October 8, 2026
Is Anguilla worth a day trip from St. Maarten, or should you actually stay there? For me, that's the real question when planning things to do in Anguilla. Not "which beach is nicest." It's how much of your trip to give it, and how to get across without wasting the morning.
I grew up across the channel in St. Martin. My parents started Eagle Tours, and their boats run tours and charters around St. Martin, Anguilla and St. Barts. I came up on those boats, deckhand first, then first mate, then captain, taking guests out to beaches, reefs and the islands nearby. So when I call the ferry day trip the weak option, that comes from the boat side, from years of taking guests out to the islands nearby.
Anguilla is small and flat. The main island is about 16 miles long and only around 3 miles across at its widest, nothing like the green hills you're leaving behind. There are no cruise-ship berths, though small ships can anchor offshore and bring passengers ashore by tender.
That's the whole appeal. And it's why I think the rushed public-ferry day trip is the weakest way to see it. You queue, you clear immigration on both sides, you taxi to one beach, you watch the clock, you queue again. The ride is short, but door to door from the Marigot terminal can run well over an hour once check-in and immigration are done. That's a lot of admin for one beach.
So my take. If you only have a day, do it by boat and go to the places you can only reach by boat. If you want the beaches and the food, stay a few nights. The middle option, a hurried ferry day to sit on one beach, is the one I'd skip.
Anguilla's tourist board counts 33 beaches and says they're all public. You won't get through them, and you don't need to.
Little Bay is a small cove under cliffs, mostly reached by boat or kayak. I'd skip the cliff path and go by water on a calm day. Island Harbour on the east end is worth a look too. It's a working fishing village, colorful boats on moorings, a different pace from the west end.
This is the part I'd plan the day around. Prickly Pear Cays are a pair of uninhabited cays off the north coast, and I'd put them on the list for a reef-snorkeling day. Sandy Island is the little spit of sand off Sandy Ground, another option for swimming and snorkeling. Ask your captain which spot suits the conditions that day.
Both sit inside Anguilla's marine park system, and the rules are real. There are mooring fields at Little Bay, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear and Shoal Bay East. Anchoring is prohibited at Little Bay and Shoal Bay East, jet skis aren't allowed in the marine parks, and visitors aren't permitted to fish within park boundaries. As a captain I like that. It's why the water's still worth the trip.
Snorkel the cays on a calm day. Ask your captain about the forecast and the best departure time rather than assuming a calm beach means calm conditions offshore.
On the water it's not far. Anguilla sits roughly nine miles from St. Martin, and the public ferry between Marigot and Blowing Point is usually about 25 minutes of actual crossing. But how far it is matters less than how the sea's behaving that day.
When the trade winds are up, that stretch of water gets lumpy, and the winter Christmas Winds can make it a wet, bouncy ride. Bad weather can delay or cancel ferry service, so confirm with the terminal before heading over. A day charter is a different story. A good captain will move or cancel a cays trip if the snorkel spots are churned up, and you want that.
Private boat transfers from the airport side are common too, especially for guests staying over. Either way, get the weather and return details in writing. If you're an operator running these crossings, put that in your Junglebee booking confirmation so nobody finds out at the dock.
Food is the other reason people stay. Anguilla has a serious restaurant scene for its size, a lot of it toward the West End around Meads Bay and Shoal Bay West.
But I'd tell you to eat local at least half the time. Grilled crayfish, rice and peas, johnny cakes, fresh snapper, and barbecue off a roadside grill. Sandy Ground is good for a casual evening. Ask locally where the live music is that night.
If your dates line up, see the boat racing. It's Anguilla's national sport, wooden sloops with big sails and big crews, and the story behind it goes back to men sailing home from cutting cane in the Dominican Republic and racing each other to the island. The season traditionally runs from Easter Monday into the August festival, when races come thick and fast. Confirm dates locally, they shift.
Moonsplash, the Bankie Banx music festival established in 1991, is held at the Dune Preserve on Rendezvous Bay, traditionally around a full moon in March or April. Check the dates each year.
If your priority is big shopping or a busy nightclub scene, I'd stay on the St. Maarten side and visit. If you want quiet, beautiful water and a long lunch, cross the channel, sit still, and let the island do what it's good at.
