beach recommendation --- Sapphire, Secret Harbor, Emerald, or other?

[Carried_Away]

Thanks to all who post on this forum and provide great info on St. Thomas. I've read a number of threads about beaches and am still torn over which would be the best choice for my friend and me.

 

Our ship will call on St. Thomas in January on day when five ships are scheduled to be in port. Ours will be the last ship to arrive, docking at Crown Bay around 12 or 12:30. We'd like to spend the afternoon at a beach. We were in St. Thomas once before and visited Magens Bay then, and we'd like to try a different beach this time. From my reading on this forum and elsewhere, I'm considering Sapphire Beach, Secret Harbor, or Lindbergh Bay --- but I'm also open to other suggestions.

 

We are just two low-key adults, and we're looking for relaxation. We read and nap on the beach, and we like to swim and float in the water. We want a beach where we can rent lounge chairs, and ideally, I would like to be able to rent an umbrella or sit in natural shade. The nicer the chairs, the better, and we prefer a vendor that will set up the chairs and umbrella for us and take them down at the end of the day. We would like restroom facilities and at least an outdoor shower to rinse off when we leave --- again, the nicer the facilities, the better. Beverage and food service is a plus, but not essential to us. Reliable taxi service to take us back to the ship is essential.

 

Which beach would you recommend for us?

[Ms411]

Coki has all the services and calm water, but it can be loud most days and you may smell weed.

 

Secret Harbor has limited chair rentals so best to reserve before you get there, but I don't think they have umbrellas.

 

Sapphire doesn't have umbrellas but plenty of shade if it's not crowded.

 

Emerald may be your best option though the condition of the public showers may not be great. They were damaged in 2017 and when I was there summer of 2022 they didn't look 100%.

 

You can hire a concierge service that will do beach set ups with chairs, umbrellas, etc, so you can have what you want where you want. I've seen them on Facebook for St Thomas.

[Carried_Away]

Thank you!

[Ms411]

Here's a service that can provide supplies at a beach. Lindqvist doesn't get crowded because it doesn't rent chairs and doesn't have food, and has great indoor bathing facilities. It's pricey, but it offers maximum flexibility.

 

http://beachbumsvi.com/services.htm

[blue_water]

You definitely want to avoid Coki (very small, beach with several vendors and a very busy vibe), and Secret Harbor (you can rent lounges and umbrellas from AA Divers in advance, but you are the last to arrive and will be in a crowded, noisy spot).

 

Our top beach recommendation is always Sapphire, but you are arriving late and on a typically busy day so it’s hard to recommend that perfect beach for your low-key relaxation - with those amenities. But Sapphire does have space to get a quieter spot away from the beach bar.

 

We’ve not been to Hull Bay since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated these islands. That was our beach choice while staying on Sapphire when bigger ships were in port. Perhaps someone else can tell you the current situation there,  i.e. lounges, restrooms. I thought the beach bar was open but I’m not sure. Worth looking into though, and the STT forum on TripAdvisor is also a good resource!

 

[blue_water]

I would also not consider Honeymoon Beach on Water Island as that can be quite busy today, and the ferry can be a hassle. Lindbergh can be a good choice for a relaxing day (other than the jets), but again the late arrival…

Are you in port until 7:30 or 8? 

 

 

[Carried_Away]

Yes, we're in port until 8, but I'm not sure what, if anything, we can do after the beach.

 

Thank you both for your responses. Now I'm leaning toward either Lindbergh on our own or maybe an excursion through the cruise line to Smith Bay. Usually I think it's easier and cheaper to go to a beach on our own rather than on an excursion, but this one might be worth it to us to go to a nice beach and have the tour set up chairs for us.

[Ms411]

What day of the week will you be in port? The restaurant/bar near the Crown Bay dock, Tickles, has a popular open mic on Wed starting at 6. It's across the street from the ships.

[Carried_Away]

We will be there on a Wednesday. Thanks for the tip!

[blue_water]

6 hours ago, Carried_Away said:

Yes, we're in port until 8, but I'm not sure what, if anything, we can do after the beach.

 

Thank you both for your responses. Now I'm leaning toward either Lindbergh on our own or maybe an excursion through the cruise line to Smith Bay. Usually I think it's easier and cheaper to go to a beach on our own rather than on an excursion, but this one might be worth it to us to go to a nice beach and have the tour set up chairs for us.

Yes this is the one instance I would suggest the “Secret Sands” cruise line excursion to Lindqvist. Then you could hit Tickles on the return as MS411 suggested…

Edited January 2, 2023 by blue_water

[FLcruisergrl]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:23 PM, blue_water said:

You definitely want to avoid Coki (very small, beach with several vendors and a very busy vibe), and Secret Harbor (you can rent lounges and umbrellas from AA Divers in advance, but you are the last to arrive and will be in a crowded, noisy spot).

 

Our top beach recommendation is always Sapphire, but you are arriving late and on a typically busy day so it’s hard to recommend that perfect beach for your low-key relaxation - with those amenities. But Sapphire does have space to get a quieter spot away from the beach bar.

 

We’ve not been to Hull Bay since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated these islands. That was our beach choice while staying on Sapphire when bigger ships were in port. Perhaps someone else can tell you the current situation there,  i.e. lounges, restrooms. I thought the beach bar was open but I’m not sure. Worth looking into though, and the STT forum on TripAdvisor is also a good resource!

 

Was just at Hull last week. It was deserted. Didn’t see loungers and wasn’t looking for bathrooms, but they have a great bar and amazing food truck.

[Ms411]

Hull Bay doesn't rent beach chairs. Water there can be rough especially in winter. People surf there. Taxis don't usually go there.

[blue_water]

I was wondering more about the beach bar, I thought it had re-opened, thanks fl. There were some used loungers when we were there but it’s been awhile!

I recommended HB for a relaxing beach, but yes if wanting to swim the north shore beaches are rougher…But our choice when ships are in! You’d need to find a driver who  will drop you off after Magens and he/she may return but you may need to call..

But again the Secret Sands is probably your best choice…

Edited January 3, 2023 by blue_water

[Carried_Away]

Update for anyone interested: We ended up going to Emerald Beach and enjoyed it. We took a taxi from Crown Bay and back. The beach was very close to the port, so the ride was short. There were plenty of taxis waiting when we wanted to return to the ship. The beach and the water were lovely. There were plenty of people there, but it didn't feel too crowded. It was easy to find and loungers with a palapa. We settled on an open pair with a palapa, and then a staff member from the resort came around to collect the fee --- $10 per chair, no extra charge for the palapa. The water was calm and great for swimming. We spent a few hours enjoying the water and reading/napping on the beach. The only downside was, as was advised here, that there is a steep entry into the water, but we survived our stumbles and the resulting embarrassment. It looked like the entry might be less steep farther down the beach.

 

Thanks again to everyone here who provided info and recommendations.

[Ms411]

Thanks for posting, and glad you enjoyed your day at Emerald!

[blue_water]

On 1/30/2023 at 7:45 PM, Carried_Away said:

Update for anyone interested: We ended up going to Emerald Beach and enjoyed it. We took a taxi from Crown Bay and back. The beach was very close to the port, so the ride was short. There were plenty of taxis waiting when we wanted to return to the ship. The beach and the water were lovely. There were plenty of people there, but it didn't feel too crowded. It was easy to find and loungers with a palapa. We settled on an open pair with a palapa, and then a staff member from the resort came around to collect the fee --- $10 per chair, no extra charge for the palapa. The water was calm and great for swimming. We spent a few hours enjoying the water and reading/napping on the beach. The only downside was, as was advised here, that there is a steep entry into the water, but we survived our stumbles and the resulting embarrassment. It looked like the entry might be less steep farther down the beach.

 

Thanks again to everyone here who provided info and recommendations.

That is an easy beach day, especially from Crown. Great choice, and thanks for the chuckle! ☺️