Saint Thomas Travel Forum

Our cruise ship will be at St. Thomas next week for one day. Where is the best TROPICAL - looking beach? One with palm trees? We don't care about amenities, just want to see a beautiful beach. Also, what's the best (and cheapest) way to get there from the Charlotte Amalie port?

You want to go to Magens Bay. It is the best beach on St. Thomas. If you can't make it there I hear that Coki Point or Saphire are okay alternatives. Go to vinow.com for more information. Too bad you're not stopping at St. John. There are some superb, and relatively uncrowded beaches to be found on that island.

Thank you so much for your reply, Robert. We did go to Megan's Bay last year (our only other trip to St. Thomas) and it WAS beautiful, but I was disappointed that there weren't more palm trees - that's what makes it look tropical to me. I've read that Honeymoon Beach is lined with coconut palms. Can anyone confirm this?

Yes, Honeymoon beach is on Water Island. It is lined with trees. Check out the beach guides at vinow.com. There are pictures and discriptions there.

Robert, thanks for that link! I'm finding all kinds of info there!

Take the trip to St. John, the most photographed beach there is Truk Bay. You can probably set it up through your cruise ship. Or if you want to travel on your own take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay, St. John (about $12 each) take a taxi from Cruz or hitch a ride to Truk Bay. OR if you want a less used beach (especially because of cruise ship tours) go to Hawksnest Beach. Hawksnest is my personal favorite close to Cruz Bay.

Keep in mind that this was MANY years ago, but Coki was pretty decent. However if the restaurant is still there, check out a place called For The Birds. It is WELL out of the normal traffic areas, but it has it's own private beach. When I was in the Navy, I would go there every time we pulled into St. Thomas after I discovered it. It was really excellent because it felt like you had the restaurant, your own beach and there wasn't anyone else near you. :-) The last time I was there, however, was in 1989 so I can't tell you at all how it might have changed.

Balfor, Coki ain't what it used to be, very sad to see the downhill trend. But it still has Coral World.

Both Honeymooon Beach on Water Island & Trunk Bay on St. John are great recommendations! A beautiful Caribbean beach in its natural state isn't going to look like a South Pacific palm tree lined beach though, most of them have been imported.

That is sad that Coki is going downhill. One of the things I really liked about it was the fact that it WAS out of the way, so it wasn't crowded with people from the cruise boats.

It is VERY sad. One more reason I am basically opposed to big cruise ships, they destroy the very things they go to see. God help the Galapagos, now they've started allowing the big ones in!!

Trunk Bay gets the cruise ships too, though it's still nice. They police the beach pretty carefully, and you get a heavy fine if you litter (this is a GOOD thing!). It's getting worn down compared to what it used to be, but it's still beautiful. Poor Coki used to be gorgeous, now it's a mess compared to what it was...

:-( Last time I was there, it was mostly deserted except for locals and a few hardy souls who managed to escape Megans Bay. Even Coral World wasn't terribly crowded.

Magens Bay, we had plenty of time to take a cab there and spend the entire afternoon. On your way be sure to stop at Bluebeard's Castle, it is a fabulous spot for picture taking!!!
Enjoy
Candee