Magens Bay fits your requirements.

Thanks for the input. We did try Magen's Bay in 2005 and were disappointed. The beach itself didn't appear well-kept. Also, the changing rooms and rest rooms were old and not very clean. I expected much more from a beach that was rated so highly in all the travel books. Has anything changed since 2005? Kathy

wow. If you think Magens Beach is not well-kept, I'd be at a total loss as to what to recommend. I have never heard that said about Magens from anyone, visitor and resident alike, and I've lived here 20 years. And especially considering the literally hundreds of visitors to Magens each DAY, I am always amazed at how well kept that beach is. I don't think any hotel does better.

I agree that the changing rooms and rest rooms have lacked, but that never stopped me.

Cannot think of a better choice. sorry to hear that you were disappointed!

pattypan

The best beach on STT is Sapphire. There is a dive shope there that rents charis but there is no real resturant there, ony a small hamburger place. They have shade trees, bath rooms.

billd

Meagan's Bay would fit what your looking for. If you like to snorkel this is not beach for you, there are very few fish here. My children and husband were disappointed with this beach. I was also surprised that this beach was considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I live at a beach in the US, and our beaches are much more well kept. We liked Coki Beach because of the snorkeling, but make sure you leave by 5pm, the area get alittle rough. Frenchmen's Reef beach is beautiful. There is a bar right on the beach which has plenty of shade. The chairs on the beach are for their hotel guest, so you have to sit in the bar area or in the sand. Meagan's Bay is probably your best choice. Hope this helps.

Magens Bay did have a period of time when the Magens Bay Authority had trouble keeping up with vandals, sloppy folks and such. But it is much better now!

My suggestion is Sapphire Beach...it has amenities.. is not far from the cruise ship dock.. we have done that several times when on cruise.....to get away to the beach for a few hours.. Snorkeling is decent and there is shade and it is not as over-run as Magens can be. Sapphire Beach has been pretty well clean the times we have been there.

My suggestion would be Secret Harbor. The water is calm, restaurant and bar. Restrooms are clean. Snorkling is very good.

Magens- New restroom facilities on the far left as you go thru the entrance, but far from the concession stand. It is well maintained daily, raked, clearing bush, garbage picked up, etc. The other facilities could use updating, but Magens is a child friendly beach for SURE! Calm waters, and easy, gentle slope in to the water. Not good for snorkeling.
Sapphire- Also fits the bill, tho I have not been in a very long time. Does it get rough when there are waves rolling in? I honestly cannot remember! Great snorkeling!
Morning Star- to me would be a NO for young children! It is usually wavy and has a small drop off when going in the water. Much rougher out of those recommended. No offense, but this is for young children!
Secret Harbor- Yes, I do agree that this beach would accommodate you as well! Great snorkeling as well!

Yes, anyplace but Sapphire. Don't go there! This is the one good thing about the concessions being closed. Our beach isn't overrun on a daily basis by cruise ship people. A few would be okay, but it seems when they come, they come in such large groups that it's hard to find an open piece of beach.

You might want to consider Lindberg Bay/Emerald Beach that's on the western end of St Thomas near the Crown Bay dock for the Princess and HAL ships. My reasons for suggesting it are:

1. Closer to docks than the other mentioned beaches
2. Calm, shallow water
3. There are several restaurants along the beach, so if you eat/drink at one, you can use the bathrooms. Standard menu (sandwiches, etc)
4. Usually not crowded
5. There's a tiny, island-sized, water park for kiddies. Islander, can you post the pic????
6. Other play area with swings, I think, and maybe something else
7. You can rent chairs from the Best Western hotel
8. There are shade trees (with iguanas in them usually!)

The cons of Emerald:

1. Not good for snorkeling
2. Water purportedly not as clear as some other beaches
3. It's near the airport so you'll probably hear a few planes taking off, but it's not like O'Hare

There's supposed to be a new water park/toy concession opening on this strip of beach this season - Island Hopper, I think. It should bring more amenities/activities, but probably more crowds.

Yes, anyplace but Sapphire. Don't go there! This is the one good thing about the concessions being closed. Our beach isn't overrun on a daily basis by cruise ship people. A few would be okay, but it seems when they come, they come in such large groups that it's hard to find an open piece of beach.

Sapphire, we were there twice in May and there were ALOT of cruise ship people there.

Sorry, I miss the bar there, I miss the Sunday beach party.

I'm hoping the word gets out to the cruise ship folks that we've nothing to offer--go elsewhere. lol

I'm hoping the word gets out to the cruise ship folks that we've nothing to offer--go elsewhere. lol

Oh yeah, you have alot to offer..the beautiful beach and the snorkeling. The grill is still there for burgers and fish sandwiches and the Grapevine is offering service on the beach...thanks Thor! I also saw people with drinks and beers, so it is operational and I don't think the cruise people will be going anywhere anytime soon since it seems to be one of the excursions from the ships.

Since for some strange reason I cannot edit my last post, I want to correct myself. Morning Star is NOT good for young children when compared to the others listed.
Sorry SapphireBeach08, I doubt your wishes will come true! Sapphire has too much to offer!

If your cruise ship is coming into the Crown Bay Dock, you may consider Honeymoon Beach on Water Island. You can easily walk to Crown Bay Marina - even with a wee person tagging along - and take the ferry to Water Island. Honeymoon Beach/Water Island has coconut palm trees as well as palapa's that offer shade. This very tranquil beach is located within very short walking distance from the WI ferry landing. There are picnic tables and Heidi's Honeymoon Grill starts serving lunch at 11:00 until 3:00. There are no chairs to rent but there are chairs stacked up next to a tree that you could freely use - just put them back when you're finished. Bring your towels, swim toys, etc. The water is extremely calm with a very slight grade and sandy bottom so it would be very calm waters and perfect for your child. There's a swim platform just a short/comfortable distance off the shoreline and within the marked swim buoy area. Bathroom facilities should be open behind Joe's Beach Bar to the south end of the beach. If your ship is coming into Havensite, a beach on STT would be more appropriate. But, if your ship is coming into Crown Bay (check the cruise ship schedule on VINOW), Honeymoon Beach may be a wonderful experience for you and your family.

Hello Kathy, you can check out the beaches recommended to you in the St. Thomas Beach guide on this site. (Click St. Thomas in the drop down menu row at the top of this page and choose Beach Guide.) You'll find photos & descriptions of the beaches mentioned and others.

You asked about amenities at beaches with resorts; there are several Sapphire, Secret Harbor, Cowpet, Bolongo, Sugar Bay, Bluebeards, Morningstar, Limetree, Emerald. The beaches are open to the public. Non-guests can buy food/drink at beach side bars/restaurants. In most cases the restrooms are by the restaurants/bars. Watersports booths exists at most of those beaches mentioned, exception would be Secret Harbor - they do have a dive shop. Non-guests can rent stuff from the watersports booth. Chairs can be rented by non-guests at Sapphire, Morningstar, Bolongo and Emerald. Other hotel amenities like the pool are for hotel guests (only exception there might be Bolongo that offers a day pass of some sort for a fee).

--Islander

Sapphire is a beautiful beach, but the rest rooms are disgusting. The doors do not close or are falling down, and there is often no toilet paper. I can't imagine the board of health (if there is one in St. Thomas) allowing them to continue in the current condition.

Beach, there's alot of disgusting bathrooms, not just in STT, but all over the world.

Try spending 8 hours or more at a Kenny Chesney concert in Philly at the Linc. Sapphire would look like the Taj Mahal.