About
The Beach Side Cafe at Sand Castle is Frederiksted’s best kept secret. Sand Castle on the Beach is an adults-only resort owned by Chris Richardson and Ted Bedwell. The resort and cafe are both owned by this loving couple from Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. Way back in 1998, they arrived on St. Croix on Christmas Eve for a vacation. They stayed at the hotel, which was in need of repair, and, long story short, decided to stay and buy the place. Ultimately, they turned the cafe and hotel into a resort for adults only. Use of the pool is open to the public with a day pass, and clothing is optional. This place is truly spectacular. Not only is it directly on Dorsh Beach, which was previously voted #1 in the U.S. by TIME magazine, but this is the ONLY place on the island that is truly "toes in the sand," where you can sit on the beach and dine. As you can imagine, the location is very popular for events, and lots of weddings—and wedding parties—are held here. You can book your wedding here, too; just talk to Brandon, the General Manager. Brandon is also from the south. He hails from Nashville, and he blew onto the island one day and decided to stay. What I noticed right away, after speaking with our server Betsaida, was that they seem to have a really strong family culture with their employees. Everyone goes above and beyond for customer service and they are truly friendly with all the guests. In the words of co-owner Chris Richardson, their goal is for guests to be restored and rejuvenated by their visit here.
Getting There
Situated on the west end of St. Croix, and south of downtown Frederiksted, Beach Side Cafe at Sand Castle is very easy to get to. It’s just off of Veterans Shore Drive (route 631) on the water side. The nearest intersection is Sugarhill Road. You can’t miss the sign.
Location & Environment
The Beach Side Cafe at Sand Castle on the Beach is open from 10 AM to 3 PM and 4 PM to 8:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday (note that they close between 3-4:30 between lunch and dinner on the weekends). Then, from Monday to Friday, they are open straight through from 11 AM to 8:30 PM. The cafe is an open-air, spacious terrace environment, where you can smell the saltwater, see the sunset and feel the ocean breeze. When my party was seated, I just sat back and closed my eyes and breathed it all in. I felt like this was where I belonged in the universe. The atmosphere here is all about celebrating life and enjoying the company of friends and family. There’s a lightness to the environment, where I felt all my cares and worries evaporating. And that was before my Mimosa arrived! Seriously, though, I can’t imagine a more idyllic dining experience, right on the beach, but elevated to offer the best views. There is an eclectic crowd that comes here, including couples, groups of friends and families. But what I kind of especially liked was that it’s adults only, so there were no kids. And while that might seem exclusive, I think that some of the parents really enjoyed having an opportunity to be alone and not have to be with anyone else’s kids, either, just for one meal.
What's on the Menu
Beach Side Cafe at Sand Castle on the Beach offers dine in and take out, but no delivery services. They do have catering for special events, as I mentioned earlier. They are famous for their Bang Bang shrimp, so I had to try them. (They’re only on the dinner menu, so be forewarned.) I also got the Mahi Mahi Bites to share with my friend. Forgive me, but I regretted offering to share my shrimp plate. These spicy, lightly battered shrimp were so perfect that it doesn’t surprise me that they won “Best Appetizer” by Taste of St. Croix Magazine. The Mahi Mahi Bites were also a big hit with us. Our server, Betsaida highly recommended the vegetarian Buddha Bowl. I’m not a vegetarian, but since I’d pigged out on the shrimp and Mahi Mahi, I was willing to give it a try. Boy, was she right! You know how sometimes you eat something and you actually feel like you’re better off than you were before eating it? This was that. I could almost feel the micro and macro nutrients coursing through my body. Served over Jasmine rice, the dish was light, yet satisfying.
Weekend Brunch
Do yourself a favor and come here for weekend brunch between 10 and 3. My friend did and he said to tell you to order the Big Daddy Breakfast if you want to never have to eat again for the rest of the day. He said the plate was heaping with all the fixin’s that you’d ever want on your brunch plate.