How to Do a Day Trip to Anguilla From St. Martin
One of the best decisions we made when visiting St Martin/St Maarten (SXM) was to do a day trip to Anguilla! Anguilla is home to one of the most exquisite beaches on the planet – Shoal Bay.
The ferry ride from St. Martin may be a short 30 minutes or so, but the island of Anguilla is so very different from its neighbour. For instance, as an Overseas Territory of Britain, in Anguilla you drive on the left side of the road. The island as a whole is flat, nothing like the undulating hills of St. Martin.
Whereas St. Martin and its sister-side St. Maarten are a blend of French, Dutch, and American cultures, Anguilla’s atmosphere reminded us of Barbados, likely due to its shared British history.
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Tips & Advice
- Check the cruise ship schedule in St. Maarten and choose the day with the most ships in port to leave the island – this is an ideal day for a day trip to Anguilla! And this is key: take an early ferry. This will help you avoid traffic on St. Martin to the port in Marigot, and to get as much time as possible in Anguilla.
- Take the public ferry. There are other ways to get from St. Martin to Anguilla, such as private ferries, charter boats, or even a short flight, but these options will cost more.
- Definitely rent a car. Sure, you can take a taxi to wherever you want to go, but it’s easy to rent a vehicle and stress-free to drive here. The roads are good. It’s worth the cost and flexibility of having your own transportation for the day.
- If your goal is a beach day, wear your swimsuit beneath an appropriate cover up on the ferry ride over. For instance, our children just wore their swimsuits, which consisted of rash guard shirts with board shorts. Don’t forget to bring a fresh change of clothes for later. I promise after a long day in the sun, you’ll feel much more comfortable on the return trip to St. Martin.
- Whereas we brought our own snorkels, you can always find a place to rent them on the island.
Table of Contents
- How to Get There
- Car Rental
- What We Did & Where We Ate
- Return Trip to St. Martin
- What to Bring
- Other Things to Do
- Final Thoughts
How to Get There
The most economical way to get to Anguilla from St. Martin is to take the public ferry. This is what we did, and it was a simple way to make a day trip to Anguilla. The ferry runs between Marigot, St. Martin and Blowing Point, Anguilla. Although the ferries are scheduled to leave every 45 minutes, unsurprisingly island time does not always abide by this.
We took the 9 a.m. ferry, but arrived early in Marigot so we could find somewhere to park our car. Luckily we snagged a spot in the Marina Fort-Louis parking lot adjacent to the small harbour. You can also try parking at the lot near the West Indies Mall. I was mildly concerned about leaving the car unattended for the day, but it was in the same condition when we returned later that afternoon.
After parking, we couldn’t immediately identify the Port de Marigot ferry terminal, but a passerby kindly pointed us in the direction of the blue and white building. It’s located near the Marigot Market.
As of this writing, I don’t believe you can pre-book public ferry tickets. Despite this, we didn’t have any problem getting seats upon arrival as it wasn’t particularly busy that day.
Ferry prices may have increased! Make sure to check online before arrival for updated costs.
At the first window we purchased tickets and our passports were checked. The ferry was priced at $20 USD per adult and $10 USD per child one way. Next, we moved to the second window to pay a departure tax that totalled $10 USD, and finally, our passports were stamped at the third window.
At this point it was approaching 9 a.m. We entered the building and sat down in the small terminal to wait. Although there was no announcement as to which ferry arrived next, we overheard conversations indicating this was the correct boat.
We opted to sit on the lower deck as our daughter gets motion sickness easily. The interior had seen better days, and an ancient TV set sat at the front of the boat playing an old movie as entertainment. Despite being a radiant Caribbean day, the Anguilla Channel was inconsiderately choppy.
If you’re worried about sea sickness, make certain to take Gravol or something similar prior to boarding.
When we disembarked at the small Blowing Point Ferry Terminal, we paused to snap a few token photos.
Don’t forget to admire the view of St. Martin on the other side of the channel water.
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Car Rental
We had reserved a car for the day ahead of time through email with Andy’s Auto Rentals. The tiny building is a short walk from the next-door terminal.
My husband played chauffeur and received a one day drivers license for the occasion that handily reminds you to drive on the left.
The car’s dashboard was labeled only partially in English, but we managed to get the most important feature working: the A/C!
It felt peculiar to suddenly be driving on the left side of the road just thirty minutes after leaving St. Martin where you drive on the right. Not only that, much of St. Martin is up and down, whereas Anguilla is flat. Driving is simple in comparison, but always be mindful of the speed limit.
What We Did & Where We Ate
As we left the tiny port we approached a school just down the road where a crossing guard halted us to allow students, dressed in tidy school uniforms, to cross.
Our original plan involved spending the first half of the day on the southern side of the island at either Maundays Bay or Rendezvous Bay, and the second half on the opposite side at Shoal Bay.
However, when we arrived in Anguilla the sun was already sizzling, and as Maundays Bay only offers chairs/umbrellas to guests of the exclusive Belmond Cap Juluca resort, we headed for Rendezvous Bay. This wasn’t a day to be on the beach with kids without any shade.
Rendezvous Bay
Off we headed to Rendezvous Bay – or specifically the Sunshine Shack. The Sunshine Shack is set up on the beach and offers tropical delights like slow-cooked BBQ and rum punch, and also umbrellas and chairs.
We had downloaded Google Offline Maps the night before to guide us on Anguilla. While it worked to find some places on the island, it didn’t quite get us to the Sunshine Shack. Fortunately I had jotted down some directions in case we ran into problems.
In the end, we figured out where to go, but I’d recommend using the directions straight from their website. You can park behind the shack.
Upon arrival, we stepped onto a pristine beach with a stunning view of sparkling aquamarine water. St. Maarten rose across the channel in the distance. Rendezvous Bay is exquisitely beautiful.
What was not spectacular was that at this point it was very close to lunchtime. Did you know that hungry, hot children can ruin a bright, beachy day? I had anticipated this and chosen this particular BBQ joint from reviews online. What I failed to realize was that they would be working on island time. They had only just begun cooking and nothing would be served for at minimum another two hours.
Unfortunately, I had packed extra light for the day trip. I hadn’t brought any snacks, intending to buy any food we needed. I didn’t even have a granola bar on hand. Lesson learned. So we trekked back to our car to search for a place to eat.
Village Bake House French Bakery
Not far away we happened upon the Village Bake House French Bakery and decided to check it out. We placed our order indoors and chose a table outside on the veranda. We shared one chicken baguette sandwich, chicken roti, and a delectable chocolate almond croissant for $21 USD. The food was tasty and reasonably priced.
After this unscheduled interlude, we decided not to waste anymore precious time. Foregoing another visit to Rendezvous Bay, we set out straight for the renown Shoal Bay on the northeastern side of the island.
Shoal Bay
The spectacular Shoal Bay was the reason I pursued a day trip to Anguilla in the first place. When we initially decided to vacation in St. Maarten, I immediately saw it as a stepping stone to Anguilla, and Shoal Bay. Shoal Bay is considered one of the best beaches in the entire Caribbean.
There are many access points, but I settled on Elodia’s Beach Bar in Shoal Bay Village. It’s informal and laid-back, seemingly miles away from the ritzy side of tourism you can find on the island. It was exactly the right place for us to set up for an afternoon on the beach.
In comparison to St. Martin, chairs and umbrellas were ridiculously reasonable at $10 USD/chair and umbrella.
We parked in the near empty lot behind the bar/restaurant. I was already surprised by the lack of people everywhere as St. Martin always seemed to be brimming with traffic. At 35 square miles, Anguilla is only one square mile larger than the combined territories of Saint Martin and Sint Maarten, but the difference in congestion was remarkable.
It was even harder to understand where everyone was when at last we saw the bewitching beach. The colors were the shades of heaven – the fine sand a blinding white and the dazzling sea jewel-colored tones of unspeakable blues.
Breathtaking.
Amazingly, there were no crowds. There were almost no people! In fact, only two other small families shared the sand and water with us in front of Elodia’s and the surrounding stretch of beach. The tranquility was euphoric.
I can’t say whether it’s always this quiet on this section of the beach, but it felt like our own private beach for the afternoon. We had brought a blow up pool noodle for the kids to share, swim goggles, and two sets of snorkels. It was all we needed.
Shoal Bay is calm, undisturbed and child-friendly. Coupled with all the beautiful sand to play in, it’s the ultimate family beach.
We didn’t order any food from the grill at Elodia’s, but my husband and I each ordered drinks from the bar – one beer and a rum punch rang up at $12 USD.
One drawback to this location was the washrooms that combined as change rooms. Not only were they in evident need of updating, but worse they were grossly unsanitary. In spite of this, we carefully changed into our clothes for our return trip.
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Return Trip to St. Martin
After a blissful beach day in near solitude, we returned our car to Andy’s Auto Rentals and made the short trek over to the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal. We purchased ferry tickets, had our passport information taken down, and paid our departure tax of $22 USD. The tickets again cost $60 USD for our family of four.
Following this, we moved on through the most casual security we’ve ever experienced. Then we settled on plastic chairs in the slapdash departure lounge to wait for our ferry to arrive.
What to Bring
What should you bring for a day trip to Anguilla? Pack light, but take a backpack for each person with:
- Passport
- A towel
- Change of clothes: tank or tee, shorts and underwear
- Wet bag for wet swimwear and towel, such as a spare reusable bag
- Water bottle and at least one snack
- Sunscreen
- Hat & sunglasses
- Snorkel, goggles, small sand toys or inflatable floatie
Other Things to Do
Originally we planned to try to fit in two beaches in different areas of the island on our day trip. Although it didn’t work out for us, it could still easily be done. Beautiful beaches dot the island no matter which way you turn. Some popular options include:
- Meads Bay
- Little Bay
- Sandy Ground Cove
- Cove Bay
You can also take a charter to the Prickly Pear Cays, two uninhabited islands found off the coast of the mainland.
If the beach is not for you, the island offers a host of restaurants as well as a handful of art galleries, boutiques and spas. Or stop by the Heritage Collection Museum for a look at Anguilla’s history.
FINAL THOUGHTS
An abundance of five star beaches await you in Anguilla, and it’s hard to pick just one! But if that’s all you have time for, Shoal Bay lives up to its sublime reputation.
We had an utterly memorable but yet economical day trip to Anguilla. We controlled where we went and when, and how long we stayed. It was absolutely worth the cost and effort and we would do it again in a heartbeat. Don’t miss your own chance to visit Anguilla as a day trip from St. Martin!
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