Anyone else creeped-out by Coki beach? Better alternatives? e.g. Megans Bay / Trunk?

Based on recommendations from CCers, my wife and I chose Coki beach for snorkeling. I felt creeped out from the time I got off the bus to the time I left. We were greeted by a seemingly high "manager" dude, and we felt like we were lambs to the slaughter, being pestered about renting beach chairs, drinks we didn't want, etc. Evidently, you have to pay for beach chair rentals, but that's not at all obvious. We got accosted for cash only after we sat down on a beach chair. Don't have a problem paying to rent a chair, but the guy should have said something about it during his long greeting speech.

 

There were some other weird things--it started raining, and it seemed no one (vendors) wanted to let you get out of the rain unless you immediately bought something. All our gear, including towels of course, got drenched.

 

Then, one vendor began fighting with, and swearing at, another vendor for stealing one of "his" customers. Although the snorkeling was decent, my time at Coki Beach was *the* most stressful time I've ever had at any beach. Beaches + stress just don't go together.

 

Even got hassled about wanting to leave by the "Monsieur"; which I did shortly after I'd been soaked by the rain. Can't tell you how happy I was to hop on one of those open-air shuttles back to Port. Rip-off city. Didn't feel safe at all and couldn't relax.

 

Some questions:

 

* Has anyone else had this experience at Coki Beach?

* Is this a typical beach experience on St. Thomas and other caribbean islands? Aside from Cocoa Cay, I'd never been on a beach in the caribbean.

* What type of experience would I have had at Megans Bay on St. Thomas or Trunk Bay on St. Johns? Do those places have less of a "den of thieves" feel?

* Are there other beaches on other Caribbean islands that have the same feel as Coki Beach? Would like to know so I can "give them a miss" in advance.

 

I'd read on cruise critic that Coki beach was a "mellow, locally run place." Note to self--find the beaches that *aren't* locally run on St. Thomas and elsewhere.

 

My favorite snorkeling experience ever has been in Kona, Hawaii. Fabulous snorkeling--best I've ever seen. No dudes accosting me upon arrival and departure or pestering me for buying drinks, etc.

 

I'd chosen Coki Beach as a cheaper alternative to ship excursion beach visits. Booked my own transport from the Port. In retrospect, I probably should have paid for one of those snorkeling tours where they take you out in a boat to some remote, private place, hopefully free of scary locals who view snorkelers as a flock to be fleeced. Or am I kidding myself and this is the case everywhere in the caribbean? I didn't mind the drink guys at all on Cocoa Cay--since I knew it was an RCI owned private island. Pretty relaxing time there. But Coki Beach had this weird "outlaw", desperate feel that I can't quite describe.

I had almost the same experience last week when we were there on a cruise. No rain, but the vendors and attendants were rude, pushy and sketchy.

I had almost the same experience last week when we were there on a cruise. No rain, but the vendors and attendants were rude, pushy and sketchy.

Sorry to hear things haven’t improved and that you had a bad time. Glad the thread is still alive as a warning to others.

It makes me sad to see all the negativity about Coki Beach. I was born in the VI and we spent many weekends at Coki plus I have gone back on several cruises. I've never felt unsafe there. If you have an issue with pot, I'd suggest staying away from almost any Caribbean island and Hawaii too. Especially Jamaica. And while you're at it, some US states too. I don't see anything wrong with it. No more than anything wrong with seeing someone drink a Painkiller on the beach. Also, about the "dirty" "rundown" look of Coki. The truth is, the Caribbean locals are mostly quite poor and simple people who may not have much but love life and their natural surroundings. If you want manicured beauty and never see a dirty kid, or a homeless person, then stick to resorts and the cruise boat.

Haven't been to Coki Beach, but Meagan's Bay was lovely. You have to pay to rent the chairs and umbrellas, but it was clean, wonderful sand, beautiful water, friendly staff and the food we bought wasn't bad at all. We plan on going back this Nov when our ship goes there.

It makes me sad to see all the negativity about Coki Beach. I was born in the VI and we spent many weekends at Coki plus I have gone back on several cruises. I've never felt unsafe there. If you have an issue with pot, I'd suggest staying away from almost any Caribbean island and Hawaii too. Especially Jamaica. And while you're at it, some US states too. I don't see anything wrong with it. No more than anything wrong with seeing someone drink a Painkiller on the beach. Also, about the "dirty" "rundown" look of Coki. The truth is, the Caribbean locals are mostly quite poor and simple people who may not have much but love life and their natural surroundings. If you want manicured beauty and never see a dirty kid, or a homeless person, then stick to resorts and the cruise boat.

I understand what you're saying and trust me, I am not the type who wants manicured beauty etc...I have many friends who are from and who still live in Belize where I have seen as much and more than what you described above. My issue with Coki Beach was not about the pot, I could care less what people were smoking, it doesn't bother me at all. My problem was the way we were treated. My husband and I were there with a large group. Since you are familiar with the area, you know how tourists are approached by every vendor, waiter/waitress etc...I didn't feel unsafe but I did get mad when my husband was going to one of the guys to get a bucket of beer and a female vendor tried to 'take' his business. When my husband politely explained that he had already ordered from the one guy, the woman asked him if he was gay for not wanting to order from her. I totally get why the vendors were trying to get all the business they could get, I didn't like seeing people insulted. So no, my problem was not about the area, it was being treated badly that I didn't like.

Ibamie, I can appreciate your issues. Growing up in Asia and from the Caribbean that kind of thing is so familiar to me it doesn't bother me. My response was really directed more to the OP than to you.

Ibamie, I can appreciate your issues. Growing up in Asia and from the Caribbean that kind of thing is so familiar to me it doesn't bother me. My response was really directed more to the OP than to you.

And I understand your issues as well. I get really upset when I hear people talking about places I've been where I actually know the people and the area. In part, I blame cruise lines for unnecessarily frightening people into NOT going outside of the ports. Not that every place is without risks, but most places I've been are about as safe as anywhere and some even safer than places here in the U.S. But from the perspective of someone from the U.S., it is intimidating to go somewhere and see 'police' or military carrying semi-automatic or fully automatic rifles. Seeing that implies 'safety concerns' from a tourist perspective. But I've never had an issue anywhere aside from Cozumel where I saw friends get pulled over by the cops and shook down for about 30.00 to avoid getting a ticket for speeding on a rented scooter, but even that wasn't a real issue, it was actually kind of funny. One of my favorite times my husband and I have had was going into Belize city and meeting up with a local guy who gave my husband a tattoo at his house. We spent the entire day at his house drinking beer with him and his friends while my husband got a tattoo. Everyone we knew thought we were crazy and that we were lucky we hadn't been robbed or hurt...but I have never felt unsafe there and we've been back every year. It's the same with Roatan. There are some very poor areas there and it pisses me off when I hear the the cruise line act like people would be unsafe if they step outside of the port. I always encourage other cruisers to just go outside of the ports and see what it's like. I like meeting the locals and seeing what the actual country is like. I think my positive experiences in other places is why I was so disappointed in St. Thomas. Nobody likes being treated like a prospective mark to be taken advantage of.

I can understand some not embracing Coki and the vibe or experience there, we much prefer it when there are no ships in port which isn’t relevant here. But seeing a thread with a title like this is very disappointing. The alternatives mentioned in the title would probably suit those not comfortable at Coki, or perhaps the ship excursion to Lindqvist.

We would recommend Sapphire over those mentioned but we are partial to Sapphire...