Anyone done beach hopping on St Thomas on your own?

[janiss815]

Hi, I've decided to rent a car for the day we will be at St Thomas so that we can visit different beaches at our own pace. We have about a full day at St Thomas (8am-6pm) but plan on returning to the cruise port before 5pm since the rental company closes at 5.

 

 

 

How are the roads at St Thomas? I am thinking we drive the loop from Havensight to Secret Harbor to Sapphire Beach to Coki Beach to Magens Bay and back to Havensight. Is this too much to do in one day? I thought we'd get maybe an hour at each place. Am I insane to do all this? Kids are 12 and 8 and are used to road trips (although google maps shows the loop should only take 1 hour, I wonder if the roads are steep and windy).

Do you recommend we remove or add other points of interest?

 

 

Thanks so much!! It's our first time visiting St Thomas and we are quite excited!

[beautifulbill]

You should have no problem with your plan. Once you get out of town you will not have much traffic. The roads are hilly, windy, and narrow but the speed limit is around 30MPH so you should have no trouble.

 

Parking can be difficult at Secret Harbor, but the other beaches have parking. You might add Smith Bay Park as a stop after you leave Sapphire and before you get to Coki. It is a beautiful undeveloped beach.

[janiss815]

You should have no problem with your plan. Once you get out of town you will not have much traffic. The roads are hilly, windy, and narrow but the speed limit is around 30MPH so you should have no trouble.

 

Parking can be difficult at Secret Harbor, but the other beaches have parking. You might add Smith Bay Park as a stop after you leave Sapphire and before you get to Coki. It is a beautiful undeveloped beach.

 

Ok thank you! Would definitely love to fit in Smith Bay.

[Livethelife]

You can have a very nice day and see a lot by renting a car. Just so that you do not have an unanticipated surprise, I hope you are aware that although the VI is a US territory we drive on the LEFT. Most vehicles are American makes and have the steering wheel on the left. It may help to remember "shoulder to shoulder". Drivers left shoulder is on the left shoulder of the road.

And be especially careful at intersections. You can't turn right on red after stop. ;)

[searoses]

Exercise caution!.....sing the left,left,left song over and over before you leave....the locals drive FAST.....the roads are quite narrow and curvy.....the taxis are large and don't share the road well.....have a wonderful time!

[janiss815]

You can have a very nice day and see a lot by renting a car. Just so that you do not have an unanticipated surprise, I hope you are aware that although the VI is a US territory we drive on the LEFT. Most vehicles are American makes and have the steering wheel on the left. It may help to remember "shoulder to shoulder". Drivers left shoulder is on the left shoulder of the road.

And be especially careful at intersections. You can't turn right on red after stop. ;)

 

Exercise caution!.....sing the left,left,left song over and over before you leave....the locals drive FAST.....the roads are quite narrow and curvy.....the taxis are large and don't share the road well.....have a wonderful time!

 

Thank you for the warning. I definitely would have assumed they drive on the right side there. My husband has driven plenty of times on the left but with with the steering wheel on the right side...not sure how comfortable he is driving left with steering on the left. That seems crazy and confusing to me.

[blue_water]

Yes, nice day you have planned. SH can be difficult to get to without (or with) a GPS so don't hesitate to ask for directions as you get near the east end.

Smith Bay Park/Lindqvist Beach is definitely worth a stop, arguably the nicest beach on the island.

We'd hit Hull Bay rather than Magens and grab a lunch at the Hull Bay Hideaway. Magens is nice to see from Drake's Seat though.

Keep your shoulder to the shoulder and you'll be fine. Remember to stay left in parking lots and sucvh, that's where I tend to forget :rolleyes:

[zqvol]

Hi, I've decided to rent a car for the day we will be at St Thomas so that we can visit different beaches at our own pace. We have about a full day at St Thomas (8am-6pm) but plan on returning to the cruise port before 5pm since the rental company closes at 5.

 

 

 

How are the roads at St Thomas? I am thinking we drive the loop from Havensight to Secret Harbor to Sapphire Beach to Coki Beach to Magens Bay and back to Havensight. Is this too much to do in one day? I thought we'd get maybe an hour at each place. Am I insane to do all this? Kids are 12 and 8 and are used to road trips (although google maps shows the loop should only take 1 hour, I wonder if the roads are steep and windy).

Do you recommend we remove or add other points of interest?

 

 

Thanks so much!! It's our first time visiting St Thomas and we are quite excited!

 

Many roads are steep and winding and ones that aren't steep are just winding. Remember that you drive on the left in St. Thomas so be careful.

[cessnabmw]

When renting a car in St. Thomas, which location does Carnival dock at and what companies have car rentals at the cruise port?

 

Thanks!

[janiss815]

When renting a car in St. Thomas, which location does Carnival dock at and what companies have car rentals at the cruise port?

 

Thanks!

 

Budget and Avis have locations across the street from the cruise port. I rented from Budget for April 2016.

[AZ ParrotHead]

When renting a car in St. Thomas, which location does Carnival dock at and what companies have car rentals at the cruise port?

 

Thanks!

 

Depends on what ship and what day. Your itinerary will say either Havensight or Crown Bay. This is important! The rentals are at Havensight (Avis) and not at Crown Bay. If you're docking at CB, you'll need to walk or grab a taxi to the nearest car rental location (in Frenchtown).

[blue_water]

Depends on what ship and what day. Your itinerary will say either Havensight or Crown Bay. This is important! The rentals are at Havensight (Avis) and not at Crown Bay. If you're docking at CB, you'll need to walk or grab a taxi to the nearest car rental location (in Frenchtown).

 

CCL docks at Havensight (WICO)