Coki, Sapphire or Magan's for snorkel, relax food and fun?

[alemap]

Forgive me, I know this has been asked many times, and I used the search forum to find updated info, but am looking for someone who may have specific answers...from what I have seen, Sapphire is quiet and great to relax, Coki more "entertaining" and has more amenities, Magan's is good but not as pretty. Is there a beach that we all would love?

 

We are looking for a beach that is pretty, has good snorkling for kids (age 10 and 8), chairs to rent to relax(for me!), and my hubby loves when we are taken care of by the local restaurants with food and drink. Kind of like Cabo or Mexican Riviera. We are arriving on a cruise on a day when 5 (!) other ships will be in port, so I am thinking any beach will be busy. That does not bother us, really, as long as we get a spot and some chairs.

 

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

[Ms411]

You should check Secret Harbor. Do a search and you'll find reviews.

[blue_water]

For a "livelier" vibe I would head for Coki as long as you don't mind it being a bit crowded. SH would be more of a relaxing beach. Sapphirre can be quieter on heavy ship days and it can be crowded, ya just never know with any of the beaches there. Coki will definitely be more crowded because it's a very small bay.

 

None of the beaches on STT offer a similar experience as the Riviera Maya, but there are runners/servers on Sapphire and Coki with food and drink options as well as chair and snorkel gear rentals. We haven't returned to SH because we like the other beaches more and I don't know if they SH has servers on the beach.

[guntheros]

We went to Sapphire last year and it's really the only one we have been to, but that being said... we LOVED it! There is good snorkeling right from the sandy beach. It would be perfect for young snorkelers. We have a 3 year old that loved the water and it was nice and calm for her first experience with the ocean. Also a nice little food/drink place right there. My dh thought they had the best rum punch on our whole trip! It was busy, but we still had room to spread out. There are decent bathrooms right there as well. We had a great time and that's the one beach we went to that we reminisce about time and time again. It was so nice and beautiful! Like I said, I can't compare it to anything other beach on St. Thomas, but we sure liked it!

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

We went to Sapphire last year and it's really the only one we have been to, but that being said... we LOVED it! There is good snorkeling right from the sandy beach. It would be perfect for young snorkelers. We have a 3 year old that loved the water and it was nice and calm for her first experience with the ocean. Also a nice little food/drink place right there. My dh thought they had the best rum punch on our whole trip! It was busy, but we still had room to spread out. There are decent bathrooms right there as well. We had a great time and that's the one beach we went to that we reminisce about time and time again. It was so nice and beautiful! Like I said, I can't compare it to anything other beach on St. Thomas, but we sure liked it!

Sounds perfect! What was the taxi fare for four people, if you remember? We will be on Reflection.

[blue_water]

We lovecSapphire too, just has the right mix of everything + beautiful island views. Taxi is about $20 - 22/pp roundtrip to all East End beaches and well worth it.

[lvz2cruz]

Sounds perfect! What was the taxi fare for four people, if you remember? We will be on Reflection.

 

 

The price will be about $10-12 one way for each person so figure on close to $100 total.

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Thanks for the replies! Is it a very long drive? My friend has issues with car sickness, so we want to keep it fairly close to the ship, if possible.:)

[Hornet441]

Thanks for the replies! Is it a very long drive? My friend has issues with car sickness, so we want to keep it fairly close to the ship, if possible.:)

 

20 min from Havensight without traffic. Be aware some of the taxis may drive a little quick on the hilly roads.:eek:

[mitsugirly]

Sapphire is a slice of heaven to us...

 

 

 

This was a day that 3 of the biggest cruise ships (at the time) were in port (Epic, Oasis, Dream) and another ship. Not crowded at all.

 

Snorkeling right off the beach and very easy for the children:

 

 

Plenty of fish to be seen and other marine life.

 

 

 

Lots of friends on the beach too:

 

 

Natural shade with grape trees lining the beach

 

[mitsugirly]

Beautiful water:

 

 

My full review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=26210037&postcount=1

 

You will find a link at the bottom to all of our pictures that day.

 

Here is a link to the web cam right there at the beach from the Condos that Blue Water stays in during vacation. Check it out during the day and judge for yourself:

 

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

mitsugirly, your pictures are beautiful! I'm sold on going to Sapphire Beach!

[mitsugirly]

mitsugirly, your pictures are beautiful! I'm sold on going to Sapphire Beach!

 

 

Aww thanks. Sapphire is a beautiful beach/place. :)

[Erwende]

Just got back from the Allure and we went to Sapphire beach on Wednesday. If you enjoy scary roller coaster rides, then go. The road there is awful. Tiny two lane up and down through the hills! I was petrified. The beach is just okay!! Nothing to write home about!

[blue_water]

wow, never thought of the drive to Sapphire as bad at all, yes there are some curves and hills but nothing that I ever considered as a scary roller coaster ride. I've also never heard anyone describe Sapphire as "just okay" but everyone is different. Sapphire isn't as beautiful as Smuggler's Cove on Tortola, Doctors Cave on Jamaica or Grace Bay on Provo, but it is a very pretty beach with nice island views.

 

For those who haven't yet taxied or driven St Thomas, the roads are actually in very good condition and easy to navigate, especially as compared to other islands like Tortola. My wife would agree with you on the roller coaster ride if you were talking about Tortola! :p But St Thomas is not that bad, and the drive to Sapphire is a very easy and safe drive.

We're spending another week at Sapphire in a month because we love it there, and my wife is very comfortable with driving the island. Going to the East End of STT rather than Tortola gives her a break from the very steep roads and switchbacks on Tortola!:)

[Beacher123]

Sapphire is a slice of heaven to us...

 

 

 

This was a day that 3 of the biggest cruise ships (at the time) were in port (Epic, Oasis, Dream) and another ship. Not crowded at all.

 

Snorkeling right off the beach and very easy for the children:

 

 

Plenty of fish to be seen and other marine life.

 

 

 

Lots of friends on the beach too:

 

 

Natural shade with grape trees lining the beach

 

Will be there in May. I think this will be our choice in St. Thomas. Did the Champagne Cat excursion last year and really enjoyed it. Wanted to see a different beach this year. Thanks for the pictures.

[mitsugirly]

Will be there in May. I think this will be our choice in St. Thomas. Did the Champagne Cat excursion last year and really enjoyed it. Wanted to see a different beach this year. Thanks for the pictures.

 

No problem. We loved it there and hope to get back again some day.

[islandmandan]

I have to agree with Blue water and Mitsugirly.

Sapphire has it all and the view can't be beat. Having been to Sapphire, Magen, and Coki, I would rank them in this order- 1) Sapphire 2) Coki 3) Magen

[party of five]

Sapphire is the beach of choice for us too. And, you can get there on the local $1 vans. Just ask when you get off the ship where the bus depot is (walking distance). You can get there and back for a buck each.

[Ms411]

The VITRAN bus is $1, but it only runs every 2 hours, at best. The public "safaris" are $2 pp each to Sapphire way, and don't take you directly to the beach. You have to walk down a hill to get to the beach entrance.

 

If you don't pay the correct fare for the public safaris, it can get pretty ugly.

[blue_water]

These aren't bad options if staying on the island and you're "on island time". But for a cruise stop it can be a huge waste of time and most experienced with STT will discourage folks from that option. And the walk back up the hill from Sapphire is a bit of a hike in hot weather. While staying at Sapphire last visit we saw ppl doing this and waiting in the heat before finally walking back to the taxi stand. What a waste to save a few $$.

[tulipcityfamily]

I noticed in the pictures of Sapphire Beach, there are Kayaks. Has anyone rented from this beach? I'm interested in knowing the cost.

[dorakk]

I noticed in the pictures of Sapphire Beach, there are Kayaks. Has anyone rented from this beach? I'm interested in knowing the cost.

 

We rented kayaks on Sapphire beach, while not remembering the exact cost, it wasn't expensive. For sure it was less than $10 for 30 minutes.

 

However, it wasn't the best place to do kayak though. We were advised not to go too far out as the wave can get pretty bad further away, so we ended up circling in a small area.

The beach aren't big so it was pretty crowded, together with the shallow water and coral, it was not a nice kayak experience. We paid for 30 minutes, but we returned the kayak within 15 minutes.

[Ms411]

Magens is probably one of the best places to kayak because of the calm water.

 

You can also take a guided kayak tour in the always calm water of the mangroves. Most ships offer this tour.

[cruise_crazy68]

wow, never thought of the drive to Sapphire as bad at all, yes there are some curves and hills but nothing that I ever considered as a scary roller coaster ride. I've also never heard anyone describe Sapphire as "just okay" but everyone is different. Sapphire isn't as beautiful as Smuggler's Cove on Tortola, Doctors Cave on Jamaica or Grace Bay on Provo, but it is a very pretty beach with nice island views.

 

For those who haven't yet taxied or driven St Thomas, the roads are actually in very good condition and easy to navigate, especially as compared to other islands like Tortola. My wife would agree with you on the roller coaster ride if you were talking about Tortola! :p But St Thomas is not that bad, and the drive to Sapphire is a very easy and safe drive.

We're spending another week at Sapphire in a month because we love it there, and my wife is very comfortable with driving the island. Going to the East End of STT rather than Tortola gives her a break from the very steep roads and switchbacks on Tortola!:)

 

Can you tell me what scenic stops are on the way to Saphire Beach. It has been well over 20 years since I was here and I am excited to get back to St Thomas and show hubby a few of the scenic stops. One being Drake's seat and mountaintop was always beautiful too. Any help would be great!

 

Thank you,