Coki Beach St. Thomas

[lizbeth00]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm looking for some insight to Coki Beach in St. Thomas. Has anyone been there? Is it easy/fast to get to? How would I get there? My husband and I are sailing on the Regal starting Sunday and we are looking to go to a nice beach without being on an excursion.

 

 

Thanks for the help!

 

 

 

Liz

[Amtrack Springfield]

Coki Beach is a great place to visit it is next to Coral World. You can snorkel or lay on the beach. They rent chairs and have drink & food stands. You need to go early and get off the ship asap. It will get busy if there are a lot of ships in St. Thomas. You can walk out to the taxi stand and get a regular taxi or an open air taxi. We prefer a regular taxi because you don't have to wait till they fill it up. I think it costs $20 each way for two people. Have a great time!

[fundytide]

We sailed Regal Princess last March/April and went to Coki Beach for the day in when the ship docked in St. Thomas. It was easy to get a taxi there but it took a longer than we expected (about 45 minutes if I recall correctly) because it stopped at the ferry terminal to St. John's on the way to Coki Beach.

 

Coki Beach is much smaller than Magan's Bay (we went to that one in March 2014 when we cruised Royal Princess) and it gets very crowded by noon. I suppose all of the beaches do, but Coki felt very crowded simply because it is quite small. There are washrooms and a few bars right on the beach and we found our server was terrific- very friendly and helpful. The rum smoothies are really tasty!

 

The water at Coki seemed to get deeper faster than at Magan's Bay and I felt the pull of the tide much more than I did at Magan's Bay. So, if you are travelling with young children or if you are nervous in the water, Coki might not be the best choice. There is a snorkeling outfit right at Coki Beach if that is something you are considering.

 

Honestly, in my opinion, coming from a place like Wisconsin or Nova Scotia where there is three feet of snow on the ground and sub-zero temperatures, you can't go wrong with any Caribbean beach in January :)

 

Nevertheless, we are cruising the Caribbean again in late March and we are planning to go to Magan's Bay in the morning when we go to St. Thomas.

[lizbeth00]

Thanks for the insight! Do either of you think Magens Bay would be as crowded right away as well? We would plan to spend the day there when in port.

[Colo Cruiser]

Best way to get to any of the great beaches on St Thomas would be cab or shared jitney.

 

Sapphire beach is a nice one too. :)

[fundytide]

Thanks for the insight! Do either of you think Magens Bay would be as crowded right away as well? We would plan to spend the day there when in port.

 

In my limited experience, the beaches get pretty crowded by noon- I doubt there are very many exceptions but I haven't been to all of them. We tend to get off the ship as soon as possible and get to the beach as soon as we can then return early to mid-afternoon when it's really crowded and we've had enough sun and sand for the day. The water and sun are plenty warm for us in the morning.

 

It seems that most people don't tend to wander too far once they hit the sand but if you are willing to walk further away from the entrance to the beach, you will probably find it a bit quieter for a bit longer.

 

If I recall correctly, at both Coki and Magan's Bay, the relatively less-crowded areas are to the left as you are looking at the water when you arrive at the beach. At Magan's Bay, because it is quite a large beach (although much smaller than Orient Beach in St. Maarten), you can walk quite a distance 'left' but you will be away from the bar/restaurant and washrooms & shower facilities.

 

Really though, you can't go wrong when you consider that you're on the beach and not bundling up to shovel the driveway.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I prefer Magen's Bay as the setting is so picture-postcard pretty.

 

Coki Beach is quite a distance away and to me it seemed smaller and crowded. We visited it as part of going to Coral World with a family with children, and for that purpose it was fine, but don't think I would hurry back on my own. Magen's Bay has bathrooms & facilities, I don't remember if Coki did. The admission to Coral World entitled us to go back in and out and use their bathrooms. To us this would be a consideration.

Edited January 19, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[floridalover5623]

I prefer Magen's Bay as the setting is so picture-postcard pretty.

Megan's Bay is great for scenery but there are practically no fish to be seen.

 

Coki Beach is quite a distance away and to me it seemed smaller and crowded. We visited it as part of going to Coral World with a family with children, and for that purpose it was fine, but don't think I would hurry back on my own. Magen's Bay has bathrooms & facilities, I don't remember if Coki did. The admission to Coral World entitled us to go back in and out and use their bathrooms. To us this would be a consideration.

 

Coki is great for snorkeling - loads of fish (and people when the ships tours hit).

There are bathrooms available for the people at the beach but the ones at Coral World are for the paying customers only.

[Mingus]

Coki is great for snorkeling - loads of fish (and people when the ships tours hit).

There are bathrooms available for the people at the beach but the ones at Coral World are for the paying customers only.

 

Look for the huge shark, when snorkeling ;)

The free showers & bathrooms at the beach are clean and very handy.

[LuCruise]

...

The water at Coki seemed to get deeper faster than at Magan's Bay and I felt the pull of the tide much more than I did at Magan's Bay. So, if you are travelling with young children or if you are nervous in the water, Coki might not be the best choice. There is a snorkeling outfit right at Coki Beach if that is something you are considering.

 

...Nevertheless, we are cruising the Caribbean again in late March and we are planning to go to Magan's Bay in the morning when we go to St. Thomas.

 

Does Coki get deeper suddenly or do you feel it getting depper?

 

I've seen pictures and it looked like there were many that were able to just stand waist deep for a good amount away from the shore (including kids) . But maybe the perception was off.

[fundytide]

Does Coki get deeper suddenly or do you feel it getting depper?

 

I've seen pictures and it looked like there were many that were able to just stand waist deep for a good amount away from the shore (including kids) . But maybe the perception was off.

 

No, it isn't a sudden drop-off but the slope is steeper than at Magans Bay or Orient Beach in St. Maarten. I recall, though that when you are standing in the water less than waist deep, I really felt the pull of the tide and the sand under my feet was getting pulled away and I don't remember that sensation at Magans Bay.

 

It may not be a big deal at all for most people- and it really wasn't for me- but it might be if you were travelling with a toddler or if you aren't comfortable in the water.

[LuCruise]

No, it isn't a sudden drop-off but the slope is steeper than at Magans Bay or Orient Beach in St. Maarten. I recall, though that when you are standing in the water less than waist deep, I really felt the pull of the tide and the sand under my feet was getting pulled away and I don't remember that sensation at Magans Bay.

 

It may not be a big deal at all for most people- and it really wasn't for me- but it might be if you were travelling with a toddler or if you aren't comfortable in the water.

 

Thanks for replying back. So it sounds like you can't go out as far without being able to stand if the slope is steeper . Good to know.

 

For us, our younger one is 6.5 so above toddler stage, but she's not swimming on her own yet. We got her life jacket that she'll wear when we're at the beach.