Review - Emerald Beach and Downtown with Young Kids

Prelude:

After using CC extensively for planning our July 10 cruise on Allure of the Seas, I figured on giving back with some thoughts on suggestions given and how they worked out for our family. I'm breaking up the tidbits into the appropriate forums and then I'll probably put links to all of them in an aggregate review (once they're all done, of course).

Background:

We were a Latin family of six, with two grandparents, two parents (DW and myself), and two kids (DD1 is nearly 8, DD2 is just over 2). DW and myself have been on several cruises, the grandparents were on one a lifetime ago, and this was the kids' first venture on the sea. We're comfortable international travelers based in the US (ex: DD2 has been out of the States three times now), so we're OK with adapting to local customs.

Review - Emerald Beach:

Following our trip to Nassau, we had pretty big expectations for St. Thomas. They were exceeded in just about every way.

I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. DD2 slept until 8:15 AM! Yay! We missed our Dreamworks breakfast (a makeup for a poor experience the day before), but who cares? She slept! I knew then that this was going to be a good day.

After getting the crew up and going, watching the ship spin around to dock, making sure the grandparents had their IDs (see Nassau), and then breakfast at the Solarium Bistro (our new favorite breakfast stop), we were off the ship and into the port to play some "dodge the tour groups and guides."

CC folks convinced me that walking just wasn't a great idea for Emerald Beach, and they were right. You could probably go downtown easily enough, but I would be willing to bet it would take you the better part of an hour to do so. Emerald Beach is closer, but the road isn't all that great getting there. That said, after the recent death in a Safari, I was convinced by someone who said to find an enclosed taxi. Good luck with that if that's your preference.

So, out to the taxis we went, with drivers yelling everywhere and safaris driving every which direction. What chaos! We all started laughing when we heard one of the coordinators admonishing the drivers with his "no fighting, no fighting" pleas. It was hilarious. Just for good measure, my father-in-law started yelling out of our safari at no one in particular about getting on and shutting up. He just does that...we've gotten used to turning the other way.

Emerald Beach was only about a 10 minute drive ($4 pp). I asked the driver about a return trip and he said "We're here all the time, you won't have a problem." He was right.

It's not too clear on where to go, but rather than go through the lobby of the Best Western, we went down a path on the right that turned out to put us right on the beach. It was absolutely picture perfect, with deep greens and blues and a very minor swell. Tony explained to us that he runs things for the beach, and we got a few chairs in the shade ($7 per chair). You could get chairs with umbrellas for $10, but we had plenty of shade from a tree that was directly over our chairs. The hotel next door seemed to be renting chairs for $6, but they didn't have the same kind of shade. Of course, you don't need to get chairs here, but we were happy to have them. You need to bring your own towels, though, so go by the Towel Desk before you leave the ship.

For those folks into the male gender, I would have to say that Tony is a pretty darned attractive man, running around in his Baywatch shorts looking all tanned and buff. He says that he runs back and forth to stay fit. My mother-in-law was smitten. I hesitated to take my shirt off with him nearby.

Since we went there first, we were some of the first folks on the beach. Others came later, but it never felt particularly crowded. I inquired about the water equipment and was disappointed by the costs. Kayaks, $30-$40, paddle boats, $30-$50. I missed the Sheraton at Cable Beach a bit, though, in the end, it was more pricey anyways. We just stuck to swimming and playing in the sand.

DD1 loved the water and the light waves. There is also a bit of a drop about a yard into the water line that made her giggle a bit. DD2 stuck mainly to playing in the sand, but took a few trips out into the water with us. The Best Western had a full service bar/restaurant, but we didn't get any food or drink. Restrooms were not a problem at either hotel. We actually used the ones next door to clean up and change before heading downtown. They were kind of nasty, but about what you would expect at a beach. Not nasty like not clean, but nasty like worn and used by a lot of beach goers.

This was the perfect destination for the kids. One tip I have is to buy some cheap sand toys for them before your trip and bring them with you. We got a pack online in a little bag that we traveled with. DD2 spent most of her time with the toys, and DD1 used them quite a bit. One other thing, there is some kind of turbine or generator nearby that made a consistent whirring sound. It created just a subtle white noise on the beach (not annoying at all), but it did kind of impact the ambiance a little. I heard from another cruiser that he went to Trunk Bay with his family, and that was absolutely perfect. I'm not complaining, just saying.

A taxi driver saw us preparing to leave at around 1 PM and offered us a ride in his air-conditioned enclosed taxi. We found one! We headed downtown for some lunch ($6 pp) with him as our guide. He tried to hawk a Jamaican restaurant on us, but we just said that we would walk around a bit first.

That brought us to the waterfront. DW decided on a little café called Bumpa's that was absolutely perfect. It's on the second floor of a little building, and they had sandwiches, pretty darn good burgers, and rum punch. They had just a few tables, but they were shaded and overlooking the bay. It appears to be run by an older couple who I would describe as a probably retired from the continental US. I tried to chat them up a bit to find out for sure, but they stayed pretty busy while we were there, so I just thanked them for there service and went on my way. I'm so glad that we stayed away from the big touristy places.

One thing that irritated me to no end in St. Thomas was the constant pestering for a taxi. From the moment we got off of the one we took downtown, folks were trying to get us back onto one. I was so annoyed that it started stressing me out. We were even in the market in town, and someone approached me for a taxi when I stopped to sit with DD2. What a PITA. After some duty free shopping (12 year old Glenlivet, 2 L, for $49 was a pretty darn good deal...more expensive liquors less so), I actively steered the family away from the main taxi drag. But, with the kids dragging, I decided to take a driver up his pestering to take his air conditioned, enclosed taxi back to port (another one! - $3 pp).

In port, we stood in yet another long line to get back on the ship, but were back to our stateroom by around 4 PM. Plenty of time to relax, shower, and get ready for dinner.

Next stop, the St. Martin board for that review.

thank you for your review. We plan on going to Emerald Beach on our next trip and this just confirms it. Thanks again. :)

Is Emerald Beach near the airport?

Thank you for the review can't wait for the rest. We do have a few questions as we are considering going to the Emerald Beach/Best Western:

1- Are you allowed to use the pool

2- If we rent chairs on the beach can we use the pool chairs complementary

3- What was the cost of a beer or nice cocktail

4- Did they have a bar nearby the beach to get some drinks

5- Did you try the rest rooms at the Best Western how were they

6- Was there a beach bar that was shaded with chairs/tables

Thank you.

Emerald beach is pretty close to the airport. You go by it on the way from port and can feel the planes taking off from the beach, but they don't go over the beach.

As for the Best Western facilities, we really didn't use them, so I can't speak to costs, and from where we sat, the restrooms at the hotel next door were more convenient, so we didn't use them at the Best Western (though Tony said that they were open to us). I'm also not sure about the pool.

There is a bar at the edge of the beach, but it was more part of the hotel then what I would call a "beach bar." It has a thatched roof, so it's completely in the shade with a bunch of chairs and tables. I've heard that the food there is decent, but we decided to go downtown for food, so I can't speak to that.