As quintessential a paradise in the Caribbean as Anguilla is, it’s no wonder that visitors feel overwhelmed with its amazing turquoise shallows, sugary, milky-white shores, palm-dotted beach bars, and delicious ice-cold rum punches served in coconut shells. Indeed, the stunning island has its charming character and pampers with everything from opportunities to dive shipwrecks and fine dining to fun beach bars and a fantastic array of water sports, including snorkelling, SUP, kitesurfing, and sailing or paddling in glass-bottom boats under a magnificent azure sky. Now, if one had to create a list of the things you can’t afford to miss out on while holiday-making in Anguilla, then it would include the following:
The Gorgeous Coastline
The idyllic beaches that fringe Anguilla are top attractions providing Instagram-perfect pictures! Of course, Rendezvous is a big hitter with its fantastic crescent-shaped shore featuring cobalt waters and pure white sand on the west of Anguilla. Also, enjoying the pristine St. Martin views makes it a beach worth seeing.
The same applies to iconic places along the Anguilla shoreline, like Shoal Bay, which will stop your heart with its transparent waters and dashing palette of whites painting the beach. With 30+ more shores to explore, you will have your plate full for quite some time.
Remember: Most Anguilla beaches are only accessible by sailing boats. So, if you would love to lay eyes on the exquisiteness of Crocus Bay, for instance, or the romantic Little Bay (ideal for snorkelling), you’ll need to hop on a sailboat and claim your chance to swim with sea turtles and explore the rocky outcrops with a pair of flippers and a mask!
Or even soak up the pristine panoramas in the privacy of these beaches before you head to another earthy heaven, such as Sandy Ground, and surrender to its arresting allure. And, if you desire even more solitude, Sandy Island Cay and Prickly Pear Cays are two uninhabited islands that can cut the air out of your lungs with their unparalleled natural beauty.
The Fantastic Underwater World
Anguilla is a dreamland for water sports enthusiasts, who can not only enjoy practising their favourite water sport but also see captivating sights very few people get to see, especially below the surface of the water. So, grab your gear and dive into a cosmos featuring sea turtles, tropical fish, rays, coral reefs, and shipwrecks, or even opt for a guided dive (or a glass-bottom yacht that illuminates the ocean floor with its lights) to take in as much of its exotic flair as possible! Or take your kitesurf, stand-up paddleboard, windsurf, or kayak and admire Mother Nature’s wonders around you.
The Idyllic St. Barts
St. Barts is a fantastic island neighbouring Anguilla with jaw-dropping stretches of coastline offering some of the Caribbean’s most azure waters (aka Baie de St-Jean or Bay of St. Jean and Shell Beach). Expect everything from picture-perfect bays, like Anse de Grand Cul de Sac, for ultimate relaxation, remote shores for romantic getaways (see Colombier Beach), and a variety of surfing spots for all levels of surfers (such as Lorient Beach, Pointe Milou, and Toiny) to interesting cultural sites (i.e., the 1600s Fort Gustav) and a capital that displays a unique blend of Swedish and French cultures.
Tip: Opting for a high-speed ferry ride to St. Barts (a 45 minutes ride) is probably the best way around it, allowing you to travel in air-conditioned shade and maximum comfort.
Views of Anguilla from St. Maarten
You can combine three different chair-lift adventures and be rewarded with fantastic views of Anguilla, St.Barts, St. Eustatius, and Saba from St. Maarten. The adrenaline-packed activities include a ride with the Sky Explorer, the Schooner Ride, and the Sentry Zipline. The venture starts with surfing down Sentry Hill mountain (343 metres or 1,125 feet) in an inner tube (Sky Explorer), then gliding up to the mountain (Schooner Ride), and then putting on your gear to fly over the mountain ridge (Sentry Zipline). You will be pampered with 360-degree views of St. Maarten and the surrounding islands. Plus, you will enjoy entry to a restored 1700s plantation home, a museum telling the story of a woman born in slavery, and the adventures’ base. Ensure you book your tickets well in advance, as they are sold out quickly.
Historic & Cultural Sites
For this one, you won’t need to go in different directions. Hiking the self-guided Anguilla Heritage Trail will be enough to teach you the history of Anguilla. The trail goes by sites of cultural and historical significance, including the National Heritage Museum of Anguilla. Walking the guided path, you will encounter things like jail ruins, natural caves, salt ponds, and a former courthouse.
The Sunset From the Sea
One of the most fulfilling ways to kiss the day goodbye is via a sunset cruise featuring an open bar and Caribbean candlelit dinner. That way, you will not only view the incredible beauties of Anguilla from the middle of the shimmering sea but also enjoy some private time with your partner or loved ones that includes palate-pleasing food, an evening of dancing, delicious drinks and cocktails, tasty snacks, mouth-watering desserts, and sublime vistas of the sun disappearing behind the horizon from the deck of a luxury yacht or catamaran.
Other Things to See in Anguilla
- St. Maarten’s Brewery – The Caribbean Brewing Company organises unique tours to the St. Maarten Brewery that will introduce you to the beer-making process from start to finish (plus, you’ll be able to taste the finest beers in the Caribbean).
- Cuisinart Resort Golf Course – You’ll find it at Rendezvous Bay, where you can enjoy a golf round or visit the nearby beaches or spa areas for total body and mind rejuvenation.
- Anguilla from its highest point – That would be Crocus Hill (73m or 240ft). A nice hiking trail will take you up there, while you may stray from it and take one of the many beach-walks that open for you at lesser heights (i.e., the Limestone Bay trail).
- Events and festivals in Anguilla – Anguilla always has something going on. From cricket games and boat races to music festivals, road cycling ventures, and live music played at popular spots across the island with a contagious party vibe. Something to see and experience!
As quintessential a paradise in the Caribbean as Anguilla is, it’s no wonder that visitors feel overwhelmed with its amazing turquoise shallows, sugary, milky-white shores, palm-dotted beach bars, and delicious ice-cold rum punches served in coconut shells. Indeed, the stunning island has its charming character and pampers with everything from opportunities to dive shipwrecks and fine dining to fun beach bars and a fantastic array of water sports, including snorkelling, SUP, kitesurfing, and sailing or paddling in glass-bottom boats under a magnificent azure sky. Now, if one had to create a list of the things you can’t afford to miss out on while holiday-making in Anguilla, then it would include the following:
The Gorgeous Coastline
The idyllic beaches that fringe Anguilla are top attractions providing Instagram-perfect pictures! Of course, Rendezvous is a big hitter with its fantastic crescent-shaped shore featuring cobalt waters and pure white sand on the west of Anguilla. Also, enjoying the pristine St. Martin views makes it a beach worth seeing.
The same applies to iconic places along the Anguilla shoreline, like Shoal Bay, which will stop your heart with its transparent waters and dashing palette of whites painting the beach. With 30+ more shores to explore, you will have your plate full for quite some time.
Remember: Most Anguilla beaches are only accessible by sailing boats. So, if you would love to lay eyes on the exquisiteness of Crocus Bay, for instance, or the romantic Little Bay (ideal for snorkelling), you’ll need to hop on a sailboat and claim your chance to swim with sea turtles and explore the rocky outcrops with a pair of flippers and a mask!
Or even soak up the pristine panoramas in the privacy of these beaches before you head to another earthy heaven, such as Sandy Ground, and surrender to its arresting allure. And, if you desire even more solitude, Sandy Island Cay and Prickly Pear Cays are two uninhabited islands that can cut the air out of your lungs with their unparalleled natural beauty.
The Fantastic Underwater World
Anguilla is a dreamland for water sports enthusiasts, who can not only enjoy practising their favourite water sport but also see captivating sights very few people get to see, especially below the surface of the water. So, grab your gear and dive into a cosmos featuring sea turtles, tropical fish, rays, coral reefs, and shipwrecks, or even opt for a guided dive (or a glass-bottom yacht that illuminates the ocean floor with its lights) to take in as much of its exotic flair as possible! Or take your kitesurf, stand-up paddleboard, windsurf, or kayak and admire Mother Nature’s wonders around you.
The Idyllic St. Barts
St. Barts is a fantastic island neighbouring Anguilla with jaw-dropping stretches of coastline offering some of the Caribbean’s most azure waters (aka Baie de St-Jean or Bay of St. Jean and Shell Beach). Expect everything from picture-perfect bays, like Anse de Grand Cul de Sac, for ultimate relaxation, remote shores for romantic getaways (see Colombier Beach), and a variety of surfing spots for all levels of surfers (such as Lorient Beach, Pointe Milou, and Toiny) to interesting cultural sites (i.e., the 1600s Fort Gustav) and a capital that displays a unique blend of Swedish and French cultures.
Tip: Opting for a high-speed ferry ride to St. Barts (a 45 minutes ride) is probably the best way around it, allowing you to travel in air-conditioned shade and maximum comfort.
Views of Anguilla from St. Maarten
You can combine three different chair-lift adventures and be rewarded with fantastic views of Anguilla, St.Barts, St. Eustatius, and Saba from St. Maarten. The adrenaline-packed activities include a ride with the Sky Explorer, the Schooner Ride, and the Sentry Zipline. The venture starts with surfing down Sentry Hill mountain (343 metres or 1,125 feet) in an inner tube (Sky Explorer), then gliding up to the mountain (Schooner Ride), and then putting on your gear to fly over the mountain ridge (Sentry Zipline). You will be pampered with 360-degree views of St. Maarten and the surrounding islands. Plus, you will enjoy entry to a restored 1700s plantation home, a museum telling the story of a woman born in slavery, and the adventures’ base. Ensure you book your tickets well in advance, as they are sold out quickly.
Historic & Cultural Sites
For this one, you won’t need to go in different directions. Hiking the self-guided Anguilla Heritage Trail will be enough to teach you the history of Anguilla. The trail goes by sites of cultural and historical significance, including the National Heritage Museum of Anguilla. Walking the guided path, you will encounter things like jail ruins, natural caves, salt ponds, and a former courthouse.
The Sunset From the Sea
One of the most fulfilling ways to kiss the day goodbye is via a sunset cruise featuring an open bar and Caribbean candlelit dinner. That way, you will not only view the incredible beauties of Anguilla from the middle of the shimmering sea but also enjoy some private time with your partner or loved ones that includes palate-pleasing food, an evening of dancing, delicious drinks and cocktails, tasty snacks, mouth-watering desserts, and sublime vistas of the sun disappearing behind the horizon from the deck of a luxury yacht or catamaran.
Other Things to See in Anguilla
- St. Maarten’s Brewery – The Caribbean Brewing Company organises unique tours to the St. Maarten Brewery that will introduce you to the beer-making process from start to finish (plus, you’ll be able to taste the finest beers in the Caribbean).
- Cuisinart Resort Golf Course – You’ll find it at Rendezvous Bay, where you can enjoy a golf round or visit the nearby beaches or spa areas for total body and mind rejuvenation.
- Anguilla from its highest point – That would be Crocus Hill (73m or 240ft). A nice hiking trail will take you up there, while you may stray from it and take one of the many beach-walks that open for you at lesser heights (i.e., the Limestone Bay trail).
- Events and festivals in Anguilla – Anguilla always has something going on. From cricket games and boat races to music festivals, road cycling ventures, and live music played at popular spots across the island with a contagious party vibe. Something to see and experience!