best beach on St. Thomas?

[jkovick]

Which beach on St. Thomas is best? Why is it best? Did you book and excursion or go on your own? Thanks!

 

[Miss Eeyore]

bumping because I am interested in this too. I was soooo sick on our last cruise (brain infection not the dreaded N$%#@&*) that I barely staggered off the ship, went to the solar product place and staggered back on. DD and friend went to nearby beach and were hasseled to death by walking vendors.

Marilee

 

[jkovick]

Anyone?

 

[spencertaylor]

one year ago we had a great time at saphire beach, no vendors, and plenty of services.
2 weeks ago we went to Trunk Bay in St John, which put Saphire Beach to shame.

Those are my recommendations

Spencer

 

[MNmom]

We loved Magens Bay....but if I were to go again I would take a cab over to the Red Hook ferry and head straight to St. John's!!!

I did this last time and fell in love with the island that we gave up our cruise in 2001 and spent a whole week on St. John (never even made it over to St. Thomas). It is easy to do and worth the trip. There are many beaches over there...Trunk Bay and Cinammon Beach were our favorites!!!

Just my .02. You will have a great time wherever you go!!!

 

[mickeyboat]

We too loved St. John. We honeymooned there and it is the main reason we chose the 7 day Eastern - so we'd have a chance to visit there again, now with our children.

My concern is that we will be incredibly rushed because we have to be back on board so early. Has anyone done St. John on their own (our kids are too young for the excursions)? Some posters have said there is no problem getting there and back with some time for Trunk Bay. Others have said they would not do it outside of a DCL excursion because they fear they won't get back to the ship in time. What time should we catch the ferry to get back?

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

The Best beaches on St. Thomas.........Are on St. John! If you are looking for a beach day, snorkeling, relaxing, pristine waters and sand, many times with very few other people.....go to St. John. Either take an excursion through the ship or take the ferry (which may take up part of your day, driving to Red Hook and then Ferrying over vs. a private excursion which many times loads right at the dock).

St. Thomas is great for shopping and Coral World and Coki Beach are very nice, Mageans Bay is beautiful, but many times crowded, not good snorkeling due to an all sand bottom. Don't get me wrong.... I love St. Thomas, it's one of my favorite ports, but for a beach day, there are a number of wonderful glorious beaches on St. John. You can't go wrong, no matter which one you choose. Just don't expect the amenities that you may find on St. Thomas like snorkel gear rental, Sea Trekking, Parasailing, etc. St. John is much more quitet and subdued.

Mrsfuzzmo

 

[4nana]

I believe you have Coki, Sapphire and Megan's Beach/Bay.
Don't believe you can go wrong with any of these beautiful beaches! After some internet research we decided to explore on our own and had a driver pick us up at the ship in the morn. Our driver recommended Coki. We took a picnic and after touring the highlights of the island we had a great time playing, snorkling, picnicing on the beach. The water was smooth, crystal clear w/ beautiful fish. It is adjacent to Coral World, which the kids enjoyed, and to Caribbean Water Sports where the guys in our group went parasailing. It was a very fun day for all!!

 

[rundogrun]

For us nothing beats Magen's Bay!

It costs about $6 per person cabfare each way (plenty of cabs at the dock and at the beach). Twice they let my 3 yo daughter ride for free. It's very easy to get back and forth.

Entrance fee is $3.00 (maybe $3.50) for adults, .50 for kids. Heck, last time they didn't even charge for the kids.

Beautiful white sand beach and clear blue water. To beat the crowds, hang a left when you first get on the beach and walk down 100 yards. You'll be near a bathroom and away from the crowds. Go even further and the beach will be empty.

Bring snacks and water from the ship (food there is expensive) and you'll be all set.

 

[diz4me]

We have been to both St. Thomas and St. John's on both cruise and land vacations, and for cruising, I recommend staying on St. Thomas. Like my cruise last week, the Magic passengers often have to tender in. So, add up the time to get a tender number, take the tender to the shore, get to Red Hook, take the Ferry to St. John's, negoitiate a taxi to one of the St. John's beaches, that could be half the morning, and a lot of aggravation.

Belive me, St. John's beaches are amazing, but we were at Magen's Bay last week and had a wonderful, incredible time. The beach does get crowded, but it is a very shallow beach, so you never feel the crowds at all. Who cares if there are people to the right and left of you, as long as you feel you have directa ccess to the water and your own spot to stretch out on. There is lots of natural shade and picnic benches, etc... to really enjoy a day at the Beach. We paid 6 dollars each way pp and were at the beach very quickly. It was our best day.

Hope this helps!

peg