Pictures of coki or sapphaire Pls?

[hollon]

I've never had a cruise coming up and just NOT know what to do or plan. does anyone have any pictures of sapphaire or coki, just don't know which beach to go to. I've noticed on some threads that people go to both beaches, How far are they away from each other? Thanks

[Ms411]

There are plenty of pictures posted of both beaches, but I don't think a photo is a good way to determine which beach is better for you. ALL BEACHES LOOK GOOD IN A PHOTO.

Coki is more of a party beach than Sapphire, and you're likely to smell "smoke" in some spots along the beach. If that makes you feel uncomfortable, don't go to Coki. It's a beautiful beach, though.

Sapphire is more of a relaxing with snorkeling beach. No loud music. Never seen any "smokers." There are fewer amenities, though at Sapphire. No massages on the beach. Fewer food/beverage choices.

Both are good snorkeling beaches, and cab fare is the same to either, but Coki is a bit closer to the ship.

Hope that helps you make a decision.

[hollon]

Originally Posted by Ms411

There are plenty of pictures posted of both beaches, but I don't think a photo is a good way to determine which beach is better for you. ALL BEACHES LOOK GOOD IN A PHOTO.

Coki is more of a party beach than Sapphire, and you're likely to smell "smoke" in some spots along the beach. If that makes you feel uncomfortable, don't go to Coki. It's a beautiful beach, though.

Sapphire is more of a relaxing with snorkeling beach. No loud music. Never seen any "smokers." There are fewer amenities, though at Sapphire. No massages on the beach. Fewer food/beverage choices.

Both are good snorkeling beaches, and cab fare is the same to either, but Coki is a bit closer to the ship.

Hope that helps you make a decision.

Could you tell me which one is better, sapphire or coki? Does coki or sapphire have restrooms, which is prettier? does coki have shopping vendors? I'm taking my 4 kids, does either beach have mats or snorkeling gear for rent?

[blue_water]

Pictures can be helpful to an extent but can't always give you a good feel. There are several pics in this forum of both beaches, try using the search function using keywords.

To answer your questions from our perspective, "better" is relative. Coki is a small, intimate bay that is our favorite on St Thomas because it is gorgeous with powdered sugar sand. More vendors and a livelier vibe make Coki a popular spot and it can get crowded there. But it is beautiful. Several vendors renting snorkel gear, lounges, and umbrellas and thete are restrooms. Another feature is Coral World is there and the kids might love that. Google that for more info.

Sapphire isva larger bay and is home to 3 condo resorts and is also very pretty. The dive center rents snorkel gear, nice floaties for the water, and lounges. No umbrellas needed because there is some shade there. Fewer vendors as the previous poster stated but a few food and drink options and restrooms.

You won't go without at either location. Coki is gorgeous, and Sapphire also has beautiful water and nice island views of Tortola and St John.

Other options are beautiful Magens Bay which is more of a touristy beach but has amenities and charges a fee, Emerald Beach closer to port which attracts people who aren't necessarily looking for the nicest beach, and Trunk Bay on St John which is accessible through a ship excursion or on your own. You can find a wealth of information here on all of these using the search function. Sapphire may make more sense with kids as it is a more comfortable spot, but there will probably be more kids at Coki, Emerald and Magens.

You are right in that Coki and Sapphire are a 15 min drive apart and some folks drop off at Coki for awhile then taxi to Sapphire. The taxi will drop off at Coki first.
But take a look at Coral World to see if that interests you, you could do that and then Sapphire for the beach if the times work.
Enjoy your day? Do you need ideas with any other islands?

[Ms411]

How old are your kids? Boys? Girls? Coki has a Magic Milk stand where you can make craft objects with sand and shells for a small fee depending on what you make, so some kids might like to do that.

Coki has more services/vendors than Sapphire, so the kids might like the livelier atmosphere. Just be aware that there may be "smoke." New at Coki is Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP).

Morningstar is another option (ha, ha! Not trying to make your decision more complicated), because there are boogey boards available for rent there. You can also do a guided jetski tour from the beach for a fee, of course. Nice (not cheap) restaurants. The Marriott is on this beach.

[hollon]

Originally Posted by blue_water

Pictures can be helpful to an extent but can't always give you a good feel. There are several pics in this forum of both beaches, try using the search function using keywords.

To answer your questions from our perspective, "better" is relative. Coki is a small, intimate bay that is our favorite on St Thomas because it is gorgeous with powdered sugar sand. More vendors and a livelier vibe make Coki a popular spot and it can get crowded there. But it is beautiful. Several vendors renting snorkel gear, lounges, and umbrellas and thete are restrooms. Another feature is Coral World is there and the kids might love that. Google that for more info.

Sapphire isva larger bay and is home to 3 condo resorts and is also very pretty. The dive center rents snorkel gear, nice floaties for the water, and lounges. No umbrellas needed because there is some shade there. Fewer vendors as the previous poster stated but a few food and drink options and restrooms.

You won't go without at either location. Coki is gorgeous, and Sapphire also has beautiful water and nice island views of Tortola and St John.

Other options are beautiful Magens Bay which is more of a touristy beach but has amenities and charges a fee, Emerald Beach closer to port which attracts people who aren't necessarily looking for the nicest beach, and Trunk Bay on St John which is accessible through a ship excursion or on your own. You can find a wealth of information here on all of these using the search function. Sapphire may make more sense with kids as it is a more comfortable spot, but there will probably be more kids at Coki, Emerald and Magens.

You are right in that Coki and Sapphire are a 15 min drive apart and some folks drop off at Coki for awhile then taxi to Sapphire. The taxi will drop off at Coki first.
But take a look at Coral World to see if that interests you, you could do that and then Sapphire for the beach if the times work.
Enjoy your day? Do you need ideas with any other islands?

Thank u all for the info. My kids are 10, 12, 14 and 16, sounds like coki is an active for my kids. I will be going to st. martin as well and still have NO plans (which is so abnormal for me) any ideas??????? My husband and I like to look at shops as well. I don't even know where the Allure docks, where should we go? Looking for nothing impertuclar(sp?) Thanks for info on Coral World

[Ms411]

Coki has snorkel gear rental and also jet skis (you might have to ask where the jet skis are, because they're not on the same side of the water as the beach is.) It's not a guided jet ski tour, though, and two can ride on one ski.

Here's my slideshow from Coki:

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1260740

And here's one from Sapphire:

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1250463

Do you want to go to another beach on SXM or do you want to do something different? They have ziplining on SXM.

[BDMom]

We went with another family last March took kids ages 8,9,10,11,12. We went to Sapphire Beach. We rented 2 kayaks, had food from the gal who comes around. It was literally the best Mahi sandwich we've ever had in our lives. The kids got hotdogs, burgers, typical kid fare. we got frozen drinks, bucket of beer and had one of the best days ever. Kids don't need action, it' a beach. It was safe, not crowded, and we brought our own snorkeling gear and saw some really great stuff. We rented chairs and I think we brought our own buckets, shovels etc.

One of those days you look back on and think to yourself, "yep that was one of the best days of my life."

[blue_water]

For St Martin our favorite excursion is the Golden Eagle day sail, simply amazing crew and itinerary, love Tintamarre Island!
Other than that tour the island and enjoy a fabulous lunch in Grand Case. Also great shopping in Philipsburg.

[MDSue]

Originally Posted by hollon

Thank u all for the info. My kids are 10, 12, 14 and 16, sounds like coki is an active for my kids. I will be going to st. martin as well and still have NO plans (which is so abnormal for me) any ideas??????? My husband and I like to look at shops as well. I don't even know where the Allure docks, where should we go? Looking for nothing impertuclar(sp?) Thanks for info on Coral World

I like both Coki and Sapphire. The earlier reviews are very accurate about both.
F.Y.I- Many of the beaches in St. Maarten are "topless" optional. Orient is a favorite beach to go and well worth the visit- lots to do for adults and kids. Mine loved the water trampoline. There were not any topless bathers where we were sitting, but a few topless strollers walked up and down the beach. It wasn't a big deal to my kids, but just wanted to let you know.
We went the Dawn Beach a few years back and didn't see any clothing optional people there.

[mitsugirly]

I have only been to Sapphire, so I can only give you my experience on it (along with pictures).

Here's a link to my review (which has a link at the bottom to tons of pictures from that day): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showp...37&postcount=1

[mitsugirly]

Oh, and here's a link to the web cam there: http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

[dz63]

We have not been to Coki but we have been to Sapphire.

Here are some photos of Sapphire Beach.

[blue_water]

Originally Posted by MDSue

I like both Coki and Sapphire. The earlier reviews are very accurate about both.
F.Y.I- Many of the beaches in St. Maarten are "topless" optional. Orient is a favorite beach to go and well worth the visit- lots to do for adults and kids. Mine loved the water trampoline. There were not any topless bathers where we were sitting, but a few topless strollers walked up and down the beach. It wasn't a big deal to my kids, but just wanted to let you know.
We went the Dawn Beach a few years back and didn't see any clothing optional people there.

Orient is a popular option, just like Cane Garden Bay on Tortola and Magens Bay on STT. But I would suggest another destination if doing a beach on SXM. OB is not as nice as many others on the island, and it is a very busy and noisy beach. Kinda like following all of the other cruisers to the same beach - why would you do that unless you like to people watch, of course. We prefer to get away from the crowd when we have the opportunity when on a cruise and SXM is one of those destinations you can do that. Look at Baie Rouge or one of the beaches around there.

We spent a week on OB 7 years ago as the Alamanda area was first being developed and although we found spots we liked we wouldn't waste the time to drive back there for a visit. I'm sure it's even more busy now. An alternate is just beyond OB at Pinel Island, you can see Tintamarre from there. But if you like crowds and a busy beach OB is your spot.

[Boo's Mom]

Originally Posted by blue_water

For St Martin our favorite excursion is the Golden Eagle day sail, simply amazing crew and itinerary, love Tintamarre Island!
Other than that tour the island and enjoy a fabulous lunch in Grand Case. Also great shopping in Philipsburg.

How many people were on the Golden Eagle when you sailed? Assuming this is the 4 hr tour booked with the cruiseline.

[blue_water]

I can't remember but it was comfortable and the crew is the best. E-mail them and ask, and also ask them if the excursion you see is theirs. We shopped Philipsburg firstbsd it was probably a 4hr excursion. We liked it so much we returned to SXM for avweek and took their full day Friday Farewell sail with a group we met through TTOL.

sxmsailings.com (or similar)
Have a great day!