The beautiful beaches of St Thomas - brief descriptions/opinions

[blue_water]

blue water... did they open the facilities at Sapphire? I thought they were closed?

 

Yes, we haven't been there since last year but the dive center and restrooms which had been closed have reopened and I also understand tours are once again going there.

[shirleygallegos60]

Will be in the Carribean (STT) In november for the first time. ..I have gone over and over excursions, can't seem to find the right one due to arriving at noon. So we are thinking of taking the ferry to st john. Has anyone just taken the ferry there, and what beach would be best to go to, and are there taxis they're at ferry to take you, to beach to eat, etc. ?

[Bases5]

BW

 

Thanks for the info on Sapphire I guess.

We have never been to Megan's and that was our plan.

But now Sapphire is back up and running (we love Sapphire)

Oh the stress of it all.

[cruisegal40]

Hurrayyyyyy. Thanks BW. We love Sapphire Beach. We go there every time we hit St. T. love the place and the views.

[blue_water]

Will be in the Carribean (STT) In november for the first time. ..I have gone over and over excursions, can't seem to find the right one due to arriving at noon. So we are thinking of taking the ferry to st john. Has anyone just taken the ferry there, and what beach would be best to go to, and are there taxis they're at ferry to take you, to beach to eat, etc. ?

 

Yes, going on your own is very easy and gives you the most time on STJ. You just hop a 20 - 25 minute, $10pp taxi to the Red Hook ferry terminal, take the 15 - 20 minute, $7pp ferry to Cruz Bay and there are taxis waiting there. You can get dropped at Trunk Bay or Cinnamon for $6 - 7pp (both very nice, Cinnamon should be less busy). You can also stay with the taxi and take an island tour before going to the beach. The tour is about $25pp + $6 - 7pp for the return. Cruz Bay has some nice shops and eateries.

 

The ferries run on the hour, just allow at least an hour (a little more to be safe) for the taxi from Red Hook back to the ship and your back on board time. If your back on board time is 6:30 we'd take the 5PM (or maybe the 4PM to have a little time at the port) ferry back to RH.

 

Excellent day that gives you a little tour of both islands!

[AmandaKaye79]

Question: We are interested in seeing a couple of the St. Thomas Beaches. Maybe visiting 3 beaches and spending around 2 hours at each beach. We are in St. Thomas from 8-5pm. Does anyone know a tour company that has a beach hop tour? Or a private tour company we could contact?

[Ms411]

Check http://www.stthomasexcursions.com. A guy named Homer used to offer it and there were some reviews a few years ago under his name, but I think it's under new management now.

[AmandaKaye79]

I saw that one but it was more focused on snorkeling. We aren't interested in snorkeling. We just want to visit the beaches, swim and relax.

[Ms411]

Then you would have to either rent a vehicle or arrange a private tour.

[AmandaKaye79]

That would be great! How do I find the private one? We are also interested in visiting the Magic Ice place.

[blue_water]

That would be great! How do I find the private one? We are also interested in visiting the Magic Ice place.

 

The driver at Secret Harbour Resort in Secret Harbor gave private tours, you'll have to contact the resort via their e-mail address to see if he's still available. We paid $25pp 5 - 6 years ago so it would probably be more now...

[Ms411]

How many in your group? When are you coming? What ages?

 

Do you want to do 3 beaches close to the ship? Morningstar, Emerald, and Magens would be good choices. All 3 have amenities.

 

The beaches further away are more snorkeling beaches.

[blue_water]

When we used that driver before we started staying on STT we wanted to visit the East End and see Secret Harbor and Sapphire, and that was a great day with 2 gorgeous beaches. We looked at condos at SH while there. You could add Coki or Smith Bay Park as a 3rd beach, or go down to the Ritz and tour that beautiful property as it's close to SH.

 

These are all East End beaches within close proximity to one another and all gorgeous. On the return you can stop at the overlook on Skyline Drive and take in the view of Magens from Drake's Seat, then get dropped at Paradise Point for a nice view of the harbor with drinks. You can then take the aerial tram down and walk back to your ship...

[AmandaKaye79]

How many in your group? When are you coming? What ages?

 

 

 

Do you want to do 3 beaches close to the ship? Morningstar, Emerald, and Magens would be good choices. All 3 have amenities.

 

 

 

The beaches further away are more snorkeling beaches.

 

 

I wanted to see Magen's beach for sure. The others I'm not sure about. We are coming in June so plenty of time to decide. There are 2 of us. Age 35.

 

 

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Edited September 8, 2014 by AmandaKaye79

[AmandaKaye79]

When we used that driver before we started staying on STT we wanted to visit the East End and see Secret Harbor and Sapphire, and that was a great day with 2 gorgeous beaches. We looked at condos at SH while there. You could add Coki or Smith Bay Park as a 3rd beach, or go down to the Ritz and tour that beautiful property as it's close to SH.

 

These are all East End beaches within close proximity to one another and all gorgeous. On the return you can stop at the overlook on Skyline Drive and take in the view of Magens from Drake's Seat, then get dropped at Paradise Point for a nice view of the harbor with drinks. You can then take the aerial tram down and walk back to your ship...

 

 

Secret harbor and sapphire sound nice too.

 

 

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[OVgirl]

Looks like we will be in St Thomas in January with about 23,000 of our closest friends.:D

With that many people guess it will be very crowded on the beaches and in town.

 

Any suggestions other than staying on the ship? We will be on Westerdam at Crown Bay.

Maybe just walk around for a bit.

Edited September 8, 2014 by OVgirl

[blue_water]

I wanted to see Magen's beach for sure. The others I'm not sure about. We are coming in June so plenty of time to decide. There are 2 of us. Age 35.

 

 

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The view of Magens is beautiful from Drake's Seat or from Mountaintop, but for a tour like this I would recommend that rather than a stop there. There's also an entry fee there. I'd stick with the East End, maybe stop at Tillett Gardens on the way back to Skyline and Mountaintop or Drake's Seat, nice little artsy shops there. But Paradise Point would be an ideal last stop since you're docked st Havensight. Their Bailey's Bushwacker is good if you like bushwackers.

Edited September 8, 2014 by blue_water

[blue_water]

Looks like we will be in St Thomas in January with about 23,000 of our closest friends.:D

With that many people guess it will be very crowded on the beaches and in town.

 

Any suggestions other than staying on the ship? We will be on Westerdam at Crown Bay.

Maybe just walk around for a bit.

 

Not sure how long you're in port, but 23k is a typical heavy day and you could enjoy one of the lesser-traveled beaches like Elysian (Cowpet Bay), take a private or an organized tour, taxi to Red Hook and ferry to STJ and take the island tour with time to shop/lunch in Cruz Bay, or take a daysail and get away from everything.

[Ms411]

Not every beach will be crowded - just the beaches that are offered as part of tours.

 

It depends on what you'd like to do. Each beach is different and town thins out at 11 for the most part because many tours then take people to the beach.

 

There is more to the Caribbean islands than beaches, so it helps if you can be more specific.

[allentownahoy]

I would suggest going to Emerald Beach. It is not far from where you will be docked and is a quieter, less crowded beach. Short taxi ride.

[blue_water]

With 23k in port I would expect all beaches to be somewhat crowded except perhaps Elysian and maybe Brewer's, and with ships at Crown Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach) and Honeymoon on Water Island are sure to be crowded as well because of Crown's proximity to them. But you never know of course. Magens and Coki will be busiest, and Sapphire and Secret Harbor are also favorites of many. As allentown mentioned Lindbergh is the closest for you OVgirl if you want the shortest taxi to a beach.

 

If the Champagne Catamaran sail excursion to STJ is offered through the ship it is one that is worth taking, especially on a busy day.

Edited September 9, 2014 by blue_water

[OVgirl]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll put all the info into my notes and see what will fit best into our day in St Thomas.

[blue_water]

Another option not mentioned is Hull Bay on the north side which wouldne a nice spot to relax as compared to the better known beaches. That woulld also give you a little tour of the island.

[hockeypapa]

How steep is the hill going down to sapphire beach??? How long does it take to get back up?? Thank you

[blue_water]

It's not a difficult walk down and not terrible walking up if you have no mobility issues. It may take you 8 - 10 minutes to walk down. It's just the heat walking back up and then having to stand in the sun while waiting for a ride. While staying at Sapphire we saw 2 couples walking up to wait for the $2 bus on our way to the store in nearby Red Hook. We returned almost an hour later and they were still there. I almost felt sorry for them but all they had to do was grab a taxi like everyone else and pay the $10 which they eventually did after losing that precious time. So just use common sense for the weather that day...