Lindquist beach

[sunone]

Has anyone been to Lindquist Beach? We will be i n St. Thomas on Dec. 31st on the Noordam. I am sure that all the beaches will be crowded. I did some research on Lindquist and it seems pretty private. I know there are no facilities there. How long does it take to get there by taxi and will we be able to get back ok? Any info will be greatly appreciated!!!

:confused:

Also, how can I check to see how many ships will be in port on that day?

[chubbycheeks]

It might be better to rent a car to go there but if you can't or would rather not then you can have a taxi take you and then arrange to have him come back at a certain time. If you have Sprint or AT&T then you can get the driver's number and call him (there aren't any roaming charges or long distance if you use either of those). How long it takes depends on traffic and other stops the taxi makes. Lindquist is between Sapphire Beach and Sugar Bay (where the Wyndham is). From Havensite I would plan on at least 15 minutes if you go directly there.

[The Islander]

The popular three beaches for cruise passengers are Magens, Coki and Sapphire. Generally the other beaches on the island are not so crowded by cruise ship passengers.

 

Some folks may be off on New Year's Eve and Lindquist is a popular choice with residents for parties and picnics, so while Lindquist is usually very quiet it may not be completely quiet on New Year's Eve.

 

Noordam and HAL ships usually dock in Crown Bay. Crown Bay to Lindquist is about a 30-35 minute drive in low/medium traffic. With traffic, usually through town, it will take longer. More ships means more traffic.

 

Right now there isn't a taxi stand at Lindquist so you'd be chancing standing on the road side and flagging down a taxi. Best bet would be to pre-arrange a pick up.

 

--Islander

[sunone]

Thanks so much for the info. You are right, the locals will be off that day. We were thinking about Cowpet. Have you ever been there? Would it be closer?

[The Islander]

Hello sunone,

 

In another post about Cowpet and Secret Harbor here is what I wrote:

 

They are so close to each other, you could do both. Just a minute drive apart.

 

Secret Harbor is a pretty beach, lots of palm trees. The shore is largely sandy, a few pebbles mostly on the far right (when facing the water). Usually a quiet beach. There are chairs on the beach, they are intended for guests and while there was a time that they were available for rent by non-guests, someone had recently posted here that they were now for guests only. Haven't double checked myself so you might call or email the hotel. There is a dive shop and they have some kayaks. No other watersports. Snorkeling is good. The water is usually very clear and calm. There are a couple spots with some rocks and hard but smooth sandstone; easy to spot them in the clear water. There is a beach bar and restaurant. Restroom up behind the bar/restaurant. In the middle of the bay is a wood raft you can swim out to and lay on. Usually a couple taxis outside the hotel lobby, if not have the front desk call one for you.

 

Cowpet is a pretty beach, lots of palm trees. There are usually iguanas in the trees and in the grass particularly on the far right (when facing the water). There are a few condo/hotels closeby but the beach is usually very quiet. There are chairs on the beach and they appear to be available for both guests and non-guests. A watersports booth has kayaks, paddle boats, windsurfers and other stuff. Cowpet has good snorkeling if you swim out along the left side (when facing the water) to the point. There are two restaurants/bars on site. Restrooms would be at the restaurants. The shore is largely sandy with a mixture of sand/pebbles on the left side and far right side. The water is usually clear but sometimes it is a bit stirred up. It is usually calm. It is right next to the STT Yacht Club so there are usually a lot of boats moored a distance from the shore, more so on the right side. Usually a couple taxis in the area, if not ask someone at the watersports booth or restaurant to call one for you.

 

Taxi fares: again they are right next to each other so Havensight to Secret Harbor or to Cowpet is $10 pp, ow. If you did decide to go to both the taxi between the two should be just a couple dollars. If you do have a taxi called they usually charge $1 more per person for the radio called pick up.

 

Cowpet and Lindquist are about 5-6 minutes drive apart.

 

--Islander

[poohbear]

We went to Secret Harbor the other week. There is a sign that states the chairs and umbrellas are for guests only, however, when we arrived no one was there. We had the whole beach to ourselves for about an hour and half. We did use the chairs and had no problems. Chairs are available for rent at the dive shop, for $5 a piece. This is a beautiful beach. The food at the Rest. was good and the bathrooms clean. Taxi fare was $10/pp to get there.

 

Hubby went snorkeling and said it was very good. He saw turtles, and all kinds of fish. I sat under one of the palm trees reading a book. A few iguanas were spotted.

[sunone]

Thank you!! Secret Harbor sounds great!!!