Anguilla
Anguilla is an island that is a little less traveled to in the Caribbean and you do not hear a lot about it when discussing travel in general. It’s a small island with a pretty small population. If you are looking for an island to relax on white sand beaches with turquoise blue water this is the island for you. It’s not an island that has a lot of party culture but is a more rural island with small towns and quiet resorts. We wanted to visit Anguilla since it’s so close to St. Martin, so we took a short-day trip to Anguilla in December 2024. Here is what we found visiting this tranquil island.
Getting to Anguilla and Transportation
There are a few ways to get to the island but to me the easiest way is to get to Anguilla is by ferry from St. Martin. We took a 15–20-minute ferry from the Marigot Ferry port on the French side of St. Martin over to Anguilla. There are ferries from the Dutch side, but they will be more expensive and take longer. For the ferry is costs $30 for a one-way ticket (must pay in cash) and there is a fee of 7 Euros for leaving St. Martin that can be paid by credit card or cash. The cost is the same outside of no 7 Euro fee. The ferry terminals on both sides are very nice and the view from the terminal in Anguilla is stunning with blue waters and St. Martin in the distance. Anguilla has an airport as well, but the flights are very limited partially due to the airport size. There is one flight on American Airlines that from Miami and a variety of smaller regional airlines (Cape Air for example) that fly to different Caribbean destinations like San Juan, Puerto Rico and other island nations in the area. There are flights from Sint Maarten to Anguilla on Anguilla Air Services but it’s fairly expensive. A few luxury and small cruise lines stop at Anguilla (tender port) so that is another way to visit. As for transportation getting a taxi service is the best way to get around as there is no public transportation system. We used a great service from a lady nicknamed “Bon Bon” that gave us a wonderful tour.
Country Information
Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory with a population of around 15,000 people. Being British English is the language spoken there and they drive on the left side of the road like in the UK. The currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, but the US Dollar is accepted pretty much anywhere on the island. Credit Card is accepted in resorts but not as much outside of that. We visited a gift shop at the Ferry Port and our driver did not take Credit Card so be sure to have some cash when visiting. The roads are in good condition on the island and there isn’t a lot of traffic on this peaceful island. The capital city in called The Valley and has a variety of businesses and banks there but is still fairly small. There are quite a few boutique resorts around the island for visitors. Safety is good in Anguilla as the US State Department has rated it as a level 1. We didn’t have any issues or felt unsafe but take normal precautions as nothing is guaranteed.
Our Tour of Anguilla
As soon as we arrived at the nice terminal from our short ferry ride on a decently sized boat we headed through passport control that was very quick. From there Bon Bon was waiting for us just outside. This was a tour we booked the night before as we had a hard time finding a tour guide. Our great driver in St. Martin Soraida contacted her friend Bon Bon and she graciously agreed to give us an island tour. Anguilla is mostly a nature and beach lover’s paradise so much of our tour was visiting beaches and resorts including getting a tour of an amazing resort with one of the best Spa’s I have seen in my travels.
Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club
Our first stop was to check out the Aurora Anguilla Resort on the South side of the island that overlooks St. Martin. This resort has a pretty good sized water park, multiple restaurants, a nice pool and plenty of places to relax like in hammocks overlooking the stunning beach. We got the chance to take a quick walk to the beach and to see the very nice resort. They have a large golf course next door as well and tennis courts. After our quick look around the beach and the pool area we headed off to our next stop.
Anguilla Arch
As we drove through the peaceful countryside, we headed to a scenic spot on the island called Anguilla Arch. Arches over the sea are always beautiful and fragile. Many eventually fall into the sea due to the strong forces of water and erosion. This arch is another beautiful one with the blue waters of Anguilla crashing on the rock cliffs on the far Western tip of the island. There is a small trail there where you can walk out onto the Arch (at your own risk) to get great pictures and enjoy the view. Bon Bon took some great pictures for us while we stood on the arch. It’s another quiet and relaxing place to visit on the island.
Mead's Bay Beach
We made another quick stop to see the gorgeous Mead’s Bay Beach. There were a couple small resorts nearby along the beach but otherwise it was very quiet again. One resort nearby was the luxury Four Seasons Resort along this beach. White sand and crystal-clear waters once again. We had seen a couple beaches so far and all of them were wonderful. We were told that at the resort we were going to have a guided tour of had the best beach on the island, so we looked forward to seeing that even though these beaches were amazing enough.
Back Road Lookout
After we left Mead’s Bay we traveled along the North side of the island to a nice lookout near some small local restaurants. Anguilla is not an island where you will find American chain restaurants. Everything is small local restaurants. The lookout has a great Anguilla sign where you can get great pictures. At the lookout point you are on a hill overlooking Sandy Ground Beach and the small port where cargo ships come to supply the island. It’s not a large enough port for large cruise ships so only smaller cargo ships come in there. There is a shipwreck on the beach as well. We got some great pictures of another spectacular beach before we headed to drive through the capital city.
The Valley
As we were heading to our resort tour, we passed through the capital city of The Valley. As with most places on the island it is a quiet town with the government offices there, restaurants and some shops. We also passed by their small international airport and the nations hospital as we passed through the town. There are no museums that I am aware of on the island so there was no stopping at a National Museum like we usually like to do in a new country. After 5-10 minutes we had left the capital and continued on our way to visit the resort.
Zemi Beach House Resort, LXR Hotels and Resorts (Hilton)
The Zemi Beach House Resort is on one of the best beaches on the island and in the region on the quiet Northern coast of Anguilla. It’s located on Shoal Bay Beach and the reception area is on the top of a hill with the resort leading down to beach. This is a luxury resort that is absolutely stunning. It’s the kind of place you can forget all your troubles and relax. When we arrived, we passed through a beautiful carved door and where immediately greeted and offered a bottle of water. Right behind reception is a nice grass tennis court available to guests. They took us down to the main resort area by golfcart and would do the same for guests with their bags. The main area for the resort has a nice guest pool, a bar, a restaurant, and a stunning beach with plenty of lounge chairs. The pool has a very unique design with a pathway for those not swimming to walk to the center of the pool to a fire pit. There are hotel rooms on both sides of the pool as well. After a quick walk around, we relaxed a bit before we started our tour.
Raquel from the hotel staff started our tour showing us the Presidential Suite that is nick named the Paris Hilton Suite as it was where she stayed on her honeymoon. The room is one of the nicest hotel rooms I have every seen. It has 2 bedrooms with a third bedroom that can be added on (connected room). It has multiple bathrooms, a very large full kitchen with very modern appliances, a washer and dryer, and a huge living room area. There is a massive balcony that overlooks the beach and ocean that has a small personal swimming pool on it. There is also a nice dinning table on the balcony where meals can be served to guests. The master bedroom also overlooks the beach area. The room really impressed us as a great place for multiple people to enjoy time in Anguilla.
The Presidential Suite Pictures
We next headed to a room a little bit further from the beach, but still was very nice. This room overlooked the adults only pool and the lap pool. It was a small room but still plenty roomy with two double beds. In the bathroom there is a large tub, a shower and two unique sinks. The room had a balcony that still gave a nice view of the ocean even though its not on the beach. This would be a more affordable room category but still very luxurious.
Two Queen Bedroom Pictures
Raquel drove us around the property with the golf cart as there are a lot of hills. We drove past facilities like the kid’s club where parents can take a break and give their kids a chance to play with others. We headed to our last room to tour before we headed to the amazing spa. This was another large suite but not as large as the Presidential Suite. This also had two bedrooms with the option of a third that connected to it. It has a nice full kitchen that overlooks the spa and countryside. Like the other suite there was a large living room, a washer and dryer and modern appliances. This room has a balcony and a upstairs area. The upstairs area gives a 360 degree view of the countryside. It also has a private pool, a shower and an area to relax in chairs. It’s another beautiful room on the in the resort.
Ocean View Penthouse 2 Bedroom Suite
With the room tour complete, it was time to visit the most unique spa we have ever been too in all our travels. Raquel let us know that an over 300 year old building from Thailand was brought to Anguilla and it is now used as their spa. It is as authentic a Thai Spa as you can get outside of Thailand itself. As soon as you walk in you hear the calm water of a nice waterfall going past a Buddha Statue with calm Asian music playing. They have a juice bar where you can see no metal is used in the construction as it has wooden pins holding it together. There is a nice vitality pool outside and mud baths you can enjoy. We walked up to see a treatment room and it was a relaxing and cultural place with a thatched roof and Thai architecture. We also toured the largest Moroccan Hammam (also known as a “Turkish Bath”) in the Caribbean. The steam bath makes you feel like you have traveled from the Caribbean to Morocco or the Middle East in General based on the very authentic architecture of the Hammam. Having traveled through Morocco and Middle Eastern Nations they did well on that area of the spa. The Spa was the last part of our tour, but we still had some time to enjoy the property.
We went ahead and took some time to have lunch at the hotel as well at 20 Knots located right on the beach. The menu for lunch was international with pizza, pasta, seafood such as different fish and lobster dishes. The prices are relatively high but not really out of line with prices on the islands as food can be expensive due to shipping and import costs of goods. The hotel is a luxury resort, so we expected the restaurant to be gourmet as well. We got the Tropical Lobster Tacos as we wanted to try the local Caribbean Lobster compared with Maine Lobster (different species). They were really good and had a little different taste that’s hard to describe. After getting our lunch Bon Bon arrived and we were taken back up to the lobby by golf cart and headed back to the Ferry Port with Bon Bon.
Leaving Anguilla and Tips
When coming from St. Martin we paid for the ferry ride on the ship. In Anguilla, the port reminded me a lot of a normal airport with check in areas for different ferry companies from private to public. We opted for the public ferry and bought our tickets at the check in station. It was cash only and $30 a person. Outside we visited a small gift shop as there aren’t too many places to buy souvenirs in the country. We went through security and passport control similar to and airport and waited in the departure area. There was a small cafe there and a nice waiting area with plenty of seats. The view from the port in the small town of Blowing Point is amazing. Turquoise water with the green hills of St. Martin in the distance. You can also watch all kinds of different ships at anchor or sailing by. After a short wait they called for boarding, and we boarded with a wide variety of people who looked to be heading on trips abroad with suitcases. After a quick 20-minute, ferry ride we made it back to St. Martin and our journey to Anguilla was over.
If you are someone who wants to party or visit museums and sites Anguilla is not going to be a place that you will stay for multiple days. If you enjoy stunning beaches and spending time relaxing in a quiet place with little hustle and bustle, then Anguilla will be paradise for you. There are so many water activities you can do in Anguilla and many luxury resorts you can stay at on the island. The Zemi Beach House is an amazing resort with a one-of-a-kind spa. We really would like to save up and stay at the resort and spend time relaxing at the spa. Anguilla is pretty easy to get to on a day trip from St. Martin and you will be able to have a quick view of much of the island. You can rent a car and drive yourself, but I really recommend getting a driver like Bon Bon who was an amazing guide and driver. She gave us a lot of great information about the country. You won’t find many guided tours on websites like Viator that sell tours that go on shore so you will need to go on your own like we did. Regardless of what kind of vacation you like, you should at the very least go visit Anguilla for the day. You will be just as impressed as we were with the beauty of Anguilla!
If you are Interested in this trip:
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Anguilla Tours (Click Links Below):
