Caneel Beach on St. John Now Open to the Public

Caneel Beach on St. John is open to the public for the first time since the V.I. District Court ruled in April that the property belongs to the federal government, not the company that managed a resort there since 2004.

The Virgin Islands National Park announced the new public access on Thursday as part of its phased reopening of the property as outlined by the Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) the National Park Service has been carrying out since the court affirmed the federal government’s ownership of Caneel Bay Resort lands and improvements in April.

The ruling ended a long-running lawsuit brought by EHI Acquisitions, which had operated the resort under a Retained Use Estate agreement that expired on Sept. 30. EHI has since filed a notice of appeal with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

While that case plays out, the Virgin Islands National Park is proceeding with a phased reopening of the property that has been closed since the hurricanes of September 2017, which heavily damaged the iconic resort that occupies 150 acres of prime St. John beachfront real estate. Aside from two businesses that have been allowed to operate under the previous lease-holder’s agreement, the resort has remained off-limits to the public.