need a quite beach please

[Remus2010]

Ok, I need some suggestions please. We will be in St. Thomas in January, with about 23,000 other people:eek:. Yes that is 23 with 3 zeros, we will be one of 7 boats on that day. I am not big on crowds, so is there a beach that is maybe out of the way that we can get a day pass to? Somewhere that will be a bit quieter? We have never been there but the thought of all those people and trying to get on a ferry to St. John gives me anxiety just thinking about it. Thanks in advance.

[O2B@Cagain]

Remus: If there were places where you could get a day pass, there would be crowds of people there.:D St Thomas has smaller beaches, many with hotels or condos. If you REALLY want a quieter beach, try one without beach chairs and restaurants. John Brewer's Beach, Smith Bay/Lindquist (although it is getting more popular by the day) and even Sapphire Beach now all have fewer amenities calling the cruise crowds. Bring a towel, a picnic and beverages of your choice.

[sail7seas]

When there are many ships in port at St. Thomas there is almost no place that is quiet. Lots of folks want the same thing as you and with so many people, it just can't happen.

 

Don't let it bother you.

Relax and enjoy.

[Ms411]

If a quiet beach is posted on the internet, it won't stay quiet. :-)

 

You should contact the beachfront hotels to find out about day passes and keep the secret to yourself;-)

[blue_water]

There are always better or smarter choices to be made for sure. You're there for 10 hrs (8 - 6) so you have a few decent options actually.

 

Our first choice would be to taxi to Sapphire Beach. Sapphire is home to 3 condo resorts with good food and drink available as well as great snorkeling if you have your own gear. However the public restrooms and rental center are currently closed so very few day visitors are going there as a result. So the beach is very quiet even on big ship days. If you can enjoy laying your towels on the soft sand under the natural shade of the seagrape and palm trees and being waited on by runners from the beach grill and restaurant you will enjoy paradise at Sapphire. The vast sapphire-colored ocean is available if alternative restrooms are needed :p

 

If that option doesn't interest you Lindqvist Beach at Smith Bay Park not far from Sapphire would be the next choice. No amenities there except portapotties, so not nearly as crowded as the others like Coki, Magens, Lindbergh, and Secret Harbor. You would grab an excellent lunch and drinks at Gourmet Gallery deli at the cruise dock.

 

A 3rd option may be a daysail on a nice sailboat or cat that has a max pax limit of 6 ppl. Not a beach day but rather a snorkeling day but you could enjoy being pampered on a nice day on the water with lunch and drinks. You may even get to dinghy into a beach if conditions are good. Several to choose from at vinow dot com under st thomas and day charters. Yacht Nightwind and HIgh POckets are 2 that are highly recommended.

 

And finally a ferry or ship excursion to St John and a taxi to Cinnamon Bay if not too swamped (Maho otherwise) would be the 4th choice.

Edited May 5, 2014 by blue_water

[OCruisers]

Totally agree with Blue Water's suggestions.

He is very good with finding "on your own" things to do and has done many of them himself. You can trust his information. :)

#3 may be something you would really enjoy. Sometimes, these 6 people per sail boat sailings are even offered through the ship. We did this once when I was recovering from a badly broken leg and had a wonderful relaxing day.

LuLu

[blue_water]

LuLu I think we need to meet up one of these trips as we have a lot in common! ;)

Thanks! :)

[smilz]

You might consider Emerald Beach. It is a 5 minute cab ride from Crown Point and is never crowded. Not much for snorkeling but it is a beautiful beach with easy entry, powdery sand, chairs, food, bar and clean bathrooms. Quite doable from Havensight as well but allow plenty of time to return in the afternoon as the main road back gets quite congested. Happy sailing!

[blue_water]

You might consider Emerald Beach. It is a 5 minute cab ride from Crown Point and is never crowded. Not much for snorkeling but it is a beautiful beach with easy entry, powdery sand, chairs, food, bar and clean bathrooms. Quite doable from Havensight as well but allow plenty of time to return in the afternoon as the main road back gets quite congested. Happy sailing!

 

The Best Western in Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach) is a nice spot and a very convenient beach alternative to the nicer East End beaches, especially for those docked at nearby Crown Bay. But I'd be concerned about that beach being pretty crowded this particular day as well as Honeymoon Beach on Water Island just because of that convenience and the number of ppl on the island. There are other spots in Lindbergh to walk to but as you mentioned the drive there and back to Havensight would take considerable time due to the very heavy traffic that day.

just no great answer but Lindbergh is an option...

[Life is Good Cruising]

With that many ships and people in port, we try to get out of St. Thomas. We'll then take the ship's excursion to St. John's and found that to be less crowed than going to a beach in St. Thomas, just my opinion.

 

It's going to be crowded where ever you go with all those people.

[blue_water]

The beaches of St John with amenities (Trunk, Cinnamon) will be just as bad as Magens because the ship excursions are so popular and easy, and many ppl go there on their own no matter how crowded STT is. For STJ all of the closer beaches will probably be packed so that leaves Maho and Francis perhaps...

But yes, both islands will be busy and other than a daysail the beaches with less amenities are the obvious choice unless you want to be in a crowd...

 

We'd choose Sapphire hands down but most folks want the restroom option of course and that's understandable. But the Sapphire Village restaurant has a restroom and you can buy food and drinks from their beach runner - win-win.

Edited May 6, 2014 by blue_water

[Life is Good Cruising]

I understand all beaches were be crowded, found St. John's to be a little less crowded than St. Thomas beaches . Some people are not going to pay a ship excursion and will do the beach on their own, which I why I think St Thomas beaches will be more crowded than St. John.

 

There's also the possibility of doing a catamaran sail, still getting the sun or shade if needed and dealing with less people.

[blue_water]

Yes but many ppl go to STJ on their own as well so I don't think the popular beaches (those worth going to) will be any less busy. I also understand the OP's thoughts on crowded ferries all day, and the extra 2 hrs or more in travel time from Red Hook to a beach and back on a busy day is also a consideration. I'm sure Maho and Francis will be uncrowded, but I wouldn't go all the way there for a beach experience, and I'm sure everything to the south will be pretty crowded.

 

I still like Sapphire and Lindqvist as options, but these are just my opinions of course. I think we're in agreement that a daysail is a good alternative to a beach on this very busy day!

[seashinesunshine]

Secret Harbor. Smaller and quiet, but not much shade. There is a bar there and chairs etc to rent. Great snorkeling!

7 ships are a lot, but not totally uncommon.

[blue_water]

be aware that chairs are limited and it promises to be crowded at SH because Sapphire is no longer a prime option