The beautiful beaches of St Thomas - brief descriptions/opinions

[maja651]

It takes quite a bit of time and effort to plan an entire itinerary on your own, so I hope you are able to kick back and relax at Coki and at your other destinations - happy cruising!

Thanks! I am sure I will! I actually love the trip planning process almost as much a as the trip itself, so I am the natural fit for our family. :). Thanks again!

[wintersmybaby]

Just gonna add my opinion of Coki since I was there a week ago tomorrow. There were 4 ships in port and if you get there early, you can enjoy the beach for a little while when it's quiet, and then either enjoy the vibe or if you were all the way to the left as you look at the water, you would have space all day.

 

Make sure you snorkel on both sides of the beach, hardly anyone snorkels the left side, but it was really awesome and both my husband and I saw a turtle! If my children were older, I would choose the left side, but since they are only 3 and 6 we were really far right, which was great for my 6 year old to snorkel and both of them to make little friends. We did a super quiet beach on St. Martin the day before (le Galion) and really enjoyed the energy at Coki. BTW, le Galion would be a great choice for the person looking for a beach that stayed waist deep way out and wasn't wavy at all.

 

We never smelled a thing on the right side, but as you walk all the way across you might catch a noseful, but I never actually saw anything other than a lot of dreads. ;)

 

We ate a wonderful lunch from Bomani's Spot at Uncle Buddys https://www.facebook.com/bomanisspotatunclebuddys?ref=br_tf. Had the grilled red snapper and conch in butter sauce. We will talk about that meal every time we ever eat at a beach again in our lives! Service was great at first, but as the beach got busy, it was hard to find our server, Michelle. And if you get impatient and order something from someone else, you will get an earful! Just part of the local color.

 

If you're interested in snorkeling at all, you would not regret the decision to go to Coki in my opinion. Also it's beautiful as the vista is not developed at all. Actually, we had so much fun here, we are gonna look into taking a vaca to St. Thomas on it's own merits. Good times!

[blue_water]

Just gonna add my opinion of Coki since I was there a week ago tomorrow. There were 4 ships in port and if you get there early, you can enjoy the beach for a little while when it's quiet, and then either enjoy the vibe or if you were all the way to the left as you look at the water, you would have space all day.

 

Make sure you snorkel on both sides of the beach, hardly anyone snorkels the left side, but it was really awesome and both my husband and I saw a turtle! If my children were older, I would choose the left side, but since they are only 3 and 6 we were really far right, which was great for my 6 year old to snorkel and both of them to make little friends. We did a super quiet beach on St. Martin the day before (le Galion) and really enjoyed the energy at Coki. BTW, le Galion would be a great choice for the person looking for a beach that stayed waist deep way out and wasn't wavy at all.

 

We never smelled a thing on the right side, but as you walk all the way across you might catch a noseful, but I never actually saw anything other than a lot of dreads. ;)

 

We ate a wonderful lunch from Bomani's Spot at Uncle Buddys https://www.facebook.com/bomanisspotatunclebuddys?ref=br_tf. Had the grilled red snapper and conch in butter sauce. We will talk about that meal every time we ever eat at a beach again in our lives! Service was great at first, but as the beach got busy, it was hard to find our server, Michelle. And if you get impatient and order something from someone else, you will get an earful! Just part of the local color.

 

If you're interested in snorkeling at all, you would not regret the decision to go to Coki in my opinion. Also it's beautiful as the vista is not developed at all. Actually, we had so much fun here, we are gonna look into taking a vaca to St. Thomas on it's own merits. Good times!

 

Great report, really appreciate you sharing that! Coki really is a gorgeous beach and it is a fun vibe there. We also love the jerk chicken at Bomanis spot, been there a couple years now I believe and doing well.

 

I second your returning to STT for a land vacation. We love staying at the Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina, we rent condos there from an owner. Beautiful condos right smack on a gorgeous beach with excellent snorkeling and a short drive to both Coki and SH (not to mention Red Hook for the ferry to STJ and the BVI). There are some larger units available for families, and there are less expensive options at Sapphire Village which is just up the hill behind the marina. You can get condo owner info at vrbo dot com or on the STT forum on tripadvisor.

 

Thanks again for your excellent report!

 

Thanks again!

Edited May 21, 2014 by blue_water

[maja651]

Just gonna add my opinion of Coki since I was there a week ago tomorrow. There were 4 ships in port and if you get there early, you can enjoy the beach for a little while when it's quiet, and then either enjoy the vibe or if you were all the way to the left as you look at the water, you would have space all day.

 

Make sure you snorkel on both sides of the beach, hardly anyone snorkels the left side, but it was really awesome and both my husband and I saw a turtle! If my children were older, I would choose the left side, but since they are only 3 and 6 we were really far right, which was great for my 6 year old to snorkel and both of them to make little friends. We did a super quiet beach on St. Martin the day before (le Galion) and really enjoyed the energy at Coki. BTW, le Galion would be a great choice for the person looking for a beach that stayed waist deep way out and wasn't wavy at all.

 

We never smelled a thing on the right side, but as you walk all the way across you might catch a noseful, but I never actually saw anything other than a lot of dreads. ;)

 

We ate a wonderful lunch from Bomani's Spot at Uncle Buddys https://www.facebook.com/bomanisspotatunclebuddys?ref=br_tf. Had the grilled red snapper and conch in butter sauce. We will talk about that meal every time we ever eat at a beach again in our lives! Service was great at first, but as the beach got busy, it was hard to find our server, Michelle. And if you get impatient and order something from someone else, you will get an earful! Just part of the local color.

 

If you're interested in snorkeling at all, you would not regret the decision to go to Coki in my opinion. Also it's beautiful as the vista is not developed at all. Actually, we had so much fun here, we are gonna look into taking a vaca to St. Thomas on it's own merits. Good times!

Thank you so much for adding your experiences and insight! I am 100% convinced! Coki it is :)

[mitsugirly]

We just returned from Coki and I have to say the snorkeling there is amazing and so glad we went. I'm working on my review of our cruise and can post back here with a link when I get to the Coki portion. It was a fabulous day. :)

[cruizinisthebest]

I just changed itineraries, so now I'm back to planning eastern caribbean ports. Just went through this whole thread, and I believe we will head on over to Coki - stopping at Magic Ice and also for a burger at Coconuts (as recommended in a thread on here before by a few people).

 

Looking forward to your review Mitsugirly. I'm sure it will answer any other questions I might have!

 

Thanks for this thread OP. Such great information compiled in one place!!

[blue_water]

I just changed itineraries, so now I'm back to planning eastern caribbean ports. Just went through this whole thread, and I believe we will head on over to Coki - stopping at Magic Ice and also for a burger at Coconuts (as recommended in a thread on here before by a few people).

 

Looking forward to your review Mitsugirly. I'm sure it will answer any other questions I might have!

 

Thanks for this thread OP. Such great information compiled in one place!!

 

Coki really is a gorgeous little bay, and with the owners at Sapphire taking a respite from cruisers Coki is the beach of choice for snorkeling or just limin'.

Have a great cruise!

[candydane]

Thanks for the reviews of Coki Beach. It sounds like exactly what our group will love. We are 4 "older" adults -- 1 avid snorkeler, 2 so-so swimmers, and 1 no-swimmer. We would need chairs/umbrellas, snorkel rental, restrooms, and drinks. Plus, of course, a beautiful view!

 

I was a little nervous about the bad reviews on Trip Advisor about drug activities and other negative things so it's good to hear the good things from recent cruisers.

 

Now we just have to decide if we want to also do Coral World. There will be 3 cruise ships in port so we may want to go straight to Coki before the crowds arrive.

[blue_water]

>> There will be 3 cruise ships in port so we may want to go straight to Coki before the crowds arrive. <<

 

Definitely a good idea, and Coki is a gorgeous little bay. Locals and visitors will be smoking pot but no no biggie, no one will bother you.

 

If you'd prefer a less "lively" vibe look at the Secret Harbour Resort in Secret Harbor. The dive center rents chairs and snorkel gear, and there is a real restaurant with the condo resort. Very, very calm water and good snorkeling with a quieter vibe.

[mitsugirly]

We just returned from Coki and it was an AMAZING day there. The snorkeling was SO amazing and beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this beach. We were not hasseled. We didn't smell any weed and no one bothered us. It was an awesome day.

 

I have just completed my full review of the day there and there are TONS of pictures (115 to be exact) of the place and the snorkeling if anyone is interested.

 

You can click HERE and go to post # 353 where it begins. Enjoy. :)

[canadarocks]

We just returned from Coki and it was an AMAZING day there. The snorkeling was SO amazing and beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this beach. We were not hasseled. We didn't smell any weed and no one bothered us. It was an awesome day.

 

I have just completed my full review of the day there and there are TONS of pictures (115 to be exact) of the place and the snorkeling if anyone is interested.

 

You can click HERE and go to post # 353 where it begins. Enjoy. :)

 

Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures and review! :cool:

[candydane]

If you'd prefer a less "lively" vibe look at the Secret Harbour Resort in Secret Harbor. The dive center rents chairs and snorkel gear, and there is a real restaurant with the condo resort. Very, very calm water and good snorkeling with a quieter vibe.

Secret Harbor looks like a really good option to Coki Beach. The snorkeling at Coki looks awesome but I think we'd enjoy Secret Harbor more. It has snorkeling, chairs, shade, food, and drinks but doesn't seem like it'll be crowded and less of a party beach.

 

I'd also looked at Megans Bay but seems like Secret Harbor would be better for what we want???

[cruizinisthebest]

4 ships total in port the day we arrive in St. Thomas. And all big mommas! Lol. Will Coki be packed? We're not exactly inclined to be on the beach very first thing in the morning. Plus I wanted to go to Magic Ice. Maybe we can do that after instead of before beach time. *sigh*

 

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[blue_water]

Secret Harbor looks like a really good option to Coki Beach. The snorkeling at Coki looks awesome but I think we'd enjoy Secret Harbor more. It has snorkeling, chairs, shade, food, and drinks but doesn't seem like it'll be crowded and less of a party beach.

 

I'd also looked at Megans Bay but seems like Secret Harbor would be better for what we want???

 

Yes I would choose SH for what you're looking for. There are more limited chairs and umbrellas at SH but if you go there first you'll be fine. You can also reserve them in advance I believe, just e-mail aadivers dot com (aqua action divers)

 

cruzinisthebest, Coki will be one of the more crowded beaches like Magens.

[blue_water]

We just returned from Coki and it was an AMAZING day there. The snorkeling was SO amazing and beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this beach. We were not hasseled. We didn't smell any weed and no one bothered us. It was an awesome day.

 

Can't recall a day at Coki without "the smell" but it just adds to the vibe.

Sapphire, Secret Harbor, Cowpet, Morningstar, and Lindbergh Bay are home to condo resorts or hotels and don't see any vendors and so they don't have that "locals islandy" vibe that Coki has. Nor do Magens and Lindqvist because they're controlled. Coki just has a unique vibe that many people love.

[Rufus1129]

Wow! According to the cruisett site, my ship is the only one in St. Thomas the day we're going (exactly a week from today!) What a blessing! I hope they don't update the site with a bunch more ships between now and then! haha!

 

I hope Coki won't be too crowded since we'll be the only ones there! :)

[O2B@Cagain]

Rufus: Between May and November, the ship schedule is greatly reduced. Unless there is a storm somewhere else and ships are redirected, you will indeed be all alone. :D

[doveduda]

Can any one tell me how to find out how many ships are in port on exact days. I feel everyone knows this but me. 😖. Thanks

 

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

Can any one tell me how to find out how many ships are in port on exact days. I feel everyone knows this but me. 😖. Thanks

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

There's several sites you can check.

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/

 

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

 

 

I believe there's more.

[blue_water]

I've found cruisett dot on to be the most reliable source over the years, anfpd up I can search by port or ship to see exactly how many people are in port with you, what time they dock and depart, etc.

 

For the USVI vinow dot com shows where you will be docked (Crown Bay vs Havensight)

Edited June 7, 2014 by blue_water

[Life is Good Cruising]

Besides using the 3 sites indicated by the other posters, I also use cruisecal.

 

http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/ItineraryLookup/tabid/2918/Default.aspx

[jrc6473]

Hello all!

 

First off, thanks for this forum and everyone who has contributed. I've skimmed thru most of them but I'm still needing a little clarification.

 

We are a family of 4 with 2 small children. ages 2 and 7. My oldest is a strong swimmer but I don't trust her to be out in rough current. my youngest is afraid of everything so I don't have to worry too much about her. We are looking for a full service location that has chairs, towels, facilities to change diapers/clothes, food and bar. Originally I thought Emerald Beach would be best but there isn't a place to change diapers if needed. Does anyone have a recommendation for us for a location with all these amenities? We don't plan on doing anything else other than beach and maybe some souvenir shopping at the dock.

 

Thanks!

Jennifer

[blue_water]

Hi Jenifer,

 

Yes STT isn't famous for having full beach facilities as the nicest beaches are home to condo properties. Magen's gas changing rooms and a small cafe on the beach although the food didn't look very good there. But a nice, calm bay with just a bit of a grade as you enter. Chairs for rent too.

 

The ideal option is renting a room for the day at the Best Western Emerald Beach Plus Resort in Lindbergh Bay. That would give you access to a comfortable and private changing room and shower. May be more than you want to spend but check it out.

[blue_water]

Anyone visited Smith's Bay Park recently and can share what amenities are now there? Chair rentals? Drinks?

[Ms411]

No amenities yet. There may at times be somebody renting chairs without authorization, but you can't count on that.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Ms411