Sapphire Beach Review-June 26_Harmony of the Seas

[BlueSkiesTX]

Hello all,

I just wanted to tell you about our recent trip to Sapphire Beach on June 26. We had 16 in our party. It was easy to grab a big, open-air taxi for our whole party from the pier where Harmony of the Seas docked. The price per person was $11 each way. It was a 25 minute ride to Sapphire Beach.  Our driver offered to return in a few hours and we took him up on it. Once there, we rented chairs ($9 per chair) and an umbrella ($20 per umbrella with a $20 fully refundable deposit). We moved to the left of restaurant (if you are looking at the beach) and planted ourselves there for the next few hours. The beach in this spot is not crowded, but I think overall the beach was not that crowded. We rented kayaks for $20/hour, $15/30 minutes. They held a credit card for a deposit. The water is beautiful with so many colors of blue. There is very little seaweed in the water, but a few larger rocks. The majority of our party had water shoes. My husband found a large crab in a shell while snorkeling and we saw a large stingray much, much farther out while kayaking.There is a restaurant with bathrooms nearby. We bought beer, water, soda and small bags of potato chips there. 

 

I would highly recommend doing this beach on your own. The excursion from the ship came after us and left before us and were clustered together. I also recommend inflatable noodles. I own this brand from Swimways. We take them on every cruise. We have had the same set through multiple cruises. They are pretty sturdy. They are also easy to inflate and deflate. Sometimes all you need is a little noodle! They were a hit with my extended family.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037TSTUO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope this helps someone! Sapphire Beach is a hidden gem.

 

 

 

[blue_water]

Thanks for your report and pics! Sapphire is our favorite STT beach. Gorgeous, sapphire-colored water and nice sand in the swimming area. I didn’t realize they rented umbrellas there. So the umbrellas are $40 with $20 of that returned to you?

 

For anyone considering returning to these islands for a longer stay we highly recommend renting from one of the great owners at the Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina. Living that close to the water with the sound of the waves at night and the view from your balcony is amazing. 

 

We also use the Swimline inflatable noodles, they work great and pack so small. We ordered a set for our pool in NY and another set for the beach and our pool in Mexico!

 

Thanks again for sharing 😀

Edited July 5, 2019 by blue_water

[BlueSkiesTX]

Thanks for your kind words! The umbrella rentals are $20 per umbrella. You pay a $20 deposit on top of that regardless of the amount of umbrellas you rent. 

 

We rented (2) umbrellas for $40 with a $20 fully refundable deposit. Paid $60. Received $20 back when we returned the umbrellas.Totally worth it as there is very little shade on the beach.

[nautica34]

Know you pre arranged for taxi to pick up your group. Did you happen to notice if taxis were at Sapphire to pick up passengers that didn't pre arrange? 

[BlueSkiesTX]

There were several taxi drivers standing around. In my opinion, it would not have been hard to get another taxi back to port. The bar/restaurant  was pretty active and I am sure they could of also helped us arrange a taxi back to port as well. Hope that helps!

[nautica34]

1 hour ago, BlueSkiesTX said:

There were several taxi drivers standing around. In my opinion, it would not have been hard to get another taxi back to port. The bar/restaurant  was pretty active and I am sure they could of also helped us arrange a taxi back to port as well. Hope that helps!

It does, thank you! Hoping to go to Sapphire or possibly Trunk Bay. I tried to go to Sapphire last time in St. Thomas, 1 taxi didn't want to go (gave excuses), another said yes but kept us waiting for 45 minutes, guess he was looking for other passengers. Ended up going to Emetald beach on a different taxi given that's where it was going 

[penaddict]

On 7/4/2019 at 11:25 AM, BlueSkiesTX said:

Hello all,

I just wanted to tell you about our recent trip to Sapphire Beach on June 26. We had 16 in our party. It was easy to grab a big, open-air taxi for our whole party from the pier where Harmony of the Seas docked. The price per person was $11 each way. It was a 25 minute ride to Sapphire Beach.  Our driver offered to return in a few hours and we took him up on it. Once there, we rented chairs ($9 per chair) and an umbrella ($20 per umbrella with a $20 fully refundable deposit). We moved to the left of restaurant (if you are looking at the beach) and planted ourselves there for the next few hours. The beach in this spot is not crowded, but I think overall the beach was not that crowded. We rented kayaks for $20/hour, $15/30 minutes. They held a credit card for a deposit. The water is beautiful with so many colors of blue. There is very little seaweed in the water, but a few larger rocks. The majority of our party had water shoes. My husband found a large crab in a shell while snorkeling and we saw a large stingray much, much farther out while kayaking.There is a restaurant with bathrooms nearby. We bought beer, water, soda and small bags of potato chips there. 

 

I would highly recommend doing this beach on your own. The excursion from the ship came after us and left before us and were clustered together. I also recommend inflatable noodles. I own this brand from Swimways. We take them on every cruise. We have had the same set through multiple cruises. They are pretty sturdy. They are also easy to inflate and deflate. Sometimes all you need is a little noodle! They were a hit with my extended family.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037TSTUO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope this helps someone! Sapphire Beach is a hidden gem.

 

 

 

Thanks for the Noodle recommendation! Just ordered some!

[blue_water]

On 7/9/2019 at 3:31 PM, nautica34 said:

It does, thank you! Hoping to go to Sapphire or possibly Trunk Bay. I tried to go to Sapphire last time in St. Thomas, 1 taxi didn't want to go (gave excuses), another said yes but kept us waiting for 45 minutes, guess he was looking for other passengers. Ended up going to Emetald beach on a different taxi given that's where it was going 

 

I hope you can get to Sapphire next visit. Whether snorkeling or just staring at the beautiful water colors and islands, it’s paradise. Sapphire just has that “character” and better snorkeling. Trunk and Magens are beautiful beaches, but if we had to pick one beach for our short visit it would be Sapphire, or Smith Bay with a packed lunch...both are gorgeous beaches...

[WioK]

BlueSkiesTX Thank you so much for your review.  Exactly the information I was looking for - for our upcoming stop in St. Thomas !...    Can't wait to visit Sapphire beach 🙂

 

[Cherries Jubilee]

Did you have to drag your chairs and umbrellas to their spot on the beach like I’ve heard you have to do at Magen’s Bay?

[blue_water]

The attendant will usually do that, but if busy it’s not far from where they are stacked whether you want to be with the crowd or further away...The beach area you are in is much smaller than Magens...

[blue_water]

There is some natural shade, the umbrellas pictured are new and were not available when we’ve been there.

Beautiful bay!

Edited December 11, 2019 by blue_water

[BlueSkiesTX]

On 12/7/2019 at 12:29 AM, Cherries Jubilee said:

Did you have to drag your chairs and umbrellas to their spot on the beach like I’ve heard you have to do at Magen’s Bay?

 The attendant moved the chairs and umbrellas for us. The umbrellas were rented from the same vendor. As blue_water says above, there is very little natural shade. Definitely worth renting an umbrella! 

[bkrickles1]

15 minutes ago, BlueSkiesTX said:

 The attendant moved the chairs and umbrellas for us. The umbrellas were rented from the same vendor. As blue_water says above, there is very little natural shade. Definitely worth renting an umbrella! 

Seems  like a lot of seaweed in that one Pic. Is that the norm? 

[BlueSkiesTX]

1 minute ago, bkrickles1 said:

Seems  like a lot of seaweed in that one Pic. Is that the norm? 

I have no idea if it is the norm. It wasn't an issue for us on that day though.

[blue_water]

On 12/11/2019 at 9:27 AM, BlueSkiesTX said:

 The attendant moved the chairs and umbrellas for us. The umbrellas were rented from the same vendor. As blue_water says above, there is very little natural shade. Definitely worth renting an umbrella! 

There is natural shade in front of the condo buildings if you don’t mind being a short walk from the sandier swimming area...

Much of the Carib has been virtually free of the sargassum summer...

 

[beautifulbill]

The natural shade areas are usually full from people staying at the resort as they can get out early. The area to the left of the buildings near the bar is where most visitors go. Sapphire. can be windy and umbrellas may not be viable. 

[blue_water]

Yes I was surprised to see those smaller, travel-sized umbrellas being rented there! I’ve seen them getting blown into other folks even with a rope and sandbag...We never sit downwind of these on a windy beach...

[Nancycat]

We have been to Sapphire Beach 3 times, the first 2 times were wonderful, not crowded,the last time we went in March it was packed.

We were able to squeeze 2 chairs under a small tree for shade, such a disappointment from our previous visits .

[Ms411]

March is one of the busiest vacation months of the year so it's likely to be crowded at most beaches that have amenities. You won't find many crowds if you come during the off season.

 

[beautifulbill]

On the heavy cruise ship days, usually Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of cruisers arrive and go to the best beaches and attractions. 
It baffles me that these thousands of visitors complain that things are crowded.  

You bring the crowd. You are the crowd. 
 

if you want to avoid crowds then don’t come on a ship, fly here and stay for a week or two.