Our family and some friends are leaving next Saturday on the Oasis of the Seas Has anybody been to either of these two islands and have recommendations of things to do? We were thinking about chartering a boat and cruising over to Jost Van Dyke while on St. Thomas but I have no idea if that would be a good thing to do or if there are plenty of things to do on these islands. Our group will be 10. Any insight would be appreciated.
St. Thomas, St. Maarten
- Thread starter vichogan
- Start date
We like great bay beach in St Martin and Coki beach or megans bay in St Thomas
I have not been to either, but researched St Martin/St Maarten quite a bit before settling on Belize for our last vacation. Would definitely go there as the 2 distinct parts of the country make it very unique.
This. GREAT snorkeling and beaches on St John, and the roads are FUN - up and down like a roller coaster.
We have a basketball tournament there in December, I might go to it. KevinLovesTally lives there
I just got back from a trip to st thomas 2 weeks ago and it was awesome. I would recommend doing like a few others said and go over to St. John's island. There is a little bit of everything there. Take a taxi up the mountain. 5$/ person. It was very natural around there still due to half of the island being considering national park land.
In my buddy's wedding in St. John's in December. We are taking a booze cruise to Jost the Sunday after the wedding. Had never heard of either spot until the wedding was planned. Damn being in a wedding is expensive. Any tips for the trip are welcomed.
White Bay is quite possibly my favorite place on earth and Soggy Dollar is a major contributor to that. However, I would recommend the snorkel trip at Trunk Bay on St. John, unless the weather is nasty. Jost and the rest of the BVI require more than a half day in my opinion. So many great places to see in that neck of the islands.
st. john has great snorkeling. there is not one beach that is better than the others, they are all a little different in a good way. in St. cruz, there are some chill bars/restaurants - we like the beach bar if its still there.
keep in mind the ferry can get crowded and runs less frequently after sunset.
keep in mind the ferry can get crowded and runs less frequently after sunset.
I will vouch for a day trip to Jost. You may be tight on time but White Bay and the Soggy Dollar are amazing.
My dad grew up on st thomas. I spent time every summer there as a kid. And I was there a week ago while on a cruise.
It's not what it was. Extreme poverty everywhere. Very violent crime problems (we keep up bc we still have property there). All there is is tourist crap and some great beaches.
I'd spend the time at MBay. I disagree about Coki. We went last week and it was a pit. Like being at a small beach full of the people of Walmart. We snorkeled and that was nice but the beach was gross. If you go, try to get there in time to get in a scuba group.
It's not what it was. Extreme poverty everywhere. Very violent crime problems (we keep up bc we still have property there). All there is is tourist crap and some great beaches.
I'd spend the time at MBay. I disagree about Coki. We went last week and it was a pit. Like being at a small beach full of the people of Walmart. We snorkeled and that was nice but the beach was gross. If you go, try to get there in time to get in a scuba group.
This.
But if you do opt for the charter to Jost, look up the Bad Kitty. Wife and I took it on our honeymoon and had a blast.
consistent with my experience. although is you have little kids, there is a cool "museum" at Coki - Coral World - its part aquarium, part zoo. best part is you can go underwater and see the fish, which is almost as good as snorkeling. of course, if you go snorkeling, this is a waste of time.
Soggy Dollar is cool but its just a bunch of follks who pull up in boats to drink. Not sure its worth the hassle. it is a real nice beach and some real nice boats pull up, but when you consider you have to go through immigration for the privilege of drinkign there i'll pass.
I've been to both a few times with our kids. Snorkeling at Trunk Bay on St. John is one of our favorites. Just take the ferry from St. Thomas. Megan's bay on St. Thomas is also nice. It is a very long sandy beach but not good for snorkeling. We also liked Coral World.
On St. Martin. / St. Maarten we went to Little Divi beach. It was an excursion set up by the cruise line. The beach is nice and we had a cookout there too. You can watch jumbo jets land flying just above the beach (maybe about 100 feet up?). There is a bar there which listed times for landings.
Keep in mind, as mentioned before, most of the Caribbean islands are poor. There will be people that try to sell trinkets or hawk what they are selling. Just know how to bargin and never accept the first price. As long as you stick with your cruise you'll be fine. If you go with a non cruise excursion they can - and will - leave you if you are late!
On St. Martin. / St. Maarten we went to Little Divi beach. It was an excursion set up by the cruise line. The beach is nice and we had a cookout there too. You can watch jumbo jets land flying just above the beach (maybe about 100 feet up?). There is a bar there which listed times for landings.
Keep in mind, as mentioned before, most of the Caribbean islands are poor. There will be people that try to sell trinkets or hawk what they are selling. Just know how to bargin and never accept the first price. As long as you stick with your cruise you'll be fine. If you go with a non cruise excursion they can - and will - leave you if you are late!
So we rented a boat with a captain on St Thomas. Went to Norman Island. Ate at Willy T's, which is a barge anchored in the harbor. It was pretty neat and the food was particularly good. Snorkeled some, saw the caves and headed to Jost Van Dyke and the Soggy Dollar. Lemon Thrower was right about having to clear customs and paying $40 per head to do so, but the beach was beautiful and we were all glad we did it, at least this one time. Thanks for all the feedback.
The land-part of St. Thomas is an absolute dump. As noted, it is poverty-stricken and looks much like every other Banana Republic down there. Some of the resorts are nice, but beware the minute you step foot off of their property. Of course, the post cards and tourism promotional materials never hint at this reality. The water is nice, but the rest of St. Thomas leaves lots to be desired, at least in my view.
Similar threads
