Will you have access to the boat's dinghy?
There are a few beaches that are close by dinghy

Just tell them you want to get checked out on the little boat then big boat 😎

Secret Harbor would be a great choice especially if you're looking for something to eat and drink while you're at the beach. Sadly, Sapphire Beach no longer has a bar and grill (except up the hill to Sapphire Village). But I guess you could always grab a bite to eat in Red Hook and then hit the beach. But I'd go with Secret Harbor.

We are doing a crewed charter so we don't have access to the dinghy. I'm thinking that Secret Harbor will indeed be the best choice. Does Secret Harbor have outdoor showers of any kind where we will be able to clean up? Also, does anyone know the taxi rate between SH and Red Hook? Will we have any problem getting a taxi back to RH at the end of the day?

Taxi will not be an issue
You can also do Cowpet which is good place to chill and shade available to
Secret Harbor would be choice 1

For taxi rates go to "St Thomas" top of this page and scroll down to taxi rates. Secret Harbour doesn't have showers but American Yacht Harbor does. vibound is incorrect about the facilities at Sapphire. Although the main beach bar and restaurant closed down a couple of years ago there is a nice little BBQ concession running there regularly which has received good reviews and both Grapevine Grill in Sapphire Village and Senor Pizza in Red Hook have "runners" on site to take and deliver orders. Hope that helps. Cheers!

Hello goblues29,

If you visit the beach section for St. Thomas on this site, the first page has a map and the beaches are labeled (click on the map and drag it left moving Pillsbury Sound to the center and then zoom in a couple times until the label for Red Hook appears - that is where American Yacht Harbor is located). You can then see the neighboring beaches. Or visit the St. Thomas Beaches - East End page. They are in order going clockwise around the island; Red Hook is between Sapphire and Vessup as far the beach line up on that page goes.

Ditto Secret Harbor being a good choice, and Cowpet also. Both are nice beaches, have good snorkeling and have food/drinks - 1 restaurant at Secret Harbor and 2 at Cowpet. The beaches are very close, Cowpet is about a minute drive passed Secret Harbor. From Red Hook its about a 5 minute drive; it will be a few dollars pp, ow for the taxi.

Secret Harbor has a spot to rinse off your feet and there is a restroom. Pretty sure Cowpet has an outdoor shower. Both places have resort/condos on site so if there isn't a taxi waiting by the lobby/parking area you can ask someone at the front desk or at the restaurant to call a taxi for you.

At Sapphire, Banana Cabana is the little open air grill that is just a short walk from the shore, its located between two of the buildings. They have some chairs and umbrellas set up and have a small menu (burgers and chicken sandwiches around $11, mahi sandwiches, hot dog $7, veggie burgers $8, Beer/Rum Punch $4, Soda/Water, and Daiquiris/Coladas/Smoothies... prices from a few months ago). Grapevine Grill (up at the Sapphire condo area; maybe 10-12 minute walk from the beach) does have wait staff doing beach orders, there is a $20 or $25 minimum, +15% service charge. Sapphire is about a 1 minute drive from Red Hook; it has good snorkeling, nice beach and has an outdoor shower.

--Islander

Great info, thanks for the help everyone!

Keep in mind that when you spend time on Secret Harbor's beach that there is monitoring of people who are not guests of the resort. You are definitely allowed to be on the beach, but cannot use the chairs unless you pay some beach-maintenance guy who walks the beach. He will walk up to you and ask for a few dollars each - $5, maybe. If you simply use towels on the sand, no fee. We sometimes have wondered if this guy is pocketing some of the money - even though he does, indeed, work for the resort.
However, the beach and water and snorkeling is well worth the day - and the restaurant & bar are good.

You can rent beach chairs and other water sport equipment form the Dive Shop that is on site at Secret Harbor Beach.

Sapphire Beach does have a bar and grille, which is called the Banana Cabana and it is open from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

One other thing about Sapphire Beach versus both Secret Harbor and Cowpet. As sailors, you will appreciate that both Secret Harbor and Cowpet Bay Beach are in the lee of hills which often cut off the tradewinds. Sapphire Beach faces east and the trades blow directly on to the beach, cooling it even on the least breezy days. Secret Harbor can be windless and hot even when the trades are blowing; so can Cowpet.

And, conversely, Sapphire can get a bit choppy when those winds change so leave us not get too technical here! Cheers!

Is it possible to walk from the ferry area of Red Hook to Sapphire Beach or are the hills and/or traffic particularly troublesome?

goblues29 wrote:
I am in need of some suggestions. My group is doing a boat charter with a sleep aboard the night before. Our plane lands at 1:30 and we really want to throw our luggage on the boat and go to the beach. Which beaches are close to American Yacht Harbor? I have been thinking about Secret Harbor because it has a bar and grill and seems to be close. Does anyone else have other suggestions? I am having a hard time finding taxi prices from Red Hook to the beaches so if anyone could give me some insight, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for the help!

Either of your beach choices would be fine, but..... Let me lay out your time line for you. Your plane will land at 1:30, we will run on the assumption that its on time, then it will take another 30-45 minutes to get thru the airport, pick up your bags and get in a cab. Now you have a 45 minute to hour ride to red hook, depending on traffic and the number of stops along the way the cab makes. This puts you at the marina around 3:00. It will take you another 30 to 45 minutes to get your bags on board, figure out cabin assignments, meet the crew and likely have a welcome drink. So now if you have done this right it is 4:00, you have had a couple of drinks and you have two hours of daylight left. So do you get in another cab to go someplace else or do you have another drink with your crew on the boat get cleaned up change clothes and walk up to one of the dozen or so bars and restaurants right in Red Hook? Also if this happens to be on a Friday or Saturday it is likely that Lattitude 18 might have some live entertainment, if so you might be able to talk the crew into taking you over on the dink. I understand the desire to get to the beach at the earliest possible minute but don't over plan your trip. Rum and sunshine tend to take control anyway.
Enjoy your trip.
Jay

Trinity: It's quite a hike, no sidewalks, hilly terrain, blind corners and traffic - not advised. Best grab a taxi and returning to Red Hook you can go to the road and catch a $1 safari bus back.

Second the Safari Bus
Primarly for locals they can be quite an adventure.

I know you must be asking why just back from Sapphire. Well the safari buses just run Clockwise around the island
You could catch in Red Hook and say you want to go to Tutu Mall for a $1 and get off and then say you want to go to the country and get off at Sapphire for another $1.

It has been 3 years since we have used the safari buses but they are great if you are not in a hurry and I am surpriesed they have not have had a cost increase.

In closing I would say - Capt Jay's timeline is pretty much on the mark and his suggestion about Lat. 18 is on the mark.

Tom's Guess - the taxi will drop you off in Red Hook at 3:49 😀

Thanks STT and Tom for the quick responses. 🙂

Local Bus Transportation on St Thomas

Can anyone provide me with the local bus info on St Thomas? cost , frequency, etc..

Thanks,

Dan

dancue wrote:
Local Bus Transportation on St Thomas

Can anyone provide me with the local bus info on St Thomas? cost , frequency, etc..

Thanks,

Dan

There is a local VITRAN bus service (big A/C buses) which runs between town and country but forget about schedules as they run on their own agenda. The individually owned "safari" buses cost $2 on longer routes and $1 on shorter routes and go clockwise between town and country. No set schedules for them either, and they stop running shortly after nightfall. You just stand on the side of the road and hail them down. Neither recommended for visitor transportation unless you have plenty of time to spare standing on the side of the road in the sun. And neither go directly to beaches but will stop at the nearest main road junction to let you off to walk from there. Hope that helps!