St Thomas - Beaches?

[elnino122]

Hi all,

 

I have been to St Thomas Several times before and have been to the beach at Megans Bay. Unfortunately not many places to Snorkel and the current is quite strong. Does anyone have any other beaches in mind, ideally with restroom facilities, restaurants and snorkelling within easy reach of the port?

 

Thankyou in advance.

[dcl1710]

When we were staying at the Frenchmen's Reef Marriott a few years ago, some cruisers came by taxi to the place.No one hasled them about being there. There is a restaurant and bathrooms. I think they do charge for chairs and stuff, not positive. Take the ferry to St. John!

[jbrambach]

I also vote for St John. The beaches are breathtaking. You can try Cinnamon Beach, no charge to use facilities and they have bathrooms, showers and a snack shop. They also have a restaurant but they don't open til around 12 or 1 (we actually found the bar guy and had him make us a couple of pina coladas that were delish, for a nice tip of course;):))

 

People also like Trunk Bay as they have a snorkle trail and rentals as well as a snack bar and showers etc, but their is a small fee to enter, about $4 or so. But it does get packed if their are alot of cruise ships in port as this is were they do their beach snorkle excursion.

[elnino122]

Thanks for the replys, some good ideas. Is the Marriott the hotel you see on the cliff just in the distance where the ships dock? Also if i were to choose St John, how much, where from and how long does it take, and whats the situation with getting back if bad weather happens to come?

 

Kevin

[booklady26]

If it's snorkeling you want, try Coki Beach.

 

The beach itself isn't as nice as Magens or the St John's beaches but the snorkeling is great.

 

In fact, most ships offer snorkling excursions there so it does tend to get pretty crowded.

 

It's also adjacent to Coral World.

 

Taxis to and from there are plentiful.

[nbsjcruiser]

Hi all,

 

I have been to St Thomas Several times before and have been to the beach at Megans Bay. Unfortunately not many places to Snorkel and the current is quite strong. Does anyone have any other beaches in mind, ideally with restroom facilities, restaurants and snorkelling within easy reach of the port?

 

Thankyou in advance.

 

For my money you cannot beat Coki beach. It has fantastic snorkeling, a beautiful beach, an underwater observatory (http://www.coralworldvi.com/), you can rent snorkeling gear nearby and its about 20 minutes from the pier by cab. We were there once and are going back this year

[LuvTheGoodLife]

Morningstar beach is by the Marriott - short taxi ride from Havensight dock - about double the time and cost from Crown Bay dock. That said, we love Morningstar - always quiet, few cruise visitors, nice beach bar and restaurant (not cheap!), You can rent umbrellas and loungers ($25) which is a must for my shade loving husband. Beach is gorgeous with nice sand but I have never seen any decent snorkelling or even people attempting to snorkel.

 

It is our usual St. Thomas day!

[djnj]

We were in St. Thomas last March and did alot of looking on this sight and decided to try Sapphire Beach and we were so glad we did. There were 9 of us and everyone one of us thought it was the most beautiful beach we had seen. There is a booth right there for watersports. restrooms.

You won't be sorry if you choose to visit Sapphire!

[nana nancy]

You sold me, one beach we haven't been to in St. Thomas, yet. About how long is the ride, and do you just walk off and find a taxi? We always do the tramway, too. Love those Bushwackers!

[The Islander]

NanaNancy - not sure which beach you are sold on. The three discussed were Coki, Sapphire and Morningstar so here are the rates/time for all three.

 

Havensight to Coki about 12-15 minutes in low/medium traffic, $9 pp, ow.

To Sapphire about 18-20 minutes in low/medium traffic, $10 pp, ow.

And to Morningstar maybe 5 minutes, and around $5 pp, ow.

 

Try a beach guide for St. Thomas for photos and information: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkmpPonJJtLcA4.NXNyoA?p=st.+thomas+beach+guide&fr=yfp-t-305.

 

--Islander

[okgladmom]

Thanks for the replys, some good ideas. Is the Marriott the hotel you see on the cliff just in the distance where the ships dock? Also if i were to choose St John, how much, where from and how long does it take, and whats the situation with getting back if bad weather happens to come?

 

Kevin

 

Yes, That is the Marriott Frenchman's Reef/Morningstar Resort you can see on the cliffs.

[paleskin]

NanaNancy - not sure which beach you are sold on. The three discussed were Coki, Sapphire and Morningstar so here are the rates/time for all three.

 

Havensight to Coki about 12-15 minutes in low/medium traffic, $9 pp, ow.

To Sapphire about 18-20 minutes in low/medium traffic, $10 pp, ow.

And to Morningstar maybe 5 minutes, and around $5 pp, ow.

 

Try a beach guide for St. Thomas for photos and information: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkmpPonJJtLcA4.NXNyoA?p=st.+thomas+beach+guide&fr=yfp-t-305.

 

--Islander

So if Sapphire beach is only 5 minutes farther than coki...Can I go to Coki and just walk to Sapphire beach along the shore???? Also, is there a local bus that takes people around????

[The Islander]

No you can't just walk along the shore from Coki to Sapphire. The sandy beaches here are formed largely in protected coves and between them are rocky coastlines... some pretty steep. There are several beaches between Coki and Sapphire... Water Bay, Sugar Bay, Lindquist to name the popular ones. The short drive between Coki and Sapphire is along the road, its about 2.2 miles, road doesn't have sidewalks. There is public transportation on the island.

 

--Islander

[karena1]

Haven't been to Sapphire yet (but will when we go to STT for week in April) but have snorkeling many times at Coki and it is great. We have seen a ton of cool fish there, even a baracuda once. We will go back to Coki while there also and then probably again the following week when we are back in STT for a day off the cruise ship.

[bambam2972]

Are there any entrance fees for Coki beach or Sapphire beach?

 

Also, what are the costs to rent snorkel gear, parasail, and/or rent a jet ski?

 

 

TIA! :D

[The Islander]

No entrance fees at Coki or Sapphire (only beaches with entrance fees on St. Thomas are Magens Bay and Lindquist/Smith Bay Park).

 

Snorkeling gear is around $10 a day at both beaches and jet skis around $50-$55 for 30 minutes, $90-$95 hour everyday.

 

--Islander

[arenamara5]

If you want a relaxed day at the beach with no hassles go to Emerald Beach. There is a restaurant and bar on the beach. You can rent chairs, water sports stuff etc. Iguanas wander around, COOL the beach is beautiful There's even a convenience store right on the beach. Rent a chair and relax all day. Taxi's are waiting outside to take you back to ship. The water is a bit deep though you can stand but it's not for little children. Many angel fish-beautiful!!

[herb]

If you want a relaxed day at the beach with no hassles go to Emerald Beach. There is a restaurant and bar on the beach. You can rent chairs, water sports stuff etc. Iguanas wander around, COOL the beach is beautiful There's even a convenience store right on the beach. Rent a chair and relax all day. Taxi's are waiting outside to take you back to ship. The water is a bit deep though you can stand but it's not for little children. Many angel fish-beautiful!!

 

Very intersted in visiting this beach on our upcoming cruise. How long did it take you to get there from the pier? Cost for taxi? ... Which hotel is it associated with? Any guest usage fee? Any bathrooms/changing facilities?

[herb]

Very intersted in visiting this beach on our upcoming cruise. How long did it take you to get there from the pier? Cost for taxi? ... Which hotel is it associated with? Any guest usage fee? Any bathrooms/changing facilities?

 

actually found great information about Emerald Beach on the Princess forums when someone started a thread regarding this beach....

[The Islander]

Very intersted in visiting this beach on our upcoming cruise. How long did it take you to get there from the pier? Cost for taxi? ... Which hotel is it associated with? Any guest usage fee? Any bathrooms/changing facilities?

 

Havensight to Lindberg Bay (also called Emerald Beach) is about 15-20 minutes in low/medium traffic, taxi would be about $6 or $7pp, ow. With traffic it would take longer.

 

From Crown Bay to Lindberg/Emerald it's like a 3-5 minute drive, it would be a few dollars pp, ow for taxi... walking maybe 20-25 minutes.

 

The hotels on Lindberg/Emerald are the Best Western Emerald Beach and the Island Beachcomber.

 

No admission to the beach. You can rent chairs and umbrellas. Buy food/drinks. There is a restroom.

 

--Islander

[sunscreen]

It was our first visit to St Thomas last week and we had the option of either Meagan Bay Beach or Coki Beach. We wanted to snorkel so chose Coki and were a little disappointed. There were a few fish around to see but thought there would be more. As well the locals gave us some free entertainment with a domestic going on behind us off the beach and two females throwing coconuts at each other. Police had to be called out. Overheard others stating that when the ladies start "smoking" things get out of hand. Sorry we missed Meagan's Bay and hope to visit that part of the island again. It looked beautiful and worth the $4 pp fee.

[Rigger]

Sapphire beach is by far the nicest beach for relaxing, swimming and especially snorkeling. If you snorkel there you will see a large assortment of fish including rays, squid, sea turtles, barracuda, cow fish, puffer fish and so on. It is usually fairly calm and it has weed beds and live coral reef areas.

[gillmom2]

A few years ago we went to Sapphire Beach as part of a tour. We loved the time we spent there and we are returning in September to St. Thomas. We are coming in on Carnival Cruise lines. I am alittle confused about the two piers. Which one will we be arriving at. We would like to do a beach day at Sapphire. How much should it cost for a taxi there and back?

Thanks for any info.

[The Islander]

Carnival ships usually dock at the WICO dock in Havensight.

Havensight to Sapphire is $10 pp, ow.

 

--Islander

[rcacace]

Havensight to Lindberg Bay (also called Emerald Beach) is about 15-20 minutes in low/medium traffic, taxi would be about $6 or $7pp, ow. With traffic it would take longer.

 

From Crown Bay to Lindberg/Emerald it's like a 3-5 minute drive, it would be a few dollars pp, ow for taxi... walking maybe 20-25 minutes.

 

The hotels on Lindberg/Emerald are the Best Western Emerald Beach and the Island Beachcomber.

 

No admission to the beach. You can rent chairs and umbrellas. Buy food/drinks. There is a restroom.

 

--Islander

 

Islander, Whats up with Coci beach. The water is OK for snorkeling but the place is a dump & the area around the place hasn't been cleaned in 20 years. It seems shame to have such a beautiful natural resource & let it deteriorate that way. It wouldn't take a lot to hire a front loader & dump truck to haul away the loads of rubbish left there from years of dumping. I thought since you live there you might have a few answers. I suppose that's the way a public beach gets when there's no one to oversee the place. It's really disappointing.

Anyway my vote is definitely to go to Emerald beach. I'm not sure they have good snorkeling but the place is beautiful & only a 20 min walk from crown Bay or $4 pp shuttle each way from Crown Bay.

 

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