°F | 93% | SW 19 mph, gusts 28 | 3 ft |
| Tomorrow | Thunderstorms | 82° / 79°F | 86% | WSW 19 mph, gusts 28 | 3.4 ft |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Drizzle | 83° / 80°F | 51% | WSW 13 mph | 3 ft |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Drizzle | 83° / 81°F | 24% | NNW 5 mph | 2.2 ft |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Drizzle | 83° / 79°F | 43% | NE 11 mph | 2 ft |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Overcast | 83° / 81°F | 29% | ENE 11 mph, gusts 17 | 2.2 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Drizzle | 84° / 81°F | 24% | ESE 12 mph | 2.1 ft |
Open-Meteo forecast for St. Thomas, refreshed every half hour. The seas are offshore; how much of it reaches the sand is the call above. NWS alerts & marine forecast · North swell season
Daily-mean sea-surface temperature off St. Thomas, averaged 2021–2024 (Open-Meteo marine reanalysis): warmest in Sep (86.4°F), coolest in Feb (79.8°F).
No — there is no public live camera at Morningstar Beach that we can embed, and we would rather say so than show a still photo dressed up as live. The nearest live camera is about 2½ miles west, across the harbour mouth, looking down Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.
The hotel opens on a 17-acre bluff over the sea at Morning Star Beach and the mouth of Charlotte Amalie harbour (the year its later owner gave; some accounts say 1972).
Prime Hospitality begins operating the hotel.
The resort finishes a $52 million redesign and renovation.
Prime agrees to sell to Marriott International. It is then a 504-room resort: 408 rooms in the eight-storey building on the bluff and 96 in the Morningstar Beach Resort beside the sand.
The two hurricanes close the resort; it stays closed for nearly six years.
DiamondRock sells the closed resort to an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group, which says it will finish the rebuild and reopen.
The 94-room Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort, Autograph Collection — a reimagining of the old Morningstar Beach Resort on the sand — welcomes its first guests.
The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef, 392 rooms on the bluff, opens to complete a $425 million rebuild; the two resorts share Morningstar Beach.
Sources: Prime Hospitality, 1999 · St. Thomas Source, 2021 · Caribbean Journal, 2023 · Hotel Online, 2023
The loungers and umbrellas on the sand are for the resorts' guests, and we found no rate for anyone else. Bring a towel and a hat — or come for lunch at Sugarfin or Sandbar and stay on.
We could not find a lifeguard service at Morningstar. Snorkel the rocks with a buddy and keep out of the harbour channel, where the ships and other boats run.
The U.S. Virgin Islands ban sunscreens with oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene. Bring a mineral (zinc or titanium) one.
Morningstar is not one of the 23 beaches DPNR sampled in the week of October 5 to 9, 2026 (it was listed as not sampled in March). Frenchman's Bay, DPNR's nearest sampling site, did not meet the standard that week. Stay out of the water after heavy rain, where run-off reaches it.
When a winter north swell shuts the north-shore beaches, it does not reach this south-facing sand. The call at the top of the page reads the swell every half hour.
The Salt Shack opens on the sand only on Fridays, 5 to 9 pm, with a fire show at 8.
Skip today todaySt. ThomasMagens BayRough — 3.3 ft WNW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
Skip today todaySt. ThomasCoki BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Choppy — NW swell into the bay
Skip today todaySt. ThomasLindquist BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Sargassum offshore
Skip today todaySt. ThomasSapphire BeachThunderstorms in the forecast · Sargassum offshore
Good todaySt. ThomasSecret HarbourGlassy, snorkel-clear water · No cruise crowd today
Skip today todaySt. ThomasBrewers BayRough — 3.0 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
Skip today todaySt. ThomasHull BayRough — 3.3 ft WNW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
The island guideSt. ThomasThe airport, the cruise docks, the Red Hook ferries, taxi fares and the best beaches on a true map of St. Thomas — with today's weather and the next boat to St. John.Yes. Every beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands is public under the Open Shorelines Act: the sand from the low-tide line inland 50 feet, or to the vegetation line if that is shorter, even in front of a resort, and no one may block it. The resorts behind it — Buoy Haus and the Westin at Frenchman's Reef — keep their loungers, watersports gear and pools for their guests, but their restaurants and bars take outside guests.
Taxis charge fixed per-person fares set by the VI Taxicab Commission to Frenchman's Reef, the resort above the beach. From Charlotte Amalie it is $12 for one rider, $9 each for two or more; from the airport $15 for one rider, $12 each for two or more; from Red Hook $18 for one rider, $15 each for two or more. Night, luggage and waiting surcharges apply. The tariff has no fare from the Havensight cruise dock to Frenchman's Reef, so agree the price first.
It is on the south shore at the mouth of the harbour, about 9 minutes (4.4 km) by road from downtown Charlotte Amalie and 20 minutes (8.9 km) from the airport. The Havensight cruise dock is on the way, about a mile across the harbour from the beach.
The loungers and chairs on the sand are for the guests of Buoy Haus and the Westin: Buoy Haus lists 'exclusive access to beach loungers & chairs' for its guests. We found no day pass or rate for visitors as of October 2026, so bring a towel and your own shade.
There is snorkeling along the rocks at both ends of the beach; the middle is sand. Go on a calm day, snorkel with a buddy — there are no lifeguards — and stay well out of the harbour channel, where cruise ships and other boats pass close to the point.
At sand level, all run by Buoy Haus and open to outside guests: Sugarfin (breakfast 7 to 11, lunch 11:30 to 5, dinner from late October), Sandbar (11 am to 10 pm, golden hour 5 to 7) and the Salt Shack on the beach on Friday nights, 5 to 9. Isla Blue serves dinner upstairs, 5 to 10, and the Westin's restaurants and bars are up the hill.
There is a resort car park by the Westin, and Buoy Haus lists valet parking at $40 a day for its guests. We found no published parking policy or price for day visitors, which is why most come by taxi.
Not that we could confirm. OpenStreetMap maps a boat route from the Frenchman's Cove dock, on the harbour side of the point, to the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, and older guides describe a shopping water taxi from it, but neither resort's website lists one in October 2026. Ask at the front desk; otherwise a taxi to town is a few minutes.
We could not find any lifeguard service at Morningstar Beach. Swim and snorkel with a buddy, especially out by the rocks, and keep clear of the harbour channel.
Morningstar is not one of the 23 beaches the Department of Planning and Natural Resources sampled in the week of October 5 to 9, 2026, and it was listed as not sampled in March 2026, so there is no current reading for it. Frenchman's Bay, DPNR's nearest sampling site, did not meet the standard that week. DPNR advises staying out of water that is discoloured, smells, or has run-off or heavy sargassum in it.
The hurricanes of September 2017 closed it. After a $425 million rebuild it reopened in 2023 as two resorts on the same beach: Buoy Haus Beach Resort, Autograph Collection (94 rooms, on the sand where the Morningstar Beach Resort was), in May, and the Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef (392 rooms, on the bluff), in September.
It faces south, so the winter north swells that close the north-shore beaches do not reach it, and the easterly trade wind blows along it. Its rough days are more likely to come with a southerly swell in the summer and autumn hurricane season — the call at the top of this page reads the swell every half hour.