Would my family like Rainbow beach?

[jbuckent]

We are traveling to St Croix by cruise with a 5 year old and 2 year old. We have NO IDEA how the 2 year old will react to anything on this trip so we want to keep our plans very flexible. I am hoping Rainbow beach is close enough to the pier that we can come and go very quickly if we need to. The kids would likely enjoy making sandcastles and splashing around in the shallow water, I don't think they will like waves but that probably can't be predicted. DH and I would also like to have some cold drinks on the beach. Would Rainbow fit my criteria? Any others that would be better for us? Would we be able to walk there? Is it stroller accesable or would I have better luck putting my two year old in a carrier on my back?

[TampaJules]

I just came back from a week long hotel stay in St Croix...

Rainbow beach was about 1/2 mile up from the pier - just folllow the road north. There isn't much of a shoulder or path or anything that i remember so you'll almost be on the street. So probably best to keep the little ones contained as much as you can (its just a small road with not a ton of traffic). There is a restaurant\bar right there (Coconuts).

 

The beach is very short here - like from the restaurant to the shoreline is 20 feet or so. So you can sit at the bar and watch them if you are comfortable with that. The waves aren't too bad on this side since its on the west side, but its still enough to knock over a little one.

 

And its HOT and there isn't much shade. And no chairs or loungers. And the bathroom at that restaurant left A LOT to be desired. And there are little hermit crabs and such that ran around on the beach (only when no one was there).

 

There are better beaches but you can't walk there.... they are all the way on the east side of the island... probably at least a $30 taxi ride, each way.

[jbuckent]

And there are little hermit crabs and such that ran around on the beach (only when no one was there).

 

 

Thanks for the review. So are the hermit crabs and such something to be concerned with? Will they run away from us? Are they in the water that we would need to watch where we step. Not really concerned about DH and I but I wouldn't want my girls to step on one I'd imagine.

[TampaJules]

They came out right after a light rain looking for food and no one was on the beach. I would assume they probably hide when people are around. I didn't go in the water here so I don't know for sure but I don't think they are in the water at all. They don't go in the water here in FL.

[The Islander]

There are a variety of crabs that live along the shoreline in the VI. Your kids would likely enjoy seeing hermit crabs. There are also very small crabs (don't know the right name for them), ghost crabs, fiddler crabs... All of which could exists at any of the beaches. The hermit crab adults can be a little bigger than say a tennis ball including the shell. They live usually in whelk shells. They don't move very fast so are unlikely to run away from you, what they do is pull back into the shell if treatened. It wouldn't hurt you unless you were to pick it up for example and not pay attention to what it was doing - it could possiably pinch you with its claw. The ghost crabs will run away and back into their holes. The fiddler crabs do the same. Ghost crabs live on the shore, while hermit and fiddler crabs are usually back more in the forest or among trees. On St. Croix they have hermit crab races some evenings. :) You can read more on the Hermit Crab races and find a photo of a hermit crab; try http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu9aVR39JjPgA0QBXNyoA?p=hermit+crab+races+%2B+st.+croix&fr=yfp-t-305. More than you likely wanted to know, but none of the crabs will bother you on the beach.

 

--Islander