The beautiful beaches of St Thomas - brief descriptions/opinions

[Ms411]

You can rent lockers from several places to secure your belongings. Rent from Coral World if you're really concerned.

 

There are fewer hair braiders now since the bathrooms have been built and there's constant police presence now.

[Jey01]

I plan on taking nothing I couldn't stand to loose. Cheap sunglasses and a "real" book instead of electronic. We got that waterproof credit card size pouch for money and ID that the hubby can zip into his swim trunks pocket.

 

 

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[Huntris46]

Hi just want to confirm..going to be in stt this month. IS Sapphire up and running??

 

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[debbs0723]

we were at sapphire 9 days ago. seemed to be up and running to me.

[Huntris46]

we were at sapphire 9 days ago. seemed to be up and running to me.

 

Nice!!....Thank you for responding so quickly!!... they had bathrooms food drinks on beach??

 

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[BeachinBeauty]

Was at Sapphire beach nine days ago. I'm not gonna say I wasn't impressed. I wasnt, but I don't wanna be quick to judge because there must've been a storm or something that had blown through prior to our arrival because the waters were murky with tons of sea weed. I am confident it's not always like that though. It was my first time there and my father has been to Sapphire many times and says it's his favorite beach in the world.

 

It took forever and a day to get there (around an hour from the time we got off the ship) because the taxi driver wanted to fill his van and then we of course had to drop those individuals off. Keep that in mind if you have time constraints. There were public restrooms and a food/drink bar up and running.

 

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[O2B@Cagain]

This fall there has been quite a bit of sargassum. Where it lands depends on the winds and currents. I know everyone wants the picture perfect day, but there are times when the beaches don't look exactly like the tourism photos. ;)

[Huntris46]

Thank you so much... we were there last November and there were people on the beach serving drinks and food there was a little dive shop that was renting snorkeling equipment.... With all the comments about things being closed I wasn't sure if all of that was still running. Dont need anything fancy just food drinks bathrooms sand and sun!!

 

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[blue_water]

Sorry BeachinBeauty for your unlucky experience, we love Sapphire as well. I can see some of the seagrass in the webcam below...

Many of the owners there that we've been fortunate enough to meet and rent from also say they've been around the world and Sapphire is their favorite.

 

Huntris here's a webcam and a drone video if you haven't seen it yet -

 

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com

Edited December 6, 2014 by blue_water

[Huntris46]

Sorry BeachinBeauty for your unlucky experience, we love Sapphire as well. I can see some of the seagrass in the webcam below...

Many of the owners there that we've been fortunate enough to meet and rent from also say they've been around the world and Sapphire is their favorite.

 

Huntris here's a webcam and a drone video if you haven't seen it yet -

 

www.sapphireinthesun.com

 

Thoroughly enjoyed this...thank you for posting!! Cant wait to get there!!

[RD3PO]

I saw in another thread someone said there were no beach chair rentals at Magens Bay. Is that true?

[blue_water]

No, that is not true

[Jilliebean28]

We were at Sapphire 2 years ago and were able to rent chairs then. Is this still available? If not are there any other beaches you would recommend that do rent chairs? My dh has a back problem and could not spend the day at a beach without one. Just looking for a laid back beach with chairs, food and drinks available. Thanks for your help!

[blue_water]

We were at Sapphire 2 years ago and were able to rent chairs then. Is this still available? If not are there any other beaches you would recommend that do rent chairs? My dh has a back problem and could not spend the day at a beach without one. Just looking for a laid back beach with chairs, food and drinks available. Thanks for your help!

 

Yes, the dive center is open again, and Sapphire is a great choice for a day at the beach with abundant shade along the shore.

[emilymad]

Yes, the dive center is open again, and Sapphire is a great choice for a day at the beach with abundant shade along the shore.

 

How much are the chair rentals at Sapphire? We are trying to decide between Sapphire and Magens Bay and chairs are a must for us as well.

[blue_water]

I believe $9, but you also have to pay a $4pp admission fee to Magens so you can base your desision on on the beach setting.

Magens offers a nice, calm water in a large, deep bay and has some shaded areas along with picnic tables, restrooms and changing facilities, runners on the beach with drink service, and food that we rate as poor. You can also rent stand up paddle boards. The most popular beach by far and highly-touted by the cruise lines and tours.

 

Sapphire is one of the beaches with free access and is home to 3 condo properties. Sapphire is best described as having more "character", at least in our opinion, with the island views, different water colors with a reef, sandy area, and seagrass area, and usually a bit more waves but it's also quite calm as well. Sapphire has abundant natural shade and room to spread out. When we rent there we never see it that crowded even on big ship days, but no guarantee of course. As noted in the beginning of this thread Dive In rents chairs, snorkel gear, kayaks, and floaties and has restrooms and now an outdoor shower and improvised changing rooms. We like the mahi mahi sandwiches at the Banana Cabana beach grill, they and the Sapphire Village restaurant have runners taking drink and food orders on the beach. Off The Grid is a food truck located near the entrance with excellent take out food as well.

 

So both are nice beaches with about the same taxi fare, just depends on the experience you're looking for.

Edited December 18, 2014 by blue_water

[emilymad]

I believe $9, but you also have to pay a $4pp admission fee to Magens so you can base your desision on on the beach setting.

Magens offers a nice, calm water in a large, deep bay and has some shaded areas along with picnic tables, restrooms and changing facilities, runners on the beach with drink service, and food that we rate as poor. You can also rent stand up paddle boards. The most popular beach by far and highly-touted by the cruise lines and tours.

 

Sapphire is one of the beaches with free access and is home to 3 condo properties. Sapphire is best described as having more "character", at least in our opinion, with the island views, different water colors with a reef, sandy area, and seagrass area, and usually a bit more waves but it's also quite calm as well. Sapphire has abundant natural shade and room to spread out. When we rent there we never see it that crowded even on big ship days, but no guarantee of course. As noted in the beginning of this thread Dive In rents chairs, snorkel gear, kayaks, and floaties and has restrooms and now an outdoor shower and improvised changing rooms. We like the mahi mahi sandwiches at the Banana Cabana beach grill, they and the Sapphire Village restaurant have runners taking drink and food orders on the beach. Off The Grid is a food truck located near the entrance with excellent take out food as well.

 

So both are nice beaches with about the same taxi fare, just depends on the experience you're looking for.

 

Thank you for the wonderful information. We have been to Magens and had a nice time. We do agree with you about the food though. How deep is the water in the swimming area at Sapphire? We aren't interested in snorkeling.

[beautifulbill]

" How deep is the water in the swimming area at Sapphire?"

 

Near the shore it starts out shallow, maybe an inch or two. As you walk out to knee deep water it is maybe a foot and a half. At the waist deep level it is about three feet deep. Continuing going out and it will soon be about five feet deep. Start to swim and it gets progressively deeper.

[2PinaColadas]

Thank you for the wonderful information. We have been to Magens and had a nice time. We do agree with you about the food though. How deep is the water in the swimming area at Sapphire? We aren't interested in snorkeling.

 

 

The water gets gradually deeper, no major drop offs that I have ever found.

[blue_water]

" How deep is the water in the swimming area at Sapphire?"

 

Near the shore it starts out shallow, maybe an inch or two. As you walk out to knee deep water it is maybe a foot and a half. At the waist deep level it is about three feet deep. Continuing going out and it will soon be about five feet deep. Start to swim and it gets progressively deeper.

 

Sounds like a beach I've been to! :p

[2bthereagain]

Hi Blue Water,

 

Thank you for starting such a helpful thread. I have read it thoroughly to this point and am undecided between Sapphire or Coki. We are the only ship in port that day. There are two questions I would like your opinion on:

 

1. A knee replacement (fully recovered, but still an artificial knee) - which is best?

 

2. Can you compare Coki and Sapphire to Maho and Mullet Bay on STM? Is Coki small, close to the road, rowdy, and shoulder to shoulder crowded like Maho? And is Sapphire more spreadout, further from the road and calmer, like Mullet Bay?

 

We did not like the 'vibe' at Maho because it was just too crowded and too rowdy. But we fell in love with Mullet Bay.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Lisa

Nashville,TN

Edited January 11, 2015 by 2bthereagain
ETA: We are the only ship in port that day.

[blue_water]

Hi Lisa,

Yes many folks have posted their experiences and opinions on the STT beaches here and there is a lot of info!

The beach at both Coki and Sapphire is close to where you are dropped and a flat walk so not a problem in that regard. I would compare Coki to Maho as far as the vibe and small beach. Not really rowdy, just a busy vibe. Sapphire does have more room and a "quieter" vibe. I'm not sure if Smith's Bay would be a good choice for you or if you want the amenities and snorkeling these other beaches offer. But it sounds like Sapphire would be a good choice. And we haven't been to Mullet Bay yet but will go there next time we stay on SXM, thanks for mentioning it! Perhaps someone else can make a comparison between the two.

[Huntris46]

Hi Lisa,

Yes many folks have posted their experiences and opinions on the STT beaches here and there is a lot of info!

The beach at both Coki and Sapphire is close to where you are dropped and a flat walk so not a problem in that regard. I would compare Coki to Maho as far as the vibe and small beach. Not really rowdy, just a busy vibe. Sapphire does have more room and a "quieter" vibe. I'm not sure if Smith's Bay would be a good choice for you or if you want the amenities and snorkeling these other beaches offer. But it sounds like Sapphire would be a good choice. And we haven't been to Mullet Bay yet but will go there next time we stay on SXM, thanks for mentioning it! Perhaps someone else can make a comparison between the two.

 

I agree...we were at sapphire beach in 2013 and we went back in dec of 2014 the beach was much less crowded in 2013 it seems like people are finding out about it now it's still a beautiful beach and if you walk down a ways you can pretty much avoid the crowded areas... On saphire there is a dive shop where you can rent snorkel equipment kayaks and paddle boards and chairs. You can also get drinks and food via servers that are walking on the beach ready to take your order! The view on the beach is also spectacular.... You can see all the other islands in the distance!.... Just an FYI on Mullet Bay went there as well beautiful beach very relaxing crystal clear water I definitely recommend!

 

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[2bthereagain]

Just an FYI on Mullet Bay went there as well beautiful beach very relaxing crystal clear water I definitely recommend!

 

 

Thanks Blue Water!

 

Huntris46, just wondering - in your opinion, is Sapphire Beach as beautiful and relaxing as Mullet Bay? Do you feel they are comparable? Is Sapphire Beach more rocky?

[Huntris46]

Thanks Blue Water!

 

Huntris46, just wondering - in your opinion, is Sapphire Beach as beautiful and relaxing as Mullet Bay? Do you feel they are comparable? Is Sapphire Beach more rocky?

 

 

 

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