My friend and I are going on a cruise in late February and we want to go to a nice beach in St. Thomas. I've been to Megan's Bay and wasn't that thrilled with it. We don't want to do an ex
0
Cat:Caribbean and the AtlanticForum:0EE6B310
Cat:Caribbean and the AtlanticForum:0EE6B310Discussion:06b38185-d589-4355-944f-55e2f1b29bf9
My friend and I are going on a cruise in late February and we want to go to a nice beach in St. Thomas. I've been to Megan's Bay and wasn't that thrilled with it. We don't want to do an excursion with the cruiseline, we just want to take a taxi to the beach for a couple of hours. I've been looking online at the different beaches and they look lovely, but which one would be the best? We don't want to be too far from the port as we want to do some shopping too.
One time on a cruise we took a cab to Coki Beach and we loved it. It wasn't that far from the ship and the beach had all types of facilities, food, chairs and drinks. There was great snorkeling on the right side looking at the water. We would go there again....Al
We took a cab to Megan's Bay, and loved it. The driver stopped at a scenic overlook on the way and we could see the beach we were headed to. It was beautiful and not too crowded. Order a bushwacker from the bar -- delicious! There were cabs there to head back to the ship, and ample shopping near the ship.
there was cruise ship shooting at that beach last year, involving drugs; i would check that out before going;girl was shot accidentally; i think she was from a carnival ship; at coki beach;
Having lived on ST. Thomas for over 25 years I feel that the best beach to visit is Magen's Bay. As you disembark your ship a number of taxis will be at the dock to meet you. Just engage one or a Safari Bus to take you to the beach. There is a restaurant and bar, beach rentals and bathrooms. The warter is calm, warm and beautiful, the beach is lovely to walk. Your driver will tell you what time he/she will pick you up depending on your schedule or if you want to visit town & shop. Another beach is Coki Point which is known for snorkeling and marine life. The ride out there is a little longer then going to Magen's Bay but worth the trip. There is a bar, local food is available and you can rent snorkel gear for adults and children. Have a great time and remember to leave all valuables behind.
We took a cab from our cruise ship to Sapphire (or some gem name) beach. very quiet, beautiful views, place to buy some food and drinks, decent snorkeling, swimming.
Assuming you have enough time in port, take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay, St John. There are a number of beautiful beaches within minutes of the safari taxi stands. I would suggest Honeymoon Beach, which is a short hike from Caneel Bay
"close to the ship" can mean different things as there are now 2 separate docking areas in Charlotte Amalie, one at Havensite and the other a good distance away on the other side. So "close" depends on where your ship is docked. We were just there a couple of weeks ago and docked at the new cruise terminal (I prefer Havensite but can't control that). We took a cab to Emerald (Lindbergh) Beach, which was a 5 minute drive and cost $4 pp. It is a nice, quiet beach (except close to the airport so you get some airplane noise) with only 2 resorts, each of which will be delighted to rent you a lounge chair for $6-$7. When you're ready to go back to the ship there are cabs waiting. We spent a few lovely hours relaxing there. Magen's Bay is lovely but a longer ride and more expensive. Bon Voyage!
Our last cruise to St. Thomas we took a taxi to Morningstar beach, very few people there on the east end and a good view of boats going by. It is a very short drive, look for the Marriott Frenchman's Reef just south of the port and mall. Most taxi drivers will return to pick you up or just walk into one of the hotels along the beach to find drivers waiting there. You will be close to town and avoid the large crowds that tend to rush to the main beaches. The beaches are public there so resorts cannot ban you from the beaches. Some will rent you lounge chairs but we found our towels from the ship were more than adequate. Footwear midday is needed as the sand can get quite hot on any beach. Our driver returned us to the mall where we freshened up and had a quick lunch before heading into town to shop. We have been to St. Thomas many times so we have a few stores that are regular visits. We usually save the mall visits until we are done in town since we don't want to rush finding a taxi too close to our sailing time. We found no problem in using the hotel facilities to change and a tip to the right person brought us ice water and a cooler with damp washcloths to keep cool.
I forgot to mention that we will be docking at Havensite Mall area so we won't be that close to some of the beaches mentioned. Thank you to everyone that posted about the beaches.....it was much appreciated!!
A couple weeks ago I rode my bicycle from the ship docked at Havensite to Megans Bay (yes, over the mountain). Megans Bay was beautiful but with 3 ships in port, very crowded. You could tell who was from what ship by the color of their beach towel. Next time I will opt for a lesser utilized beach. By the way, don't waste your money shopping there. There are better deals home at TJ Maxx or Sears.
Just returned (Jan.) from two Coki Beach visits. Ship docked at Crown Bay pier( the one farthest away). Cost to Coki was $10 each way. Taxi is a safari truck. Took about 35 minutes each way. Can rent chairs and lockers for $5 each, per day. Total cost was $55 for wife and self! Clean restrooms and showers. Waitress' walk the beach delivering drinks and food if you want it. Nice beach, with snorkling to the right, within 10 metres. Some nice coral and lots of fish. Interesting group of entrepeneurs who work the beach competing for your business. All very pleasant without any pressure or pushy feelings sometimes felt on other islands. Felt very safe and had a great time. Time for shopping downtown in the afternoon before you sail.
