Sapphire Beach
Sapphire Beach
4.5
About
Nestled on the jagged coast of the island of St. Thomas, this spacious beach boasts fine white sand and beautiful views of St. John and the offshore cays of the U.S. Virgin Islands. When the sea is calm, you can rent proper gear to go snorkeling among coral reefs and see colorful tropical fish. Otherwise, windsurfing in the waters of Saint John Bay is always a great option. Hit up the beachside restaurants and bars to refuel afterward. You can visit Sapphire Beach on your own, as part of a tour, or on a private boat charter. – Tripadvisor
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  • Jordan E
    5 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Chill ocean views with great service
    A great little beach club with chill vibes, good service, and beautiful views. We opted for a cabana, which turns out is all-inclusive up to the price paid ($1800/person). Good drinks and good food. The only downside is the amount of street vendors earlier in the morning is a bit much, but by afternoon the beach is busy enough you get left alone more.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 November 2023
  • Cindy B
    Westminster, Colorado5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stay on beautiful Sapphire Beach
    If you want a relaxing and awesome time on a beautiful beach, I highly recommend staying in a condo (VRBO) at Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. All condos have beach views and are a short walk to the beach. Condos in building D &E are closest to the marina and Sudi's, a nice restaurant up the hill; buildings C & E are the closest to the 2 beautiful pools; buildings A & Be are closest to the beautiful swimming area and the Beach Bar and Grill, Pizza place and new fancy restaurant Sea Salt.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 December 2023
  • Hmg
    13 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful beach and great tacos at the grill!
    There is no bad beach in St. Thomas! Sapphire is fun because there is a nice bar and a grill that serves incredible tacos! Chair rental is available, but they are limited on how far down the beach you can take the chairs as you run into a private area for a condo complex. So just be aware of the signs and talk to the chair guys - they're helpful. Cute beach shop, easy parking and overall. Definitely worth your time!
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 January 2024
  • Teryl
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Relaxing day at Sapphire Beach Club
    Love sapphire for a relaxing beach experience. Great friendly service. Drinks were not watered down. Like the fact I can reserve a chaise on Open Table. Towel service is nice , so I don't have to bring a towel.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 27 January 2024
  • dcs67
    Chicago, Illinois11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This Beach Has it All Including Snorkeling!
    Love this beach. You can do normal beach activities here - sun, sand and swim. The bonus is you can also snorkel right off the beach and see a variety of fish and coral. Decent beach bar and there's a pizza place though we did not try it since we stayed at the resort. Was never too crowded all the time we were there.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 16 February 2024
  • dkep2002
    Atlanta, Georgia27 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice to see but not the best in the area
    The water is gorgeous and the beach is nice, but it is not the best vibe of all the island beaches. Kind of off with the resort clientele on site, plus any cruise shippers. The beach store is very cute, and the pizza was delicious. Minimal shady spots and if you rent their chairs they are just kind of crammed in with your neighbor sideways. The water has a good deal of a drop from the shallow (if you are a child).
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 February 2024
  • Jodi W
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    beautiful beach.
    Recently stayed on Sapphire beach. Was an amazing beach. Saw sting rays, fish, iguanas and even some tiny jelly fish. The beach bar had great food and the pizza there was also good. wished we could have stayed longer.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 7 March 2024
  • Scott P
    Winston Salem, North Carolina27 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Local vibe, great snorkeling, everything you need.
    Sapphire beach was so much better then most any beach that I visited on St Thomas. It had a much more local vibe, fabulous snorkeling, live music, coffe shops, plenty of good places to eat, easy taxi service, and nice products in the shops. A definite favorite and great place to spend days exploring.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 20 March 2024
  • Deana M
    Casper, Wyoming51 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great beach
    Skip Magen's Bay and come here. Yes, you'll probably sit on the sand instead of a lounger, but you'll be competing with about 10% of the crowd and actually have something to look at if you go snorkeling. Every bit as gorgeous. There's a beach bar/restaurant you can buy food and drink from along with snorkel gear rental.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 April 2024
  • tppenn
    Norristown, Pennsylvania160 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good beach if you like party atmosphere I suppose
    I don’t believe there are any ‘bad’ beaches in the USVI. This wasn’t bad but no where near a favorite of all that we visited. Yo be fair, I may have not liked this one as much because it was VERY crowded, it’s a small beach and it was very loud (loud music). So if your into a party atmosphere this might be perfect for you. We were just wanting something low key & quiet. Only reason we visited the beach was because we rented a condo here for two nights. I took these photos in the AM before folks descended upon the beach.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 April 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

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4.5 of 5 bubbles2,077 reviews
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DivineOneEvents
Maryland42 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
The view was gorgeous you can climb on the rocks and take great pictures but no swimming. There are too many big rocks piled up on the shore. Cafe has great breakfast but there is alot of chickens running around pooping in the eating area not healthy. The chickens kept coming by for food so my son threw his banana and bread but they kept coming back. You can’t eat in peace.
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christian E
Santa Barbara, CA65 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Snorkeling here was decent, there was construction going on which was kind of loud. The beach isn't super convenient for laying out and sunbathing. I think it wasn't a great time of year because there was a lot of seaweed that had sunk to the ocean floor and made visibility not great. The bar was nice for lunch.
Written 14 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bulldog1242
Delran, NJ26 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Normally it is my understanding that Sapphire Beach's water is pretty. It was for Day 1, but quickly sargassum filled the water. We were told it was rare and we just happened to stay here at that time. I would definitely visit again to see what it's like, but we still enjoyed ourselves on the beach and beach bar. It's a 2 min. taxi ride to Red Hook ferry if you plan to shoot across to St. John to visit. Same ride to the cute restaurants/town of Red Hook for dinner and drinks. We drove to dinner and parked in the garage for about $8 for 2-3 hours and parked at the grocery store (Moe's) in Red Hook to shop.
Written 19 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elana L
Sausalito, CA152 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
Best colored- turquoise water we saw. So, so beautiful. Not sure if they'll charge you for parking or access (they didn't charge us but they may have thought we were guests in the condos).

Beach was slightly crowded when we went there and had a mix fo families and couples. Was entertaining to see some of the kite surfers and sailing nearby as well.

We didn't see a ton snorkeling here but we could've not looked in the best spots (it was our first day and we were just taking it all in!).

Would definitely go back to this beach! Note: All beaches ten to have sand fleas that bite. Make sure you rent a chair or bring chairs from the place you rent. They bite a lot and the bites show up the next day!
Written 1 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chelle695
Pasadena, MD97 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020
This was an absolutely beautiful beach! Did not have much luck with snorkeling here but the beach was gorgeous. We enjoyed watching the pelicans and swimming. Beach chairs here were $20 per chair per day but there is no fee to enter the beach.
Written 29 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cindy B
Westminster, CO5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
If you want a relaxing and awesome time on a beautiful beach, I highly recommend staying in a condo (VRBO) at Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. All condos have beach views and are a short walk to the beach. Condos in building D &E are closest to the marina and Sudi's, a nice restaurant up the hill; buildings C & E are the closest to the 2 beautiful pools; buildings A & Be are closest to the beautiful swimming area and the Beach Bar and Grill, Pizza place and new fancy restaurant Sea Salt.
Written 19 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Denise D
Salem, SC6 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
Visited for first ( and last time) in January 2023, and it was very disappointing. The round trip cab fare from cruise port for 2 was $60! There was only one chair rental option, and it charged $9 pp for a very marginal lounge, and restricted where we could place our chairs so as not to impinge on condo guests!

To top it all off, the part of the beach we were allowed access to was seriously eroded with practically no room.

After spending so much on the cab ride, we touched it out for a while, then left in disgust.
Written 3 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diana S
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
My husband and I found Sapphire Beach the last two days of our trip. It was beautiful, with amenities (snorkel equipment, food, drinks), restrooms, showers and it is FREE! The guard at the gate to Sapphire Beach Resort will direct you to the parking lot and that's it....just walk in the door to the Bar/Restaurant and on the other side it the beach. There is a place on the right side of the beach past the bar that you can walk out on a peninsula and see the ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay. It is surrounded by rocks and palm trees with a little bench for you to sit and hold hands...we did! There are iguanas, but they are herbivores and scared vs. fierce. I did hear that they climb in the trees and can poop on your head...so be careful under the sea grape trees. There are a lot of trees that provide shade so you don't burn. We stay 2 days on that beach with snacks and lunch. If you eat at the restaurant it is a little pricey. $16 gets you 4 chicken tenders, but as compared to similar set ups, it isn't too bad. There is also a Pizza place sandwiched in there too, we didn't get it, but it looked yummy! Free Refills on Soda at the small bar! The gift store is so sweet and has a lot of good souvenirs that aren't too cheesy. You can't go wrong with this beach!
Written 28 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

caribe1950
Kernersville, NC6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Friends
This beach is so beautiful and great for snorkeling. It is never crowded and is free of charge, where Lindquist Beach next to it does have a charge. It also has a number of small shade trees, and chairs available for a small fee to rent. If you get hungry or thirsty, there is a beach bar there as well, which is quite convenient. So whether you are driving or take the local Safari or taxi, Sapphire Beach is on the route.
Written 15 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

stevelowman44
Baltimore, MD31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
But they try to keep up with it. There are two guys that literally rake that stuff for 8 hours a day but i'm told its that time of year. I would suggest water shoes because even the widest point of the beach by the bar has a rocky entry. At least 3/4 of the beach is only usable for sitting there are so many rocks I cant imagine trying to swim in a lot of it. Really the only swimable area is from the bar area and further up the beach away from building A.
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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SAPPHIRE BEACH (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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