Beaches · West End
Neltjeberg Bay Beach
Neltjeberg Bay's beach is well known among St. Thomas hikers; the land behind it has its own separate, less-told story. The Neltjeberg Estate has stayed in the same family, the Moolenaars, for roughly 170 years, since Jacob Roger Moolenaar purchased it in 1850 — and a descendant, Gwen Moolenaar, has spoken publicly about how the property was split among his three sons' lines and about the 1970s Virgin Islands legislation requiring all beaches to allow public access, which she says permanently changed how the family related to what had been private shoreline. The ruins scattered along the hike in — a two-story factory building, an animal mill, a stable, dry-stone walls, and a small graveyard with early-1900s headstones — are documented by the National Park Service's historic register as remnants of that 18th-century Danish plantation era. Reaching the beach itself means a roughly 20-minute hike from Dorothea Beach, through a wooded gut with a stream crossing, or a rougher 4WD dirt-road descent; either way, the payoff is a secluded, undeveloped stretch of sand with no facilities, framed by the plantation ruins most hikers stop to explore on the way in.
Neltjeberg Bay / west of Dorothea, West End, St. Thomas
Does this beach fit the day you want?
Neltjeberg Bay's beach is well known among St. Thomas hikers; the land behind it has its own separate, less-told story. The Neltjeberg Estate has stayed in the same family, the Moolenaars, for roughly 170 years, since Jacob Roger Moolenaar purchased it in 1850 — and a descendant, Gwen Moolenaar, has spoken publicly about how the property was split among his three sons' lines and about the 1970s Virgin Islands legislation requiring all beaches to allow public access, which she says permanently changed how the family related to what had been private shoreline. The ruins scattered along the hike in — a two-story factory building, an animal mill, a stable, dry-stone walls, and a small graveyard with early-1900s headstones — are documented by the National Park Service's historic register as remnants of that 18th-century Danish plantation era. Reaching the beach itself means a roughly 20-minute hike from Dorothea Beach, through a wooded gut with a stream crossing, or a rougher 4WD dirt-road descent; either way, the payoff is a secluded, undeveloped stretch of sand with no facilities, framed by the plantation ruins most hikers stop to explore on the way in.
What Island Hype can confirm
- Access
- 4WD + hike
- Access effort
- hard
- Snorkeling
- excellent
- Family friendly
- Not marked family-friendly
- Facilities
- None
- What to know
- Pristine & secluded; bring supplies
Good fit if you want
- snorkeling as part of your beach day
- a beach day that includes a more active approach
Consider another option if your priority is
- easier access
- a beach marked family-friendly
- more facilities
Compare based on your priority
Coki Beach (Coki Point)
Another easier-access option for a lower-effort beach day
Lindquist Beach (Smith Bay)
Better if you need a beach marked family-friendly
Sapphire Beach
More facilities are available for the day
Keep the decision
Save Neltjeberg Bay Beach if you want to compare it against other places later. Saving means you're still deciding, not booking.
These comparisons use the beach details available here, not real-time water conditions. Confirm current access and conditions before you go.
Photos
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What to decide next
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Add a water activity only if it fits
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