Our St. Thomas Babymoon

I am back in cold and rainy Virginia remising on our St. Thomas babymoon. We spent four days at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas enjoying 80-degree weather, beach-front dining, and plenty of relaxation. Funny enough, when we first planned this trip we hadn’t planned for it to be our babymoon.

Matthew and I both love traveling and try to go on a big trip each year to experience something new. We went to Porto, Portugal, last December between Christmas and New Year’s and had the best time. This year, I decided it was time for a tropical vacation to celebrate our third wedding anniversary! Ironically, we found out we were expecting a week after booking our flight and accommodations. Read all about our pregnancy announcement. Through excitement and tears, I exclaimed to Matt that we had booked the perfect babymoon destination without even realizing it.

Where to Stay

After a few weeks of researching, we decided to stay at Sapphire Beach, a private beach-front resort on the east side of St.Thomas in an Airbnb. Our beautifully equipped St. Thomas Airbnb provided all the necessities you could need, complete with snorkeling gear, nearby restaurants, and an ocean-front view of Saint John Bay. They also provided access to filtered water (a huge deal, especially since I am pregnant), a full kitchen, and a large, beach-front balcony overlooking the ocean.

We went to a nearby grocery store called Moe’s Fresh Market in Red Hook to pick up snacks and breakfast foods. The prices were high compared to what we’re used to in Northern Virginia (which is saying something), but well worth it for the convenience of having easy snacks and food for breakfast.

Rainbow on Sapphire Beach

The property location as a whole checked off all the items on my wishlist: access to snorkeling, beach-front, walkable to restaurants, and not overly touristy. We also looked at a few hotel options, including accommodations on St. John and at the Lovango Resort, before deciding to go with our Airbnb. (I heavily advocated for The Ritz-Carlton but Matthew told me to keep dreaming… Maybe next time!) Ultimately, reviews highly influenced our decision to go with Airbnb over a hotel.

Where to Eat

SeaSalt at Sapphire Resort

As mentioned, we went to the grocery store our first day on St. Thomas to buy breakfast foods, snacks, and sandwiches. Below were a few restaurants on our list:

• Isla Blue: a Spanish fusion restaurant near Morningstar Bay.

• Pesce iTALiAN: an Italian restaurant with all of the classics in Redhook.

• Alloro, Coconut Cove, and Sails: the three restaurants at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas.

Some notes to keep in mind.

We tried to get lunch at the Sunset Grille at Secret Harbour on our second day and it was a total bust. There were only a handful of parking spaces for the restaurant and a car was double parked, even further reducing the parking spaces. We ended up going to Sangria’s Beachside Bistro since it was nearby and I was absolutely starving. The food was delicious, but the experience was also a bust because they only took cash. Since all the food is pretty expensive on St. Thomas, and we only had about $60 on us in cash, it was barely enough to get a salad without protein and fish tacos. Afterward, I was still starving (hello, pregnant woman here…)!

After this experience, we decided just to eat the remainder of our meals at Sapphire Beach since venturing off the resort was a hassle. On resort, we ate at SeaSalt twice for dinner, ate lunch at the Beach Bar, and got smoothies, ice cream, and breakfast sandwiches from Beach Buzz. SeaSalt for dinner was fine, but nothing special apart from the stunning view. They didn’t have quite a few items on the menu and don’t allow you to add protein to salads, so I was left with very limited pregnancy-friendly options I could stomach. With that being said, they have an extensive mocktail menu, which was greatly appreciated! We highly recommend trying to get to SeaSalt for Sunday brunch. The restaurant was closed for a private event the only Sunday we were there.

What to Do

To be fully transparent, when we first booked this trip I was scared we’d be bored and there wouldn’t be enough to do. I ended up making a list of activities, restaurants, and sights to see and all we ended up doing was staying on St. Thomas, lounging on the beach, snorkeling, and eating. Hello, dream babymoon, right? It would be a shame for that list to go unused, so I’m sharing some of the details below.

Hiking on St. John

Sapphire Beach is conveniently located less than a mile (5-minute car ride) from Red Hook where you can take a 20-minute ferry to St. John. Around 60% of St. John belongs to the Virgin Islands National Park, so you’re in luck if you’re an avid hiker. When we were planning out this trip pre-pregnancy, the plan was to take the ferry over to St. John in the morning, pick up sandwiches, picnic goodies, and snacks in Cruz Bay, and then hike the Reef Bay Trail.

From my research, there are a few transportation options once you arrive in St. John:

• Make arrangements with a taxi in Cruz Bay.

• Rent a Jeep or SUV on St. John.

• If you are staying on St. Thomas and have a rental car, you can take the car ferry to and from St. John.

• There is also a guided hike option that transports you from Red Hook to the trail.

Since we didn’t end up hiking, we sadly can’t provide a ton of insight into the best option.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling on Sapphire Beach was one of the highlights of this entire trip. The water in St. Thomas is so clear we had plenty of opportunities to spot tropical fish, brain coral, and jellyfish. Our Airbnb provided snorkeling gear, but you could also rent gear right on the beach. If you want to explore beyond Sapphire Beach, here are the 7 best snorkeling spots on St. Thomas.

Go on an excursion

There are so many excursion opportunities on and around St. Thomas, including day trips to the British Virgin Islands like this day trip to Virgin Gorda. Surprisingly, there were also quite a few people on our flight from Washington, DC who were island hopping on a catamaran. Definitely would not recommend island hopping for a babymoon, but you bet I told Matthew that needs to be our next tropical escape vacation. There are also extensive options to book a day at the Ritz-Carlton via ResortPass or venture to the private island of Levango Resort just 10 minutes away.

FAQS

Did you rent a car?

Yes, we rented a car from Avis and picked it up at the airport. We were on the fence but ultimately decided it would be nice to not rely on taxis to get around. It was strange getting used to driving on the left side of the road, but it ended up being easier than we had anticipated.

How was the weather in December?

The weather in December in St. Thomas is absolutely beautiful. It was 80 degrees and sunny every single day. There were a few rain showers but they were short-lived and didn’t impact us having a good time.

Is there enough to do on St. Thomas?

For a babymoon. Yes! On vacation, Matt and I are typically avid explorers and foodies. We love hiking, enjoying all the local cuisine, and experiencing new things. However, on this trip, we wanted it to feel like a true vacation versus a trip. My goal was to find a property where we could easily just stay there, lounge, eat, swim, and snorkel if I was too tired or not feeling well enough to go on an adventure. Sapphire Beach hit the nail on the head!