st thomas beaches... which one????

[kat923]

Originally i was thinking of heading to Sapphire... now im thinking Coki.... which one is better and why... also are they walkable to eachother?

[Cher222]

We loved Saphire last summer. such beautiful views and not crowded at all. Had people walking the beach with food and drink menus. Loved feeding the iguanas and ducks!

[kjdcruising]

We went to Sapphire last year and it was AMAZING! You have to take a cab and it is about a 15 minute ride. Not crowded at all and the views were amazing! Has a reef for snorkeling and you can rent snorkel equipment on the beach. We rented beach chairs for 7 a chair and it was worth it! Loved so much we are booking a land trip and staying in the condos on Sapphire Beach!:D

[Paul Bogle]

You cannot walk along the shore line from Coki to Saphire. In several places the beach ends and the shore turns to rocky bluffs. The two beaches are probably an hour's walk apart by road but only a few minutes by car.

[inlinesick]

Megans bay!!!! incredible

[dancindukes]

Megan's Bay absolutely lovely but if you have the time and you have a sense of adventure take the ferry over to St. John's. THE most beautiful island I've ever seen.... and I've seen dozens.

[KPGirl]

We took a cab to sapphire, it was lovely , crowded but nice. We met a couple that had just come from Coki beach they said it wasn't as nice as sapphire so they left.

[gail8]

Sapphire is nicer...we also like Secret Harbour.

 

Gail

[Cruzface]

Sapphire is our favorite beach of all time. Love to take a walk on the jetty and watch the water splash against the rocks.

[meadowlander]

Originally i was thinking of heading to Sapphire... now im thinking Coki.... which one is better and why... also are they walkable to eachother?

 

I am aware that you asked about Sapphire and Coki but I see replies commenting on Megans Bay. I was at Meagns Bay last December and though it gets rave reviews, I did not find it as spectacular as others do.

 

I did go to Trunk Bay in St.John in 2011 and that was the most picturesque beach, I have seen, though the beach itself is very narrow. There is also a snorkel trail but unfortunately do to the sea conditions, it was closed the day I visited. :(

[ukbballfan]

I second going over to St. Johns. The island is 3/4 National Park and the vibe is much nicer...not to mention the beaches are much much prettier.

[k2excursion]

Trunk Bay over on St. John would be my top recommendation. We took the ferry & cabs there & back in 2007, and will do that again this April. But if you don't have much time in port, such as 8 hours or less, I would recommend Sapphire Beach. It is such a beautiful beach. You can see St. John, and even Tortola in the distance. Far far far far far far less crowded than Magens Bay, which is still a nice one, but very crowded. I know you didn't ask about Magens, but since someone else had mentioned it. We picked Sapphire over Coki in 2011.

[USU_Aggie]

Any tips on avoiding jellyfish? Do they come with moon cycles or seasons?

 

Posted from my Android

[Counsel]

...Emerald Beach - in my opinion, one of St. Thomas's best kept secrets. Went there a couple of years ago, and there wasn't 50 people on the beach. You walk past the Best Western, and there is the beach. Food is available at the hotel bar. Not too bad of a taxi ride - it is near the airport on Lindbergh Bay.

 

Did the catamaran cruise to St. Johns last year - nice as well!

 

Bruce

aka Counsel

[golfadj]

Trunk Bay over on St. John would be my top recommendation. We took the ferry & cabs there & back in 2007, and will do that again this April. But if you don't have much time in port, such as 8 hours or less, I would recommend Sapphire Beach. It is such a beautiful beach. You can see St. John, and even Tortola in the distance. Far far far far far far less crowded than Magens Bay, which is still a nice one, but very crowded. I know you didn't ask about Magens, but since someone else had mentioned it. We picked Sapphire over Coki in 2011.

 

Did you have much time at Trunk Bay? Seems like there is a lot of traffic in St Thomas and not sure you would have much time there?

[luv2trvlnow]

Did you have much time at Trunk Bay? Seems like there is a lot of traffic in St Thomas and not sure you would have much time there?

Stu, I will give you some information since I was with k2excursion.

 

We were in port for 9am-6pm. We took the 10am Red Hook ferry over to St. John. We were sitting on the beach before 11am. We left Trunk Bay around 2. We took the 2:30 ferry to Charlotte Amalie they had back in 2007. We did some shopping and went back to the ship. We were back in time to go to early dining. So that was about 3 hours at Trunk Bay.

 

This April we arrive at 7am. We hope to catch the 8am ferry. We will probably take the 2pm ferry back. Maybe the 3pm ferry. This would give as 5 or 6 hours there.

 

Sharon

[finzup-kt]

another vote for sapphire beach... see freedom review in my signature file for pictures. It was absolutely GORGEOUS and not crowded at all.

[Spincognito]

...Emerald Beach - in my opinion, one of St. Thomas's best kept secrets. Went there a couple of years ago, and there wasn't 50 people on the beach. You walk past the Best Western, and there is the beach. Food is available at the hotel bar. Not too bad of a taxi ride - it is near the airport on Lindbergh Bay.

 

Did the catamaran cruise to St. Johns last year - nice as well!

 

Bruce

aka Counsel

 

X2!

 

We got married on Emerald Beach 11/11/11 (at 11:11AM) and went back on 11/11/12 when Victory stopped in ST. Agreed that it is a beautiful beach and not at all crowded.

[tattoos]

My first criteria for picking a beach would be the availability of toilet facilities. No one ever asks this question.

[tigereye]

Have done Trunk Bay and Coki and I liked the rustic, naturalness of Coki. Although Trunk Bay has the snorkle tour, there is much more to see right off the beach at Coki. If fish are what you look for when snorkeling, then you will not be dissapointed at Coki.

[scotlady]

xxx

[mavvie]

I was at both beaches last week and let me share my experience. After getting off the ship DW and I looked for a taxi. I told the driver we were heading to Sapphire Beach and we were loaded in with four other groups heading to Coki. The driver kept insisting to me along the way that Coki was the better beach with better snorkelling. I stuck to my guns and told her I wanted to go to Sapphire. When we stopped at Coki to let people off she insisted we get out to look at Coki.... no problem. If you want to feel like a sardine in a can and be harassed by bar staff this is definitely the place for you. Coki was congested beyond belief and very narrow. It was obviously the party spot. The driver kept saying Sapphire is too rocky, you can hardly get in the water etc..... While at Coki for five minutes I saw the driver accept cash from the little bar there on the beach (she receives kickbacks for the number of people she drops off) and a local fighting with police over soliciting.

 

Begrudgingly the driver proceeded to drop us off at Saphhire beach, a ways further along the road. Am I ever happy I did my research here at Cruise Critic before our cruise. Sapphire is a beautiful beach with one of the nicest backdrops I have ever seen. The snorkelling was also great right off the beach. No one harassed you for food and beverage purchases and it was not crowded at all. By the way, it is not rocky whatsoever. Reader beware, the drivers receive money for delivering wallets ( I mean patrons) to Coki and it also takes them longer for a round trip to Sapphire. I do not blame anyone for trying to earn a living but I was disgusted with the outright decption in trying to convince us to stay at Coki in the taxi driver's better interest.

[qbanrican84]

Megans bay!!!! incredible

 

Agreed! Megans Bay is GORGEOUS! I have always been scared of swiiming in beaches and this is the first beach that we went to that I swam all the way out to the buoy and dove all the way down to the bottom to swim...it's crystal clear and just amazing :) Went there for our honeymoon.

[sarahleebones]

I was at both beaches last week and let me share my experience. After getting off the ship DW and I looked for a taxi. I told the driver we were heading to Sapphire Beach and we were loaded in with four other groups heading to Coki. The driver kept insisting to me along the way that Coki was the better beach with better snorkelling. I stuck to my guns and told her I wanted to go to Sapphire. When we stopped at Coki to let people off she insisted we get out to look at Coki.... no problem. If you want to feel like a sardine in a can and be harassed by bar staff this is definitely the place for you. Coki was congested beyond belief and very narrow. It was obviously the party spot. The driver kept saying Sapphire is too rocky, you can hardly get in the water etc..... While at Coki for five minutes I saw the driver accept cash from the little bar there on the beach (she receives kickbacks for the number of people she drops off) and a local fighting with police over soliciting.

 

Begrudgingly the driver proceeded to drop us off at Saphhire beach, a ways further along the road. Am I ever happy I did my research here at Cruise Critic before our cruise. Sapphire is a beautiful beach with one of the nicest backdrops I have ever seen. The snorkelling was also great right off the beach. No one harassed you for food and beverage purchases and it was not crowded at all. By the way, it is not rocky whatsoever. Reader beware, the drivers receive money for delivering wallets ( I mean patrons) to Coki and it also takes them longer for a round trip to Sapphire. I do not blame anyone for trying to earn a living but I was disgusted with the outright decption in trying to convince us to stay at Coki in the taxi driver's better interest.

 

Great to hear! We are going in March! One of our roll callers was kind enough to organize a bus to take us there. Thanks Chris (if you are reading ;) )

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Below is a recent CC thread about St.Thomas Beaches. If you scroll down a bit, there are some pics and information about Emerald Beach and the Best Western.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1656332

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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