Happy Bay
French side- Secluded
- Hike to reach
White, and narrower than it used to be: storm damage has eroded parts of it in recent years. None here. You park in the free dirt lot at Friar's Bay and walk over the hill, leaving the car for the duration. A hike to reach. No fee.
- Getting in
- Long walk
- Parking
- No parking. There is no parking at Happy Bay. You leave the car in the free dirt lot at Friar's Bay and walk 10 to 15 minutes over the headland, which is the single biggest practical risk factor for this beach. An unattended vehicle in an unsupervised dirt lot for several hours, while you are physically out of sight over a hill, is the textbook exposure pattern. We found no Friar's Bay-specific break-in reporting, so this is a risk flagged on pattern rather than on a documented local incident. Leave nothing in the car at all. Visitors also report that a direct road access from above is now gated shut, which leaves the Friar's Bay trail as the only route in.
- Water
- Varies
- Snorkeling
- Fair
- Shade
- Some natural shade
- Chairs
- No chair rental
- Food on site
- Nothing on site
- Restrooms
- None
- Facilities
- Natural shade. No chairs and umbrellas, restrooms, snacks and drinks, showers, or lifeguard
- On a ship day
- Low
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Best time
- Morning, in daylight, when the trail is dry. Recent visitors report seeing two or three couples, or at most 10 to 20 other people.
- Best for
- Quiet or topless optional
- Safety
- The hazard here is isolation, not crime, and it should be read that way. No lifeguard, no fresh water, no vehicle access to the sand, and the nearest help is a 10 to 15 minute walk back over a hill. Phone coverage on the sand is unverified. Nobody has published any assessment of the shorebreak or currents at this beach, and it is more open than the semi-enclosed Friar's Bay cove next door, so do not assume it is as flat: look at the water before you get in. The trail has no shade, is uneven and rocky in parts, gets slippery after rain, and starts with a fairly steep climb over rough rocks through thorny bushes. On theft, the honest evidence is a general instruction to secure valuables and never leave belongings unattended, plus one reviewing couple's discomfort at seeing people in the treeline with nothing actually happening. We found no documented robbery, assault or theft incident at Happy Bay in any news source, official advisory or police release. Go in daylight, go with someone, take nothing you would mind losing.
The story
Happy Bay is about 400 metres of white sand backed by coconut palms, and the only way to it is a 10 to 15 minute walk over the headland from Friar's Bay. That walk is the whole reason it is still empty. It is short, it is not really a hike, and it is exactly enough friction to strip out every visitor who wants a chair, a bar and a bathroom. There has been talk of adding facilities here for decades and it has never happened, which is precisely why people who like it, like it.
Checked: August 2026 · Reported
