You have many options of activities while on your vacation. You can hit up various beaches, take a sailing day trip, do some shopping, and much more. The list below is meant to be used as a guide to get you started. Remember, things can change quickly on an island, and we always encourage you to do your own research before booking or planning your activity.
Beaches
There are many lovely beaches on St. Thomas and St. John. When planning your visits to other beaches, it is often helpful to check the cruise schedule (https://www.vinow.com/cruise/ship-schedule/) and choose a day where fewer ships are in port. Also, the main beaches generally have taxis readily available, but you should always have the phone number of a taxi service with you when leaving the resort without a car.
St. Thomas Beaches
Magens Bay
This is a world-famous beach and a top tourist destination. There is a small charge to enter. Once there, you will find a large beach with concessions, food, drink and some shopping. (http://www.magensbayauthority.com/)
Lindquist Beach
This beach is just down the road. Again, there is a small entrance fee. Once there, you will find a fairly large beach and nice clean restroom and shower facilities. There usually isn't any food or drink available for purchase, so be sure to pack a cooler. (https://www.vinow.com/stt/stt-b/lindquist-beach/)
Coki Beach
Another beautiful beach not far from the resort. This is a popular beach with locals and may be busy during the weekends. There are a few stores and food vendors at this beach. At times, one of the restaurants has fresh lobster! (https://www.vinow.com/stt/stt-b/coki-point/)
Secret Harbor
Plan a day for this one! This beach is known for its amazing views of the sunset. The beach is outside a condo resort, so you will find a lot of amenities for those guests, however, if you go to the right side of the beach, there is usually a vendor that will rent chairs. Or, just bring the chairs supplied by us. There is a casual beach bar, as well as a more up-scale restaurant. (https://www.vinow.com/stt/stt-b/secret-harbor/)
St. John Beaches
There are many beautiful beaches to explore on St. John. When you get off the ferry and walk a short way toward town, you will find many taxis to take you to your destination. When you get out of the taxi, be sure to ask about return trips into town. Usually the taxis stop at the main beaches throughout the day, but it is always good to verify.
Trunk Bay
This is the most famous beach on St. John, and is very beautiful! There is a small entry fee. You can also rent snorkel gear and chairs. There is a snorkeling “trail” around a small island which has marked items to view (full disclosure, we have not tried this, but have heard it is amazing). There is also a small food/drink/souvenir shop. (https://www.vinow.com/stj/stj-b/trunk-bay/)
Hawksnest
A really nice beach with good parking and taxis available. This beach can be a bit less crowded than Trunk, but it really depends on weather, cruise ships etc. (https://www.vinow.com/stj/stj-b/hawksnest/)
Maho This beach is the farthest from Cruz Bay on that side of the island, but is a lot of fun. It is a long slow sloping beach. There are food and drink options and chair rentals just across the road. If driving, parking can be hard, but worth it. (https://www.vinow.com/stj/stj-b/maho-bay/)
Fishing
Ocean Surfari (https://oceansurfari.com/)
This looks as though you have to rent an entire boat – don’t fear if you are a single, or couple – give them a call! Often they can accommodate you with another group.
Day Trips/Activities
Stormy Pirates (https://stormypirates.com/)
We’ve really enjoyed our trips with Stormy Pirates. They offer day boat trips around the USVI as well as trips to BVI locations such as Virgin Gorda/The Baths and Jost Van Dyke/Soggy Dollar when permitted.
Sailing the Cosmos (https://sailingthecosmos.com/)
This is a single hull sailboat moored right at the Sapphire marina. They offer many types of trips. We have taken the sunset sail and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can walk by and check out the boat - it is on the left side of the marina.
VI Ecotours (https://viecotours.com/st-thomas/ )
This company offers different type of day and/or night adventures including kayaking, snorkeling etc.
Golden Age Ranch Horse Sanctuary (https://www.garhorsesanctuary.com/)
This is another one we have not personally tried, but have heard is a lot of fun. From what we’ve been told, this is a great family activity. Please be sure to do your own research to see if this fits what you are looking for.
Shopping in Charlotte Amalie
Want to do some shopping? You can take the Safari bus into town. You will get on at the top of the hill. When the bus stops at Kmart, stay on and continue. As far as the best day to go…you want to look at cruise ship schedules keeping in mind that during busy times, if there are no boats in the harbor, some stores will close for the day. So, the best day is one where there is just one or two boats in port.