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coki or sapphire beach

mustang$

By mustang$,
in St. Thomas/St. John

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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted

Agreed, Sapphire is a more relaxing beach with beautiful water colors and island views. Runners take food and drink orders on the beach, and you can walk over to the Banana Cabana beach grill located between condo bldgs B & C and order drinks and a great Mahi Mahi sandwich. Rent a lounge and grab a shaded spot to the right of the dive center.

 

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com

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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted (edited)

Meant to add that Sapphire doesn't get as busy as Magens or Coki but there will be other day visitors there.

If looking for a beach where you may see no one or very few ppl Hull Bay is nice. Not sure about lounges, last time we were there we used an old table that was under the trees to have a lunch we had packed, and laid towels on the sand.There is a beach bar there as well, you can google their hours.

All the time we were there (on a big ship day) we met just one other couple walking the beach and 2 teens who were staying down the beach. And HB is a nice walking beach...Just a thought! Not sure if you'd be sharing a taxi with folks heading to Magens, or if you'd have to find a taxi just for you. Perhaps MS411 or Beautiful Bill can help there...

 

http://www.virginislandsthisweek.com/st-thomas/maps/st-thomas-island-road-map.html

Edited by blue_water
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lastminutemama

lastminutemama

Posted
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Last week chairs were $5 and umbrellas were $10. Buckets of beer were everywhere but I was enjoying the fresh fruit rum smoothies so didn't notice what everyone was paying for their beer.

 

The runners were amazing. The whole fried snapper was delicious as were the mahi wraps.

 

I don't know if you're going soon, but Magens Bay had a runoff problem and the locals strongly suggest staying out of the water there for a while. So all of the other beaches are busier than usual but we were still very happy there.

 

We paid $7 per person each way for Coki, but weren't allowed to talk about it in the port so that the driver didn't get in trouble.

 

Friendly people and service all round on our port adventure.

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Ms411

Ms411

Posted
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The posted rate to Coki is $10 per person each way, and the reason there's a rate sheet is to make a level playing field for all drivers to limit price wars. Drivers can be fined for not abiding by the rate sheet, and yes, other drivers will report them if they find out that a driver offered a discount from posted fares.

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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted

 

I don't know if you're going soon, but Magens Bay had a runoff problem and the locals strongly suggest staying out of the water there for a while. So all of the other beaches are busier than usual but we were still very happy there..

 

Drivers will steer you towards Coki because they have friends or family working there as vendors, and Coki is always the most crowded beach due to the small size of the bay.

Just curious - what locals warned you about Magens, the driver? Anymore details on the "runoff problem"?

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islandgirl70

islandgirl70

Posted
Posted (edited)

We did Coki beach on our Dec 5 sailing and it was absolutely beautiful. Beautiful sand, water and amazing to snorkel. We arrived quite early and took a taxi ($9PP) each way. We rented a chair $5 each and had a waitress that would come around. They had public washrooms and showers. They also had little boutiques where you could buy the usual souvenirs. They also had a kiosk where you could rent snorkel equipment, etc.

 

We arrived by 845am and found a prime spot to park our chairs and immediate went in the water to snorkel. Thank god for that, by the time we were done, the beach was PACKED. And that would be an understatement. They had so many people squeezed onto the beach that we ended up calling it a day.

 

** I should also add that we had the Escape, MSC Divina and Carnival Valor in port so that could be why it was so busy.

Edited by islandgirl70
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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted
We did Coki beach on our Dec 5 sailing and it was absolutely beautiful. Beautiful sand, water and amazing to snorkel. We arrived quite early and took a taxi ($9PP) each way. We rented a chair $5 each and had a waitress that would come around. They had public washrooms and showers. They also had little boutiques where you could buy the usual souvenirs. They also had a kiosk where you could rent snorkel equipment, etc.

 

We arrived by 845am and found a prime spot to park our chairs and immediate went in the water to snorkel. Thank god for that, by the time we were done, the beach was PACKED. And that would be an understatement. They had so many people squeezed onto the beach that we ended up calling it a day.

 

** I should also add that we had the Escape, MSC Divina and Carnival Valor in port so that could be why it was so busy.

 

Coki is a beautiful beach in a tiny bay and so gets crowded easily, especially on busier ship days. Sapphire is a nice alternative on those days...

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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted
Going in January. My dad has never snorkel end before and want to give him a chance to snorkel from the beach before his catamaran sail later in the cruise. Leaning towards Coki beach but looking for suggestions or thoughts. We've only been to Magen's bay so looking for something different this cruise

 

Coki is a good choice for beginners but as mentioned on a busy day it will be quite crowded and even on a 1 ship day will be one of the busier beaches. So if you don't mind that Coki is a good choice for off the beach snorkeling.

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

Posted
Posted
Going in January. My dad has never snorkel end before and want to give him a chance to snorkel from the beach before his catamaran sail later in the cruise. Leaning towards Coki beach but looking for suggestions or thoughts. We've only been to Magen's bay so looking for something different this cruise

 

 

I personally think that Coki is a good option for a beginner. The water is pretty calm and there is instant snorkeling on either side right as you enter the beach. It's so much easier to "learn to snorkel" if you are in shallow water and need to stand up to adjust while getting the hang of it. This is the perfect place to do that. I have a full review in my signature line with TONS of pictures if you are interested in seeing the place and the snorkeling involved. :)

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zqvol

zqvol

Posted
Posted (edited)
Anyone know how much the chair rentals are at Sapphire?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

 

 

I am there now, just went down to the shop. Rental chairs are $9/ day.

 

Does Sapphire beach have restrooms?

 

 

Yes

Edited by zqvol
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zqvol

zqvol

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How is the snorkelling at Sapphire Beach compared to Coki?

 

 

It depends.

 

At Sapphire the winds have been out of the east all week and it has been choppy and the water has a lot of sand in it. There is more to see at Sapphire than at Coki, but it is a more difficult snorkel, and is much more spread out. There are no where near as many people which make it nice. Some people today mentioned turtles and rays that they saw.

 

Coki is Coki, the water is crystal clear because of the wind direction, there is no chop close to shore, but there are dozens of people in a small area. No chance for turtles rays, eels or octopus.

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