I just want a quiet beach in St. Thomas

[Nitemare]

On Ruby Princess in January. We're just going to the nicest beaches at each stop, where we will lie on the beach (on lounge chairs if possible), wade into the sea, and then lie some more on the beach.

 

Don't need to snorkel

Don't need to shop

Don't need gourmet food (although a burger or some fish & chips or a salad would be nice)

 

Do need room to spread out (for us that means the next folks over are at least 4-5 feet away)

Do need some shade available (which can mean an umbrella, or a well placed palm tree)

Do need a taxi to take us to/from the beach/ship

 

Don't care if it's a few bucks to get on the beach, and a few bucks for loungers and an umbrella.

 

Prefer spending less money rather than more money, and we've been to (and love) St. John, so we don't need to go back there.

 

So what's our best option?

 

Thanks very much!

[Kitcito]

Nitemare,

 

DW and I have been to St. Thomas 3 times and have always went to Megan's Bay which will fit your requirements perfectly. They have taxi's going there for about $8 per person If I remember correctly. There is a small intrance fee (a couple of dollars) since it's a private beach. They have shade trees on the beach, bathrooms, changing facilities, Food, and chair rentals, also they have picnic tables by the beach.

 

The water is really calm all the time and is a very nice day. When you want to return there is always alot of taxi's to take you back to the ship. I promise you will like Megan's Bay.

 

Kitcito:D

[OntarioTraveller]

We are going in March on a day where there are 5 other ships in port (including the Oasis!).

We would love to go to Megan's Bay and are hoping to get off the ship right away when it docks (at 7). Are we crazy to think that it won't be incredibly busy???

Has anyone been on a day like this?

Thanks.

[Nitemare]

Nitemare,

 

DW and I have been to St. Thomas 3 times and have always went to Megan's Bay which will fit your requirements perfectly. They have taxi's going there for about $8 per person If I remember correctly. There is a small intrance fee (a couple of dollars) since it's a private beach. They have shade trees on the beach, bathrooms, changing facilities, Food, and chair rentals, also they have picnic tables by the beach.

 

The water is really calm all the time and is a very nice day. When you want to return there is always alot of taxi's to take you back to the ship. I promise you will like Megan's Bay.

 

Kitcito:D

 

Excellent info, thanks very much!

 

We are going in March on a day where there are 5 other ships in port (including the Oasis!).

We would love to go to Megan's Bay and are hoping to get off the ship right away when it docks (at 7). Are we crazy to think that it won't be incredibly busy???

Has anyone been on a day like this?

Thanks.

 

How do you find out how many ships are in port in St. Thomas?

 

Thanks!

[pghsteelerfan]

Excellent info, thanks very much!

 

 

 

How do you find out how many ships are in port in St. Thomas?

 

Thanks!

 

There's a website I've seen posted on Carnival's boards and I actually used it before our cruise this past May and it's accurate. Here's the link: http://cruisett.com/ You can either look up the ship that you will be on or the ports on the days you'll be there.

[Rambler5678]

 

Crowded Megans Beach

[OntarioTraveller]

Yikes, did you take this picture?

Anyone have experience with Magens Bay on a day with many ships in port??

Thanks!

[Cuizer2]

Well, I'm no expert on St. Thomas beaches. However, I was impressed with Magen's Bay ...

 

From above ...

 

 

Welcome to Magen's Bay (note the restrictions - this is a very quiet beach) ...

 

 

The beach ...

 

 

 

The water ...

 

 

What is available ...

 

[marciew]

Yikes, did you take this picture?

Anyone have experience with Magens Bay on a day with many ships in port??

Thanks!

 

Everybody kept telling us that we have to go to Megans Bay the next time we go to St. Thomas, so we went there last January when there were 4 ships in port. I can honestly say it was the WORST beach day we spent during the entire cruise & we went to 5 islands. First of all, there is an admission fee to get in whereas most of the other beaches in ST. Thomas do not charge. You have to go inside a building to rent chairs from some of the rudest vendors I've met & after you pay, you have to pick up your own lounge chairs & carry them wherever you can find some sand without someone already there. I cannot remember a more crowded beach. Out of all the cruises we've been on & all the islands, we have never had to carry our own chairs. The beach itself was extremely narrow & the only good thing about it was how pretty the water looks if you look straight ahead. But if you turned your head in any other direction, all you saw were wall to wall people. I would NEVER go back to Magens Bay when there are so many more beautiful beaches.

[Nitemare]

There's a website I've seen posted on Carnival's boards and I actually used it before our cruise this past May and it's accurate. Here's the link: http://cruisett.com/ You can either look up the ship that you will be on or the ports on the days you'll be there.

 

2 ships (including ours) that day. Good stuff, and the pictures look great!

 

Glad it's not a 5 ship day, because it sounds like that would be hell on sand!

[Mer turquoise]

There will be 6 ships in port (18 000 pax) for our day in St-Thomas next april :eek:. I do not want to go to Megans, it will be way too crowded !

Last year we went to Lindberg (Emerald) beach but did not like that the sand was kind of "muddy" or "not firm" when we entered in the water. Also thinking of going to St-Johns throught a ship excursion but then again, with so many ships in port... wondering if it's a good idea.....

 

I'am also interested to have the name of a nice beach that will be less crowded than other popular beaches (but then may be this is something impossible with 6 ships in port...).

[tlund]

We went to Emerald Beach and it was great. We were docked at the Crowne pier so we were a bit closer to the beach than the main pier in downtown. The cab ride was $4 per person and was a short ride. We rented chairs for about $7 a piece (can't remember for sure) and didn't need umbrellas since there was enough room to pull a chair under a tree. The beach was calm and clear and was not crowded at all. There is a bar/restaurant if you are looking for something to drink or eat. There are restrooms in the hotel right there. It was exactly what we were looking for. I wanted a quiet beach to relax at and this was it. We went in the morning and got back in enough time to shop downtown. You should consider this beach as opposed to Megans Bay which can get pretty crowded.

[skh716]

tlund - question for you. We were at Emerald Beach in April of this year by the Best Western. It was really nice - we rented 2 chairs, a hut for shade, 2 floats and it cost us $25. We also had lunch at the restaurant at the hotel and it was very good. The bathrooms were clean at the hotel too so that is always a bonus!

 

The one thing that we didn't like was 3 times during the day, there was a huge black cloud that was released from the desalinization plant that floated over the entire beach. The plant is located at the top of the cliff overlooking the beach. It was kind of gross because I felt like the soot was falling on us and you could see it in the water after the cloud went over. It only lasted a few minutes but it was not such a pleasant experience.

 

Did you also experience this? I looked on tripadvisor and a few people mention this in their reviews but not that many so I am not sure if it happens every day or not.

 

We are going back to St Thomas in January and were probably going to try Magen's Bay this time to see what all the hype is about. There are only 2 ships in so it should be ok.

 

Thanks!

[satbeachbill]

There will be 6 ships in port (18 000 pax) for our day in St-Thomas next april :eek:. I do not want to go to Megans, it will be way too crowded !

Last year we went to Lindberg (Emerald) beach but did not like that the sand was kind of "muddy" or "not firm" when we entered in the water. Also thinking of going to St-Johns throught a ship excursion but then again, with so many ships in port... wondering if it's a good idea.....

 

I'am also interested to have the name of a nice beach that will be less crowded than other popular beaches (but then may be this is something impossible with 6 ships in port...).

 

 

There is such a place. We were at St Thomas in October and found that perfect beach. A repeat of the same beach visit on 2007. There were EXCACTLY two other couples there the whole day. I'd really like to brag about this place, but by doing so it would turn into another Megans Bay, so I won't.

 

I will say it is pretty easy to get to. You just have to do your homework about the area, you'll find it, although I hope most of you don't. :D

[Mer turquoise]

Skh716 : we did not experience any black cloud when we were at Emerald last march. We were there on a Wednesday.

 

Satbeachbill: WOW, I’am curious to find out the name of that beach ! May be you could you email it to me (I’ll keep the secret ! :))

 

Thank you !

[thewynn]

I will say it is pretty easy to get to. You just have to do your homework about the area, you'll find it, although I hope most of you don't. :D

 

Oh no, you can't do that to us. You can tell us, we won't tell anyone ;)

[tlund]

Never noticed a black cloud with soot dropping. We headed back to go shopping around 1:00. So, unless it is something that occurs in the afternoon, we had nothing but beautiful skies and beautiful water on a beautiful beach.

[DirtyNanners]

on 5 & 6 ship days, all the beaches will be crowded. Magen's is the largest in the USVI, the admission charge helps the Magen's Bay Authority with the maintenance and also allows for good bathroom and shower facilities, trash cans, security, etc..

 

There are beaches that won't be crowded, but you won't read about them in tourists guides. They are off the beaten path, beautiful and isolated, but don't offer much, if any, in the ways of amenities.

[schmoopie17]

You should consider this beach as opposed to Megans Bay which can get pretty crowded.

 

I think your choice of beach should depend on how many ships are in port on a particular day. We plan to go to Magen's because ours is the only ship in port that day and should have the place pretty much to ourselves...

[rockbridge]

There are 2 good beaches near downtown - Brewers Bay (near the University) and Lindquist Beach (near the airport.)

 

They are not crowed like Megans, and because they are close to downtown, you could still have enough time to all do some shopping and sightseeing.

[satbeachbill]

Oh no, you can't do that to us. You can tell us, we won't tell anyone ;)

 

Right, and the next time we visit St Thomas it will look like this::eek::eek::eek:

[KAWS]

There is such a place. We were at St Thomas in October and found that perfect beach. A repeat of the same beach visit on 2007. There were EXCACTLY two other couples there the whole day. I'd really like to brag about this place, but by doing so it would turn into another Megans Bay, so I won't.

 

I will say it is pretty easy to get to. You just have to do your homework about the area, you'll find it, although I hope most of you don't. :D

 

How did you find that beach? We're looking for something like this as well since we'll be sailing during March Break and it's going to be VERY crowded that week. Just not up to that!

[travelbig]

How did you find that beach? We're looking for something like this as well since we'll be sailing during March Break and it's going to be VERY crowded that week. Just not up to that!

 

Look at this site

http://www.**********/stthomas/beaches_stt/

 

http://www dot vinow dot com/stthomas/beaches_stt

 

If you see one that has what you want, maybe you can do a google search and get more info, see pictures, etc.

[KAWS]

Thank you for the link. I will check it out thoroughly but at first glance the beach we WERE thinking of seems to have everything. So I'll start with researching that.

 

Thanks again.

[allentownahoy]

Another vote for Emerald Beach. quiet, uncrossed, no smoke when we were there and the sand seemed fine. We were there last week and would go back again.

Ruth