Anyone been to Emerald beach recently??

[OntarioTraveller]

We are in port on a day in March when there are 5 ships in port including the Oasis!

We would like to go to Magans Bay but are not that fond of crowds!

We hear Emerald Bay is a not as busy and is a nice beach.

Has anyone been there recently?

I would love to hear any comments about crowds, washrooms (at the hotel?), chair rentals and any other information.

Many thanks!!

[jackdiamond]

Emerald beach is a very nice beach. The cab fare from CB is about $4.00, per person plus tip, while it is about $7.00, per person, plus tip from WICO. Some time ago, I read about a bus that would transport one to this beach from WICO, but I have never been able to ascertain the specifics thereof. Accordingly, I would greatly appreciate the input of anyone who has any informtion vis-a-vis this bus.

Thank you.

[allentownahoy]

We were there in November and loved it. beautiful clean beach, not very crowded, calm waters. If you get there in the morning you may be able to grab chairs in the shade under the trees. I think the cost for two chairs and one umbrella is $24 but we lucked out and no one ever asked us to pay. Apparently they came by right before we arrived to collect. I would have gladly paid, was not trying to rip anyone off and expect that next time I will end up paying. As it is our chairs were under the trees so no umbrella needed.

 

I honestly do not remember if I used their bathrooms. Sometimes these island beach stops all blur together-in a good way.

[tlund]

We were there in May. The taxi from Crown Bay to the beach was $4 per person. We paid for chairs - I think $6 or $7 a piece. The restrooms were fine and clean. The service at the bar was fine and they have food there as well. Water was calm, warm and refreshing. The beach was not crowded at all. We went to the beach in the morning and headed back to do some shopping downtown. We noticed more people arriving at the beach when we were leaving at around 2:00 p.m, but still not a crowded beach. I haven't posted pics in a while and will try to post some of our pictures so you can see the beach.

[tlund]

Here's a couple pics:

 

IMG_0417 by hoeg67, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_0415 by hoeg67, on Flickr

[tlund]

Here's a picture of the bar on the beach:

 

IMG_0409 by hoeg67, on Flickr

[snooper1225]

Here's a picture of the bar on the beach:

 

IMG_0409 by hoeg67, on Flickr

 

 

This looks like the beach I went to last year. It was the Best Western Hotel at Emerald beach. It was beautiful and a very reasonable cab fare.

[tinybabynurse]

There are actually 2 bars. The pics look like to one to the right when you are facing the water. The other bar is part of the hotel and is close to the hotel pool and bathrooms.

 

Both have decent food and drinks but the one in the Pics have really good (rum) smoothies....

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Where is Emerald Beach in relation to the Princess Dock? does it have good snorkeling? We usually go to Sapphire Beach as it has everything we want, but we might change for someplace closer if we can get peace & quiet, shade and good snorkeling!:D

[Hlitner]

We were at Emerald in October and found the beach as lovely as ever. We did some snorkeling along the rocks at the left side of the beach and saw some very interesting squid. For those looking to avoid the crowds we always recommend Emerald if you are docked at Crown Bay or Morningstar if docked at Havensight. This avoids having to take a taxi through Charlotte Amalie (which is often clogged with traffic).

 

Hank

[HappyHappy1]

My 2 son's, a friend, and I were in St. Thomas in November and went to Emerald Beach. There were 5 ships in port that day and we were the last ship scheduled to arrive. Megans was definatly not an option with so many cruisers in port. So based on recommendations of fellow CC members we went to Emerald/Lindbergh and are so pleased with our choice.

 

We LOVED Emerald Beach. The beach is situated in front of two hotels: The Best Western and the Island Beach Comber. The beach is about 20-30 feet in wide and about 1/8 of a mile long. The water is calm and clear blue. However the slope is not gradual like at Megans. It drops off to about 2 feet deep right away. (FYI if you have little ones). The sand is soft and white and the beach is very clean. The maintenance staff from both hotels make sure the beach is kept in great condition.

 

We rented two chairs under a palapa for $12 each. And the view from my chair was awesome. Although we spent most of the day in the water.

 

 

 

There is a fantastic little beach bar/restaurant at the Best Western. The food was delicious and the frozen drinks were yummy and strong...no skimping on the alcohol here.

 

 

 

You can rent kayaks at the hotel for $15 for a half hour or $25 for an hour. They let us have the Kayaks for $15 for an hour just for asking. They also rent paddle boats, floating mats and snorkel equipment. You will not find motorized watersports here.

 

The snorkeling is good if you snorkel over on the left side by the rocks. We saw several schools of fish. If you want great snorkeling go to Coki or Sapphire. But the snorkeling here is good...especially if the only company you like while snorkeling is the fish! We were the only ones snorkeling that day.

 

The beach is so clean and uncrowded even with 5 ships in port.

 

 

 

The water is fairly calm...no waves. We found several great shells and sea glass...However the folks at NCL found them in my backpack when we returned to the ship and made me dispose of them.

 

My two teenage sons (14 & 15) had a blast with the snorkeling and boats...They also played on the beach with their soccer ball and in the water with a skim ball. They loved the beach so much that we are heading back there in June 2011 for a week long vacation.

 

Emerald/Lindbergh is right next to the airport. We saw a few small planes go overhead..but it was not noisy or distracting at all. We docked at Havensite. The taxi ride was about 10-15 minutes and cost us $6 per person each way.

 

If you are looking for a quiet beach in St. Thomas with clear calm waters, a few beach activites and a great beach bar/restaurant you have to go to Emerald Beach.

 

HappyHappy!

[HappyHappy1]

Here are some of the pictures we took while snorkeling at Emerald.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HappyHappy!:D

[BJAMINGIRL]

What kind of water camera were you using? thos are the best underwater pictures I have seen.

[HappyHappy1]

It is a Fuji FinePix XP10 12MP. I got it at Target for $150. It takes great pictures outside and underwater. The inside pictures in low light are not that great...but then again...I purchased it only hours before the cruise so maybe I didn't have the settings right.

 

It has a setting for snorkeling...shots come out great. When I upload into snapfish, click edit, color correct, auto contrast to get rid of any remaining blue haze from sunlight glare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HappyHappy!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the pictures. The snorkel pictures turned out great! I am a big Sapphire Beach fan and we are planning on spending our day there at this point. However, we have more than a year to change our mind! Your pictures and post might help do that, LOL!

 

Since we are on a Princess ship I know Emerald Beach is a lot closer to the port than Sapphire. Are taxis going back to the port easy to find there? Is there plenty of shade? One of the things we like about Sapphire are the big, leafy trees that line the beach. We love the water a lot......the sun, not so much.;)

[HappyHappy1]

Thank you for the pictures. The snorkel pictures turned out great! I am a big Sapphire Beach fan and we are planning on spending our day there at this point. However, we have more than a year to change our mind! Your pictures and post might help do that, LOL!

 

Since we are on a Princess ship I know Emerald Beach is a lot closer to the port than Sapphire. Are taxis going back to the port easy to find there? Is there plenty of shade? One of the things we like about Sapphire are the big, leafy trees that line the beach. We love the water a lot......the sun, not so much.;)

 

 

There were several open air taxis waiting right at the hotel when we left the beach. I was told by the bartender that the Hotel will call one for you if they were not waiting.

 

When we go back in June we plan on spending 5 days in St. Thomas checking out the variouse beaches (Emerals, Coki, Sapphire, & Magens) and 3 days in BVI...probably Virgin Gorda as we loved the Baths and found the snorkeling over here to be fabulous (and my sons love climbing the boulders).

 

We loved Emerald because it was so quiet and were able to still swim, snorkel, and play on the beach. If we had gone to Magens my boys would definately not have been able to play soccer on the beach (at least not without hitting anyone).

 

HappyHappy!

[SDA1125]

Lots of good info - does anyone know where EOS will dock ?

[O2B@Cagain]

Royal Caribbean (except for the Behemoth I and II) usually docks at Havensight.;)

[HappyHappy1]

Royal Caribbean (except for the Behemoth I and II) usually docks at Havensight.;)

 

"Behemoth" Love it! LOL!

[JP350Z]

I am thinking about spending the day at Emerald Beach Resort when our ship docks there in May. We have been to Megan's Bay already and liked it but prefer more of a resort set up. I have checked out their web site and see they are welcoming to cruisers.

 

1) Does the free "day pass" include use of the pool at the resort?

 

2) Do you have the cab take you to the front door of the resort or some other entrance?

 

Thanks, this is my first post.

[OntarioTraveller]

I did call the hotel and no you are not allowed to use the pool or other hotel amenities. The fellow told me they do enforce this rule.

They encourage you to rent chairs $7 each and a palapa $10 at the beach and eat and drink at their restaurant.

There are day rooms often available (which would give you access to the pool) but they run about $150 for a 10am to 3pm day. Pretty expensive, I think!

The plus is that there are not tours who come here so not so crowded.

[IDKaren]

we are on NCL in nov..want to go to either Emerald or Secret Harbor or Sapphire- SO many choices:D Does anyone know where NCL ties up and which beach would be the closest? thanks!

[HappyHappy1]

We were on the NCL Pearl in November 2010. We docked at Havensight.

 

Here is a link to where ships "usually" dock. Docking location is always subject to change.

 

http://www.havefunwithus.net/resources/westindiancompanydock.html

[bschiller]

Which is better Emerald or Sapphire?

Sailing Carnival which is closer?

[travelbig]

Which is better Emerald or Sapphire?

Sailing Carnival which is closer?

 

You will be docking at Havensight. Sapphire is around a 20 min. ride, $10 pp each way. Emerald is around a 15 min. ride (right thru the congestion of Charlotte Amalie) and is $6-$7 pp each way. People have different opinions of what is better. I would go to the one that has the easiest and most scenic ride, and that would be Sapphire (or Secret Harbor, same taxi rate).