Best Beach in StThomas?

[~Jo~]

We are a group of 12 looking for the best beach to hang out at.    And how difficult is it to find transportation?  The majority of our group votes for beach time!

TIA

[Ms411]

Everybody has their favorite beach so it would help with suggestions if you provide more details. Kids? Snorkeling? Jet skis? Food/drinks? Chairs? 

 

Lots of taxis everywhere and many taxi vehicles can carry 15+ people. They will be at the dock and all the popular beaches.

[mitsugirly]

There's plenty of taxi's or open air buses to take you anywhere you want. Like the previous poster said, it depends on what you are looking for in a beach. So many beautiful beaches there. You can take a look at my travel website and see if any might be what you are looking for. Here's the St Thomas link. We've been many times by cruise ship and we've land vacationed there a few times. 

[blue_water]

Our top pick is always Sapphire Beach. We are looking for those gorgeous water colors and island views with music and amenities. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we need shade and gorgeous views, so we usually go to Sapphire beach. 

 

this is to the right side of the regular beach (so you don't see pretty sand on the actual beach):

 

It's not very big, it's quiet, has chaises for rent ($9 each), lot of natural shade, water is not too deep, it's pretty - great pics.

Beach:

 

 

We went to Magens once and left underwhelmed. A soup of people in the water, hardly any space with all the people there, water was murky, too crowded.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[blue_water]

On 12/1/2022 at 10:51 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we need shade and gorgeous views, so we usually go to Sapphire beach. 

 

this is to the right side of the regular beach (so you don't see pretty sand on the actual beach):

 

It's not very big, it's quiet, has chaises for rent ($9 each), lot of natural shade, water is not too deep, it's pretty

Sapphire actually does have a lot of space to get away from the busier area, whether to the right (as you face the sea) by the seagrape trees, or to the left by Crystal Cove and beyond to the Sapphire condo in the distance. 
Agree that Sapphire is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve visited in the Carib, mainly for her gorgeous water colors and island views…

[Itchy&Scratchy]

23 minutes ago, blue_water said:

Sapphire actually does have a lot of space to get away from the busier area, whether to the right (as you face the sea) by the seagrape trees, or to the left by Crystal Cove and beyond to the Sapphire condo in the distance. 

I meant - it's not huge. 🙂

But you are right - we never went far left because we thought it was a private resort area.

 

Last time we went to the right (facing the water) under the seagrape trees, but this time the ship had some kind of an engine problem, so we arrived about 2 hours late, and by the time we got to the beach - we had to go to the left (facing the water). I am glad we did, because there is more space and shade that way. We chose a large tree with lots of shade, got our chaises (some people were leaving by then, so other cruisers simply took their chaises for free), and chilled. 🙂 

 

10/10 would recommend. 🙂

[blue_water]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I meant - it's not huge. 🙂

But you are right - we never went far left because we thought it was a private resort area.

 

Last time we went to the right (facing the water) under the seagrape trees, but this time the ship had some kind of an engine problem, so we arrived about 2 hours late, and by the time we got to the beach - we had to go to the left (facing the water). I am glad we did, because there is more space and shade that way. We chose a large tree with lots of shade, got our chaises (some people were leaving by then, so other cruisers simply took their chaises for free), and chilled. 🙂 

 

10/10 would recommend. 🙂

Yes I understand. 😄 And I meant to add that you would lose the bar service going off too far too…
 

We highly recommended staying in one of the nicer condos at the SBRM property. My wife still laughs at me because I thought the sound of the waves at night was too loud! 🤷🏼

Edited December 3, 2022 by blue_water

[Belci]

On 11/28/2022 at 9:04 PM, blue_water said:

Our top pick is always Sapphire Beach. We are looking for those gorgeous water colors and island views with music and amenities. 

Hi. Been numerous times to Emerald Beach. What amenities does Sapphire have? Beach bar? Chairs etc? How does it compare to emerald? 
 

thanks for any info. 

[Ms411]

Sapphire has food and drink and used to rent chairs, but not sure if they still always do rent them. May depend on numbers who may have booked an excursion through ship which will provide chairs. There's plenty of seating in the bar and eating areas.

 

Sapphire has a reef and sea grass so has good snorkeling. Emerald doesn't have a reef so you may see some fish and maybe a turtle. Emerald also has more of a drop off after you get in the water. Emerald is closer to the ships and has food, chairs, and drinks. Also an inflated water park nearby.

[blue_water]

Sapphire has the amenities you would want, including some water toy rentals. The real difference between these two (other than Sapphire being one of the snorkeling beaches of choice) is the natural beauty of Sapphire with the amazing sapphire water colors and island views…
We love staying at the Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina when on island, no place else like it that we’ve experienced in our travels! Check that out if you ever decide to return for a longer visit!

 

[Belci]

Thanks for the information!