Question about St. Thomas

[Fun~N~Sun]

We plan on just having a day at the beach while in St. Thomas. Anybody have a recommendation for a nice beach maybe with some shopping and a few fun bars nearby?

[ccdude100]

We always go to Megan's Bay when in St. Thomas. it is a beautiful, calm beach......and there is a bar right there with pretty good food, too! there are also beach chairs available to rent and restrooms.

[senorita frog]

We just got back and spent the day at Saphire Beach. It was not at all crowded, the snorkeling was wonderful (although my son got stuck by a sea aenome), and their were iguanas hanging around that my daughter got to feed. It was our favorite stop of the whole cruise. Not much shopping though, just one small shop.

[Pianogrl]

I'll put in a plug for Coki Beach!.....beautiful water/snorkeling/sand...lots of fish...snack bar...we loved it there!

All 3 of these beaches are beautiful; I don't think you can go wrong on any of them.

Have fun!

[Beach4me]

LOVE it! It is always the highlight of a trip to St. Thomas for me. The fact that it's a bay makes it very calm and very clear. Beautiful!! You can be dropped off downtown on the way back to the ship or, if you are at Havensight, you can shop right at the dock. I'm a beg fan of jewelery...but I'm a bigger fan of the beach.

[zqvol]

I vote for Coki and Saphire, though you probably will have to shop either in town or at the pier.

[BrendaB1]

Just returned from Coki Beach while on Liberty. Beautiful. beach. Also if your ship docks at Crown Bay instead of Havensight........the shopping area is not complete yet but these is a nice bar called Tickles in the marina there.

[richfret]

If you want to go to the beach, shop and tour the island, you can do it all on a Godfrey Tour. Been there and done that twice and plan to go again. It's only $25.00 a person and is a bargain. Just getting a taxi from the pier can cost you several dollars. If you want details, go to http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/info.html

By the way you don't have to pay in advance. He is very cordial with the tourists and speaks English very well. You won't go wrong.

[SeaBrz]

I vote for both Godfrey's tour AND Sapphire Beach. In fact, I'd take Godfrey's tour for the price and info on the island even if I wasn't going to the beach. (Visited Sept 2005)

 

As for which beach, I think like anywhere else, that depends on what you're interested in. All the beaches above are gorgeous, but we chose Sapphire because Godfrey recommended it as the least populated.

 

Spot on advice, as there were only 6 other people in the water and no more than 15 total on the entire beach for the 2-1/2 hours we were there. It was HEAVEN for me, but the trade off is no bar, no music, no partying, no water sports. There is a small gift shop that sells beer and wine (and some unique tourista goods), but this is NOT a "happenin' place". The snorkeling was by no means stellar, but I brought my own gear, and quickly found lots of fish in little reefs 15 yards from shore in fairly clear water.

 

We had a perfect day in St Thomas, and I hope you have the same!

 

SB

[zqvol]

If you want to go to the beach, shop and tour the island, you can do it all on a Godfrey Tour. Been there and done that twice and plan to go again. It's only $25.00 a person and is a bargain. Just getting a taxi from the pier can cost you several dollars. If you want details, go to http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/info.html

By the way you don't have to pay in advance. He is very cordial with the tourists and speaks English very well. You won't go wrong.

Why would he not speak English, St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands and considered part of this country.

[p0mpey]

Help! Still not sure which one to go to. All three sound beautiful and I change my mind everytime I read a reply. We are booked with Godfrey for next week. We like to snorkel and plan on taking our gear so I guess it should either be Coki or Sapphire.

[Hootsie]

St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands and considered part of this country.

 

Like that means people speak English. LOL! Sure doesn't work on the "mainland".

[emmysmommy]

I'm sure glad someone started a thread on this subject here. I've been reading the ports boards looking for this exact information. The Godfrey tour looks really good - glad it comes highly recommended!:D

[Eliot Ness]

Help! Still not sure which one to go to. All three sound beautiful and I change my mind everytime I read a reply. We are booked with Godfrey for next week. We like to snorkel and plan on taking our gear so I guess it should either be Coki or Sapphire.

We went with Godfrey last summer and loved his tour. That particular day he recommended Coki beach and we really enjoyed it there..... the water was crystal clear! I'd say let Godfrey make the choice for the day you're there since he'll know which beach will best suit your needs. I really doubt that you'd be disappointed at either one.

 

John

[SeaBrz]

Why would he not speak English, St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands and considered part of this country.

 

Hmmm, Puerto Rico comes to mind ...

[Fun~N~Sun]

I am still undecided. I really want a beach with music, drinks, fun, .....

some nearby shopping, some more music and drinks. Keep the suggestions coming. I can't decide.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We just got back and spent the day at Saphire Beach. It was not at all crowded, the snorkeling was wonderful (although my son got stuck by a sea aenome), and their were iguanas hanging around that my daughter got to feed. It was our favorite stop of the whole cruise. Not much shopping though, just one small shop.

 

I agree with the Sapphire Beach recommendation. We have done it 3 times already. We love it there.

 

You can do a little shopping right across the street from the ship if you dock in Havensight. We usually get back on, take a quick shower, maybe grab a slice of pizza and do a little shopping.

 

Bill

[Fun~N~Sun]

How far is Coki Beach from the ship? Do we get there by taxi? How close is this to "downtown" shopping that someone mentioned or is the shopping near the ship okay?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

How far is Coki Beach from the ship? Do we get there by taxi? How close is this to "downtown" shopping that someone mentioned or is the shopping near the ship okay?

 

Yes you'd need a taxi to get into town.

 

If you want the deal of a lifetime book with GodfreyTours. Godfrey has a great reputation, just ask on this board.

 

For $25 a person Godfrey will pick you up in the morning at 9, 10 or 11am whichever you choose. If you go at 9 or 10 he'll take you into town for some shopping followed by a tour of the island which is about 60-90 minutes with some stops for some photo ops. Then he'll take you any beach you choose. Either Megans, Coki, or Sapphire. Then he'll take you back to the ship. You don't even pay him a penny until he drops you off at the ship.

 

here is his website if you are interested. http://www.godfreytoursvi.com

 

Bill

[beachgal58]

whichever u shoose, go it on your own.. the ship is a ripp-off!! we go to st johns trunk bay most of the time...cab from ship to red hook ferry for a few bucks..ferry to st john a few bucks cab to trunk bay a few bucks and 4 bucks to get in trunk bay.(national park). these few bucks r about $2-4 each and it is way less than carnival will charge u and u can stay as long as u wish.. ferrys run back and forth all day/nite in summer.. we did coki in oct..take a cab if u go here. it is a nice beach and cove..small but good snorkeling.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

very true, go on your own for sure.

here is how to get to Tunk Bay if you choose to do that:

 

Take taxi to Red Hook for ferry to St.John $8.00 pp

Total = $24.00 – 17 minutes

 

Take ferry from Red Hoook to Cruz Bay $3.00pp

Total $9.00 **** 15 – 20 minutes

 

From Cruz Bay take taxi to Trunk Bay $3.00 pp

Total = $9.00 – 12 minutes

Admission to Trunk Bay is $4.00 per adult 17 and up

 

**** ferries leave Red Hook at 6:30am, 7:30am, and then hourly starting at 8:00am running until midnight

 

ferries leave Cruz Bay hourly starting at 6:00am until 11:00pm

 

Bill

[Hootsie]

Why isn't this on the Ports of Call board?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I guess the moderators are busy elsewhere or maybe nobody hit the triangle yet.:rolleyes:

 

Bill

[glr068]

Help! Still not sure which one to go to. All three sound beautiful and I change my mind everytime I read a reply. We are booked with Godfrey for next week. We like to snorkel and plan on taking our gear so I guess it should either be Coki or Sapphire.

 

I'll throw another wrinch into your decisions.....Hop the ferry and go over to St. John's.......:D I'll be there next week and plan on doing just that since I've been to St Thomas twice. I'm going to spend several hours in St. John's then come back and still have time to shop St. Thomas. Anyway, you can't go wrong on any of the beaches that have been mentioned. I'd have to say, Megan's Bay is the best in my book.

 

Enjoy.......

[katiesmom327]

We went to Coki beach (and Coral World) on our own and then went downtown for shopping before heading back to Havensight where the ship was docked. We easily spent $25 per person for the three taxi rides. We had considered doing Geofrey's tour but my daughter wanted time for Coral World and the beach and we were concerned that we wouldn't have enough time for both if we were on the tour schedule.

 

There are a lot of shops and vendors downtown Charlotte Amalie that are not at the Havensight mall so shopping downtown is worth it!