Review for chair rental at Secret Harbor

[Fa-Li]

Hi, Just back from our cruise which included a stop in St. Thomas on a day with several large ships in port.  Thanks to tips from this board, I had reached out to Aqua Action at Secret Harbor and reserved canopy chairs for our group of four.

 

First, this was our first time back at Havensight since the restart, and I found the group taxi situation much improved.  There was a large lot serving as a taxi corral, rather than just the one narrow spot with one or two of the open air bus taxis.  It was still the big group taxis, but many of them, and a "wrangler" was ascertaining where we wanted to go and assembling groups accordingly.  We ended up in an open air taxi with a large group going to Coki Beach, which made sense as that is in the same general direction as Secret Harbor.  Saved a lot of time instead of criss crossing the island.  There were actually private taxis available as well, which was new to me.  Price per person to SH was $20 for one or two, and $15 pp if more than two in group.  This was on a sign that listed destinations, also something I hadn't seen before.  (maybe I'd just missed it, but overall, this was the least chaotic St. Thomas taxi situation we'd experienced)

 

Dealing with Jessie of Aqua Action ahead of time by email was an easy and pleasant experience.  Fees were clearly laid out, and directions were clear.  It was $15 per canopy chair (loungers with an adjustable shade), plus a set up fee of $10 cash total for our group of 4.  We also tipped the guy who set up our chairs.  

 

Taxi dropped us in front of the resort and assured us there would be plenty of taxis available throughout the day in the same spot.  This was true and also not quite - when we were ready to leave, there were three bus taxis lined up, plus a van.  The bus taxis had all been scheduled ahead of time by groups.  They would have been happy to take us, but on the schedule of those groups and we would have been waiting anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.  The van had also been called ahead, and that driver turned out to have room for us, so we were able to hop in and go fairly soon. There did not appear to be taxis just waiting to fill up with random fares.  Of course, knowing St Thomas, we had allowed plenty of margin.  I don't think you should stay on the beach til the last minute and then count on being able to get a ride immediately.  

 

We had not docked until 9, so arrived at the beach around 10:30.  It was a lovely beach and the water was calm and seaweed-free.  Something about the currents apparently protected it from the sargassum that was plaguing a lot of the beaches that week.  Jessie and her crew were happy to see us.  They had been defending our reserved chairs from many who wanted to rent them.  They were completely sold out for the day.  They operate out of  a little dive shop with rental equipment, snacks, and beach clothing.  Everyone was so nice and friendly!  The loungers themselves were basic lawn-chair level quality, with attached canopies that could be adjusted to provide descent shade.  We had our choice of where to have them set up, though the beach in front of the resort is reserved for hotel guests.  

 

The dive shop is attached to a larger building that is part of the resort, and there is a nice restaurant that was doing brisk business.  The restrooms behind the restaurant were available to us.  

 

The Harbor itself is a marine sanctuary, and reef preservation groups are regularly doing coral grafts to improve the health of the ecosystem.  As a result, the snorkeling was pretty good.  There was actually a fair amount of colorful coral, and a variety of fish to see.  The best snorkeling was out along the edge of the Harbor, which required a little bit of a kick to get to - and a little more effort to come back in against the current.  The inner part right from the beach was very calm and clear- an excellent place for kids to swim or for a beginner snorkeler to become comfortable.  

 

We normally charter a small boat to do our snorkeling off-shore in St. Thomas but this time did not feel we had enough time in port to feel comfortable doing that.  This was our first beach day on the island, and we were pleased to still get a good-enough snorkel in while also having a comfortable spot to hang out for the day.  Added bonus that it was easy to get there and back.  

 

Anyway, this is the kind of info that I'm always looking for about a port, and I wanted to pay it forward after all the help I've gotten here.  Happy snorkeling!

[Ms411]

And your review provides the type of detail I crave when traveling. Thanks for sharing! Will look for your other reviews...

[blue_water]

Thanks for your detailed review, that will be useful to others who look here for feedback.  
 

Glad the AA chair rentals worked out. That is a great option to have for busier post days and also for later-arriving cruise ship passengers. Still a bit crowded perhaps, but you had a spot! And the Sunset Grill is a very good restaurant to have available! 😄