Coki, Magen's Bay or Saffire??????

[mitsugirly]

Thank you for the advice - we'll be sure and hang on to those towels when we get off the SHIP! LOL

 

No problem. Although I've never heard of anyone complain that someone stole their towels while on the island, I'm sure it could happen. You'll see almost everyone from all the ships at the beach with their towels. :)

[sdp123078]

Was at Sapphire Beach last week. Very beautiful and quiet. Not a big crowd, which is what we were looking for.

[HappyHappy1]

Was at Sapphire Beach last week. Very beautiful and quiet. Not a big crowd, which is what we were looking for.

 

How many ships were in port that day? When we stayed at Sapphire Marina, the day that there was four ships in port, the beach was alot more crowded.

[sdp123078]

How many ships were in port that day? When we stayed at Sapphire Marina, the day that there was four ships in port, the beach was alot more crowded.

 

I think it was just two on that day. That probably made a big difference!

[HappyHappy1]

I think it was just two on that day. That probably made a big difference!

 

Don't get me wrong...we really enjoyed snorkeling at Sapphire Beach, which has the best snorkeling on St. Thomas. There are alot of water toys to rent there as well. So it is a great activities beach. However it gets over crowded when many ships are in port and, unfortunately, the beach is not maintained by the Resorts (Crystal Cove of Sapphire Beach Resort) or the cruise ship passengers who just leave their trash. The Sapphire Beach Resort looks like it is falling apart and they didn't maintain their pool (which is on the beach). The sand was also softer on Emerald beach compared to Sapphire.

 

To me...and this is just my opinion and that of my family/friends we travel with...Emerald is a nice clean beach with some snorkeling and beach toys. Best Western does a nice job keeping the beach clean. Their beach bar is fantastic and the food is good. Emerald is also more secluded than Sapphire which leaves less chance for the bad element to wander in off the streets.

 

Where ever you go...Have a wonderful time!

[O2B@Cagain]

" Emerald is also more secluded than Sapphire which leaves less chance for the bad element to wander in off the streets."

 

Lindbergh Bay, where Emerald Beach hotel is, is right next to the airport. Sapphire is on the eastern end of the island, away from town. There is no "bad element" at either one. Both are nice destinations.:)

[HappyHappy1]

" Emerald is also more secluded than Sapphire which leaves less chance for the bad element to wander in off the streets."

 

Lindbergh Bay, where Emerald Beach hotel is, is right next to the airport. Sapphire is on the eastern end of the island, away from town. There is no "bad element" at either one. Both are nice destinations.:)

 

I beg to differ. When we were there in July, there were some shady characters hanging around the entrance. not just once...we saw them several days.

[O2B@Cagain]

Shady characters at the entrance to Sapphire? Up on the street? Or by the hotel? And are you sure they weren't taxi drivers? ;)

 

Not sure what shady people look like, but if you see them, it probably doesn't have anything to do with seclusion, at least at those two hotels.

[HappyHappy1]

Just stating my observations.

 

Oh...And the three resorts: Crystal Cove, Sapphire Beach Resort, & Sapphire Village are all privately owned Condos. They aren't hotels. You can rent them through a rental agency such as Antilles or directly through the individual owners.

[mitsugirly]

I just noticed that Sapphire Beach Resort put their camera up higher now. Here's a shot of exactly where we sat at (under the grape trees there close to the volleyball net).

 

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

[sharonlacey]

Nice beach that made up my mind. Thanks for the pic.

 

Sharon

[KarenSea]

We have only ever been to St. Thomas once and went to Coki beach (beautiful) and this time we will go on a short tour and then to Magens bay. the tour company (godfreys tours) states at the bottom of tour #1 that they do not go to Sapphire Beach due to the fact that the restaurant and restrooms are closed and the beach is unclean (or words to that effect). Not sure if this is true, just putting it out there.

[bajathree]

We have only ever been to St. Thomas once and went to Coki beach (beautiful) and this time we will go on a short tour and then to Magens bay. the tour company (godfreys tours) states at the bottom of tour #1 that they do not go to Sapphire Beach due to the fact that the restaurant and restrooms are closed and the beach is unclean (or words to that effect). Not sure if this is true, just putting it out there.

 

The exact wording they use is.... "Restrooms are not maintained, dirty and in bad condition. Godfrey Tours will not take any guest to Sapphire Beach until this problem is solved."

 

 

I can vouch for the disgusting bathrooms.....very poorly maintained.

[sharonlacey]

Thanks for the info. Has anyone been to Emerald Beach? Thanks!

 

Sharon

[blue_water]

We spent a week on STT after a week on Tortola. The beaches of STT (St Thomas) are not as nice as those in the BVI and the southern Caribbean. Having said that, they are very nice and the views from the East End bays are exquisite. Here are our recommendations -

Coki - our favorite becauase it is a small bay with gorgeous water colors and very soft sand. Also good snorkeling here, and the best choice of food and drink vendors and changing facilities. If you want to be around a livilier crowd this is the best choice.

 

Sapphire - we stayed here over Easter, very nice beach and nice colors. This beach offers a very nice view of St John and Tortola. There is a reef, a sea grass area and a swimming area so it has something for everyone. Snorkeling can be good abnd turtles and rays are spotted in the grass. But the waves can be rough if there is a swell. many people complain about the bathrooms but they're not that bad. This is an island, get over it. There are people taking drink and food orders on the beach, and there's the Banana Cabana for sandwiches/burgers and beers (Heinekin = $5)

 

Magens - I would avoid because of the crowds (most visited beach), you can see a nice view of that from Mountain Top if you want.

 

So I would suggest Coki if you want busier, or Sapphire if you want a little less crowded. But stick with the East End for the best experience. Red Hook is also 3 minutes from Sapphire wqith some great bars and food.

 

I see some misleading comments on the condition of Sapphire, unfortunate that these are "put out there". The restaurant and beach bar are out of commission right now and that is unfortunate. But it is still a beautiful resort and a great place to enjoy. I would actually go to Coki first, and when that gets crowded head over to Sapphire as it's on the way back to the ship. And yes the web cam posted earlier is in front of bldg B and is looking toward the swimming beach and the seagrass area just beyond the dive center that you can barely see.

Enjoy!

[blue_water]

I beg to differ. When we were there in July, there were some shady characters hanging around the entrance. not just once...we saw them several days.

 

lol - are you talking about people waiting for a bus at the entrance? They probably live there!!!

There are no shady characters hanging around the entrance of any of these resorts. Maybe this is the first time you've been to the islands...

[blue_water]

Stayed at Sapphire Resort last week at a private condo. The beach is beautiful, BUT, after the cruise ship passengers left for the day, the beach was littered with trash. If you go, remember to police after yourself. Take any trash you generate with you or deposit it into one of the very many trash receptacles available.

 

Good point, many folks don't consider this when they're visiting the islands for a short time. They can have a huge impact on the environment there.

We stayed there for a week over Easter and during that time there were up to 15k cruisers on the island one day. Sapphire got a little busy that day and when we returned from STJ (to escape) we thought we'd see a mess but we never saw much garbage because the maintenance staff was on the ball. That's one of the benefits of staying here is you have the maintenance staff on duty and more importantly the security staff that keeps others out of the pool and away from the condos. Very safe place and we will stay there again. But be sure to do your homework on the condo as some are not updated. We were lucky to find an owner early that has 3 beautiful units, some corners.