Sandcastle vs. Rainbow Beach?

[cruisecookie]

Please tell me about Sandcastle and Rainbow Beaches? How do they compare? Is there shade and/or umbrellas at both beaches? My husband likes to sit in a lounge chair at the waters' edge. Will I be able to find a place in the shade with him? (I checked the Sandcastle on the Beach website. I know that they have a $5/pp day rate that includes a chair and umbrella at the pool, but there don't seem to be umbrellas available on the beach.) Does Rainbow Beach have a pool? Are these both nice beaches? Which beach has the nicer bathroom and changing rooms? How much will it cost by taxi to each beach? How long is the ride to each beach? Our ship, Adventure of the Seas arrives in St. Croix on Saturday, January 23, 2010. We usually get to the beach by 11:00 am and leave around 1:00 or 2:00 pm. Thanks for any information that you can provide.

[CrucianGal]

You'll be arriving on my birthday, so it's sure to be a great day on St. Croix!:)

We just got back from a beautiful day at Sand Castles Beach. Both beaches are nice. We go to Sand Castles quite often because they have a wonderful Sunday brunch and we like to look back at the view of Fredricksted and the pier from the beach. I will try to find out about umbrellas for you and post again. Rainbow Beach does not have a pool. It is a beach and bar. Sand Castles is a small inn with cottages that are for rent. They also have a full restaurant.

 

Regards from sunny St. Croix,

Ellen

[Addictedtocruising]

Hi Ellen,

 

is Rainbow beach walkable from the cruise ship pier?

As a matter of fact which beaches are walkable with a bar and maybe some entertainment?

 

Thanks for your time

Donna

[CrucianGal]

Hi Donna,

Rainbow beach is not walkable, but it's a very short taxi ride. They have a beach bar and usually some music.

There is a beach you can walk to at the left of the pier next to the fort. I think it is called Coconuts Beach Bar.

Both are nice beaches.

 

Regards from sunny St. Croix,

Ellen

[msjaxson]

how far is sandcastles from the pier??

[baby]

I'd like this info also

 

thanks carol

[KuffMUp]

Sand Castles is south from the pier. There is a beach within walking distance to the north of the pier and I think Coconuts is along this beach. Further north is Rainbow.

 

Here is a link to St. Croix beaches. It is a Google map with the beaches marked.

 

http://www.gotostcroix.com/maps/beaches_map.php

[The Islander]

A lot of the West End beaches on St. Croix are one long strip of sandy shore with various names given to different sections; this is the case with Sandcastle. If you look at a Google Map for example you will see that it looks sandy from the Pier all the way around to Sandy Point, pretty neat. Anyway Sandcastle is nice - shore is largely sandy, the hotel there provides some amenities like food/drink/restrooms. The water is usually calm and clear. There is some natural shade under the trees. Not sure if there are umbrellas for rent or available. The hotel may rent beach chairs - you can check on that.

 

Rainbow Beach has more of a starting point and ending point due to the shape and tree line, therefore it is or seems smaller than Sandcastle. The water here is also usually calm. Not much natural shade. Not sure if there are umbrellas for rent or available, never seen any. Also not seen beach chair rentals here.

 

Neither beach has public restrooms or changing rooms. Both however have bars on site and the bars have restrooms.

 

The pier to Rainbow Beach maybe a 2-3 minute drive. And maybe 3-4 minutes, but in the opposite direction, to Sandcastle.

 

One tip, 11am to 1pm is the time of the day when it’s the hottest and the sun the most brutal here in the USVI... make sure to wear lots of sunscreen.

 

Also, here is Coconuts website: http://www.coconutsonthebeach-stx.com.

 

--Islander