Magen's Bay or Sapphire Beach

[Samsma]

Which should we do for just lounging and playing in the water? DD4 and DS10, me and dh. We are doing an island tour of St. Thomas, and finishing with the rest of the day on a beach, but which one?

 

[callahanjulie10]

Hey Samsma-
I posed this very same question onwww.vinow boards and for what we wanted- a place for kids to play, a beach bar, maybe some rentals and a great beach- it was hands down Megans Bay. That is where we are going with my DD-11 and her friend-11.
I just hope that this isn't too much beach since we will have CC on Friday. But St Thomas is so beautiful that we have to do it!! See you soon

 

[Samsma]

Hi Julie - I had just read on a trip report how much nicer Saphire was that Megan's bay, less crowded and cleaner. Just want a good place to play, don't care about sports, etc. Like you said, by St. Thomas we might be so burned we stay inside! Hope not, we're very pale Illinois people! Unlike you native Floridians I'm sure. See ya at the Radisson!!!

 

[SweetSpot]

We went to Magens Bay with our 3 kids 12, 10 & 7 last November and we all had a wonderful time. I found it to be a clean beach, not really crowded and one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. The beach has a decent amount of trees so you can find shade if you want to have less sun. It is also fairly easy to get there by taxi, they rent chairs and floats and there is a fairly decent snack bar and bar with a waitress to take orders for you on the beach. The only complaint I had was that the bathrooms weren't exactly clean and not well stocked.


I enjoyed it so much more than Castaway Cay because it was so much more relaxed and way less crowded. I am really tempted to go back when we cruise again this November but also want to see other beaches. I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you decide to go.

 

[Julma]

Hi fellow cruisers - I have never been to Sapphire Beach, but I have been to Meagan's Bay three times. The first time was about 10 years ago and it was beautiful. The next time was 8 years ago and it was run down. Thought it may be a fluke, so we tried it again 6 years ago and it was still somewhat seedy. It is physically beautiful (most are), but the beach had litter and the bugs (mostly bitting flies) were awful. There were also some local characters drinking on the beach at 10 AM which was a little scary. Now 6 years is a long time and things may have changed since then, but I would not go out of my way to see Meagan's Bay. Very sad!!

 

[callahanjulie10]

Samsmom-
You are going to laugh when you see me!!! My DH can't be in the sun much so we are looking for a place with a beach bar/cover for him but I can't believe that about Megans Bay- it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Oh well- who knows- we might stay on the ship- it will be our 3rd time to St Thomas anyway! I know that the girls want to stay on the ship in St Maarten unless we go horseback riding- which I keep changing my mind about! This is probably the least organized that I have ever been before cruising. Oh well- at least I have High Tea to look forward to with the girls!!

 

[AOPI57]

we went to Sapphire Beach 2 years ago. It was just beautiful. plenty of shade, a pool, and good food. I would definitely go back.

 

[Samsma]

A pool at Sapphire Beach? Right on the beach or at a hotel? Did you have access to it? Wow, no sharks, sea lice, jellyfish, stingrays, sandfleas, smell, seaweed, salt, rip tide .......!!! You can tell I'm not very adventerous. But I do love to look at the ocean.

 

[Jobro2]

I'd also like to know more about Sapphire Beach, as we leave next week!! Where should we asked to be dropped off and where is the pool???Sounds great!

 

[dianthus]

We went to Maegen's last April & it was immaculate. Water crystal clear, not too many fish, so it's not a snorkeling beach. They have shade, picnic tables and nice changing facilities. It wasn't crowded at all the day we were there, but we went in the morning. It is about a 10 min. taxi ride from the ship, up & over the mountain - very scenic view of the ship coming back, keep your cameras ready!They also have kayak rentals there which was fun! I thought it was in the top 10 best beaches, along with Trunk Bay in St. John. This may be a better bet for you if you are doing an excursion in the morning.

As I recall, Sapphire Beach is further out, by Red Hook. We were there about 10 years ago & it was beautiful as well.

Hope this info helps!

 

[mac_tlc]

We have been to Sapphire Beach twice. Easy to get to , just grab a taxi at the pier. about $8 pp each way. You can usually find a taxi that will drop you off downtown for a couple hours, then go to Spphire Beach and also include a tour of the island, with stops at a lot of the scenic points high above Charlotte Amalie and Megans bay... I think we paid about $15-20 pp in February. They will drop you off at the Sapphire Beach Resort. Beach is very nice, plus the resort is there with its restaurant, etc. Sometimes thay also have "cookout" food available right on the beach.

Have not been to Megans Bay, but there is no resort or facilities on the beach. It is in a bay (duh!) , so the waves are much much calmer than Sapphire Beach.


mac_tlc

 

[mobetsy]

Is Sapphire Beach a good place for snorkeling or are the fish fairly scarce there as well?

 

[AOPI57]

the pool is right on the beach. There's also a bar at the pool. The pool also had a few bar stools in it! We did Sapphire Beach through the Disney excursion. The view of other islands from the beach was beautiful.The pool also had a waterfall.

 

[Jobro2]

Is the pool available to those who go but do not go thru the Disney excursion??? Gosh, I can't decide now where to go! We did Coki Beach last time and the kids loved snorkeling and all the fish..would like to try something different, but want to stay close and have good snorkeling...