St. Thomas USVI · Best Beaches

Insider's Guide to St. Thomas's Best Beaches

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Come to the secluded, dazzling and social beaches on St. Thomas - one of the fabulous U.S. Virgin Islands - and prepare to be amazed. Although guaranteed to offer the white sandy beaches, luscious palm trees and pale blue Caribbean ocean water that you can see all the way down to the bottom of; St. Thomas's 44 incredible beaches come in many different shapes and sizes, allowing ample room for everyone to find exactly what they want.

Indeed, for those who love to sunbathe and people watch, St. Thomas provides the perfect vacation setting to do so in. But it also provides seclusion; you just have to know what you're looking for, and where, exactly, to look for it. For most of the beach names listed below, you can probably count on a fair to considerable amount of company sharing the sand with you. Yet if you seek a bit of privacy and don't mind awakening the ol' adventurous spirit just a tad, there are plenty of opportunities to scramble into a tropical island paradise of you own!

Before going any further, however, here's an insider's tip: many of the beautiful beaches here are actually part of the hotel and resort complexes that have, for some reason, nestled onto the beachfront. Although open to the public, the chairs and floats are typically for the use of hotel patrons only. These beaches are fine, but there are a good number of non-hotel beaches worth checking out first. These tend to be where the more "in-the-know" crowd gravitates towards, and it's for good reason.

The beach that you have probably already heard about makes it to the top of all the charts. It's called Magen's Bay and it truly is picture perfect. Located right to the side of Route 35, motorists can easily see the humungous sand crest that arcs beautifully from one prominent peninsula to another. It's dazzlingly pure white, and curves into the turquoise Caribbean so beautifully that it is hard not to let out a gasp. Vacationers beware, however - you'll pay three bucks to fulfill your impulsive day dream of running down and diving into the powdery sand or splashing about in the crystalline ocean water. In addition, it's pretty a pretty well-developed beach that already features the revered institutions of snack bar, bathhouses and oh, how could I forget; the bar. Don't start any snorkeling expeditions from this beach as it's more of a dip-in-and-tan-in-the-sun type of deal.

Another great fun-in-the-sun place to spend an afternoon in St. Thomas is the Morning Star Beach. There is a large amount of outdoor recreational activity happening here, and it's by far one of the hipper places to hang out. That's because it's a mostly locals place where the body surfing is excellent and the reef by the rocks is far above par for snorkelers. So check out the water, especially on a day when it's not too chopper (better visibility) or pick up on a game of volleyball.

One of my personal favorites is the Sapphire Beach. Probably the most secluded of the well-known beaches, Sapphire strikes a special note with me. Why? Perhaps it's because it's got a little bit of everything. The white sand and blue water is on the same bar as most other beaches on St. Thomas and the scene is quiet and private but not desolate. One thing that stands out here is the view. Happy vacationers like you who are lucky enough to check out the "Sapphire" will be able to look out onto the beautiful island of St. John and wistfully meditate upon the unchallenged beauty of island living in general.

Of course, for those seeking a more mainstream kind of experience, the social pleasures of Coki Beach should not be left disregarded. That's because this is a thoroughfare for the most attractive among St. Thomas vacationers, making it a thoroughly pleasant place to wile the day away. And those longing for a bit of superficial contact with the outside world will not be disappointed; the beach is a primary destination for Caribbean cruisers wishing to splash about with a snorkel for a few hours in the sunny St. Thomas afternoon.

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See you on the Island, John "Big Hat" Walsh