On our vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, we came across this night kayaking tour in St. Thomas offered through St. Thomas Water Sports at the Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove. They were one of the only tour operators on the island that offered kayaking tours at night, so we were pretty intrigued.
You can choose from three different time slots of 7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 9:45 pm. We chose the 8:30 pm time slot for kayaking since we weren’t staying at Marriott’s Frenchman Cove and didn’t want to get home too late or struggle to find a taxi.
I think that either time slot works since marine life is usually active during the late evenings to late night. We did have to sign a pre-arrival waiver online right after booking it. You can book the tour through Viator here.
All ages are welcome on the night kayaking tour, which lasts about an hour and a half. Each illuminated night kayak can hold two people at a time with a limit of 400 pounds. Bug spray is not allowed on the water because it can damage the clear bottoms of the kayaks.
Since we stayed at the Bunker Hill Hotel for this trip, it took around 10 minutes to get to the Marriott Hotel Frenchman’s Cove by taxi ride. Since the resort is in a popular area, it didn’t take long to get a taxi headed in that direction.
Casual attire that can get wet is encouraged, and I recommend you wear a swimsuit/swim trunks and flip-flops for the excursion. You should also bring a towel since you might get wet while kayaking. Even though you don’t actually spend any time on the water, expect to get your clothes wet as you and others around you paddle.
I wore a cover-up over my swimsuit since it tends to get colder at night near the ocean. We were welcomed to lock up and store our belongings in a big container that they keep on shore. This is quite convenient for people who don’t want to take any wallets or keys out while kayaking.
We brought our GoPro along with us to record some videos. I encourage you to bring a camera to take pictures of the magnificent scenery and beautiful wildlife.
When we first arrived at the Marriott Hotel, we asked the hotel front desk for directions to the beach as that’s where they host the night kayaking. Reaching the beach wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to be honest. We were told to follow the water and keep going down the elevators and stairs.
The Marriot Frenchman’s Cove is a vast resort with all types of facilities, so if you don’t know you’re way around it can be pretty tricky. On the outside, the hotel is very colorful and big as you can see up above. It’s easily one of the most amazing resorts in St. Thomas.
Fortunately, the staff gave us some good directions and we asked other staff members we encountered along the way for additional help. Most of the hotel rooms are spread out into batches. To get to the beach dock, you need to go through a few buildings.
Before walking to the dock, we saw an infinity pool with a water slide connected. There is a place near the pool where you can grab dinner and drinks as well. There was a pool table and a huge connect four game that guests can play.
When we got to the beach, we were one of the first people to arrive for the tour. We were able to lounge around and enjoy the scenery ahead of us before others started arriving. While sitting on the lounge chair, we saw homes lit up on the mountains and saw stars in the distance. It was quite a beautiful site.
After everyone arrived, we chose our kayak and decided on a lime green one with a clear bottom. Each of us had to get sized for a personal flotation device beforehand. The bottom of our kayaks also had LED lights that lit up the ocean beneath us to make wildlife easier to see and also attract it towards us.
We had two very experienced tour guides that were on paddle boards and led us throughout the bioluminescent bay. They pointed out the different marine life in the water and told us random facts about the US Virgin Islands, which made the whole excursion more pleasant.
While kayaking, we saw several species of fish (tarpon), stingrays, sea turtles, and other larger tropical fish during the tour. You can also see the Charlotte Amalie Harbour in the distance.
I would definitely recommend this excursion to friends and families. Kids will enjoy it and there were quite a few of them on our tour. It’s certainly a unique experience in St. Thomas. If you’re looking for something else to do, check out Tree Limin Extreme’s ziplining tour.
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