Anguilla has some of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean — powdery white sand, calm turquoise water and a pace of life that makes your inbox feel very far away. The catch? It's a British Overseas Territory with pricey beachfront hotels, and reaching it from overseas usually means a connection through the Caribbean anyway. That's why many travellers base themselves on St Maarten and simply hop across for the day.
Getting there is straightforward once you know the drill. Fly into St Maarten, which has far more international flights than Anguilla's small airport (limited direct services from Miami plus regional connections). From there, the public ferry runs from Marigot on the French side and takes about 20–25 minutes, or you can book a private boat transfer or a guided tour that handles everything. One thing people forget: even on a day trip, you're crossing an international border, so bring your passport — plus budget for a $25 USD per person admission fee.
Guided day trips are the low-hassle option, and there's a flavour for every traveller. The most popular is a seven-hour powerboat cruise departing St Maarten around 9am, hopping between Sandy Island, Little Bay, Shoal Bay and Rendezvous Bay with snorkel gear, lunch and an open bar included. Prefer your own boat? A private speedboat charter gives you a captain and a flexible itinerary — linger at Crocus Bay for a waterfront lunch or find a quiet cove to snorkel. For active groups, a catamaran tour adds paddleboarding and a floating mat to the mix, with a BBQ lunch of jerk chicken and garlic shrimp, and decent odds of spotting turtles and stingrays. Beach purists can opt for a six-hour 'Anguilla in Style' speedboat trip with four stops and roughly an hour at each.
If you're staying a few nights on Anguilla itself, there's more to do than sunbathe. Scuba Shack in Sandy Ground runs a beginner-friendly dive at Little Bay Marine Park — no certification needed, a maximum depth of 6 metres, and just four divers per instructor. It only runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so plan around it. For something memorable after dark, a night kayaking tour from Crocus Bay uses transparent kayaks with underwater lights, so the sea glows beneath you as you paddle towards Little Bay — turtles, stingrays, lobsters and the occasional fish that literally jumps aboard.
A few practicalities worth knowing. The local currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, but US dollars are widely accepted, so carry some cash for taxis and small purchases. There's no public bus, so you'll need taxis or a rental car — and don't assume a taxi will be waiting at every beach, so sort your return transport in advance. Cards work at many restaurants and businesses, but Anguilla isn't a budget island, which is exactly why the St Maarten day-trip approach suits so many visitors.
