The Best Beaches to Visit on a Day Trip to Anguilla

The sand and water at Shoal Bay Beach is pretty much perfect! - "Beachy Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
by Anisa // 26 Comments

You may remember that our day trip to Anguilla was one of the reasons we started our blog.  We wanted to share the information we found about the ferry from St. Martin to Anguilla and also what it is like to drive on the other side of the road.  

Well, now we are finally getting around to sharing more details of how Katherine and I spent our day in Anguilla.  Spoiler alert – it involved beaches!

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  Please see disclosure for more information.

Our Game Plan for Our Day in Anguilla

To maximize our time, we took an early ferry from St. Martin to Anguilla.  We rented a car through Andy’s Car Rental which is located right by the dock.  That way, we would be able to explore at our own pace. You do need a special driving permit but we got that through Andy as well.

We knew we wouldn’t be able to see everything on Anguilla in one day, but the island is not that big so our plan was to see as much of it as we could.  Andy gave us a map and a few recommendations for our Anguilla day trip. We wanted to focus on visiting beaches because Anguilla is known to have some of the best beaches in the Caribbean.  

I should also mention that we visited Anguilla in June, which is technically the off-season.  Some people think it is too hot in June in the Caribbean, but I think it is perfect beach weather. Depending on when you visit, the beaches and the roads may be more crowded.

Anguilla has some amazing beaches! This is Shoal Bay. - "Beach Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
Anguilla has some amazing beaches! This is Shoal Bay.

Stop 1: Shoal Beach Anguilla

Our first stop was Shoal Bay, which I think is the best beach in Anguilla.  We got there early so the beach was pretty empty.  It really is a beautiful beach.  The sand is as white as I have ever seen and the water is crystal clear.  Not surprisingly it made Conde Nast Traveler’s List of Top 10 Island Beaches with Perfect Sand.  The beach is over a mile long so we walked a little bit and took a few pictures.

The sand and water at Shoal Bay Beach is pretty much perfect! - "Beachy Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
The sand and water at Shoal Bay Beach is pretty much perfect!

Then I just had to get in the water.  It was really pretty calm so we could just relax in the water without worrying about being hit by a big wave.  We saw a few pockets of coral so we swam over to one.  

I could see a few fish without even sticking my head in the water.  It’s so nice when you can snorkel from the shore without wearing any snorkel gear.  The water is so clear, I could just imagine how amazing diving in Anguilla would be.

You can get a better idea of how amazing Shoal Bay is in this drone video.

We decided to grab an early lunch at one of the restaurants we saw on the beach, there are several located right on Shoal Beach.  It looked pretty casual but it was a little expensive.  Still, with the lovely atmosphere and views of the Caribbean, we really couldn’t complain.  

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Lunch at Shoal Bay Beach - "Beachy Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
Lunch at Shoal Bay Beach

Stop 2: Maundays Bay Anguilla

I could have easily spent the whole day at Shoal Beach but we wanted to see more of the island.  So after lunch, we headed to Maundays Beach where the luxurious Cap Juluca resort is located.  There was a guardhouse but we just said we were headed to the beach and they let us through.  I wasn’t sure what was part of the resort and what was a public area.

I think this is the part of Maunday Beach open to the public? - "Beach Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
I think this is the part of Maunday Beach open to the public?

We found a parking space, then headed to the beach.  There were some nice lounge chairs set up in groups of two and most were empty.  We decided we might as well sit in them, what was the worst that could happen?

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Katherine enjoying our lounge chairs at Cap Juluca. - "Beach Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
Katherine enjoying our lounge chairs at Cap Juluca.

Soon after we sat down, a bartender came over to ask if we wanted anything to drink.  I think he must have mistaken us for other people.  He asked us about last night?  Then he said he remembered our names were Anita and Karen.  I knew it wasn’t us, but it’s pretty amazing he guessed so close to our real names.

We thought it would be nice to have a glass of Rosé.  It wasn’t long before he brought us the two glasses of wine plus a small cooler with bottled water, which was a nice touch.  Then he asked us what our room number was.  Katherine quickly responded, can we just pay for this with cash?  He said he would be back.

Glass of Rosé at Cap Juluca - "Beach Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
Glass of Rosé at Cap Juluca

Not too long after a manager came over and discreetly told us if we were not guests at the resort we would have to leave.  So we finished our Rosé and then headed off.  

You know, honestly, put aside the misunderstanding that we had, Maunday Beach was a little disappointing.  The resort was gorgeous and the water looked great, but there was lots of seaweed.  Not sure if it was just the day that we were there, though.  Plus, it was confusing as to what part of the beach was open to the public.

Stop 3: Meads Bay Beach

Finally, we went to Meads Bay.  The beach was pretty long but it did have a pretty significant slant to it.  I headed straight to the water.  It was perfect, crystal clear with nice gentle waves.  

There weren’t too many people on the beach, but amazingly enough, we ran into the couple we had met earlier on the ferry.  They actually had a timeshare in the area and were planning on spending a week.

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Meads Bay Beach is another beach with white sand and crystal clear water. - "Beach Day Trip to Anguilla" - Two Traveling Texans
Meads Bay Beach is another beach with white sand and crystal clear water.

Then it was time to head back to catch the ferry from Anguilla to St. Martin.  It’s so nice that St. Maarten and Anguilla are so close to each other.  We had such a fun day trip to Anguilla and the beaches were absolutely beautiful.  It’s definitely one of the best day trips from St. Martin, but I could also see it being a great place to relax for even longer.

If you are looking for restaurants and bars, you should go to Sandy Ground.  If we would have had more time in Anguilla,  I would have liked to check out this area too.  

Have you been to Anguilla? I would love to hear about your favorite places.

-Anisa

Pin for Later

beach scene with chairs and umbrella and text - The Best Beaches in Anguilla

Expert Tips for your Day Trip to Anguilla

  • The best way to get to Anguilla is to take the ferry from St. Martin.  
  • Rent a car so that you can explore the island at your own pace, but be prepared they drive on the left side of the road.
  • Don’t try to sneak onto the Cap Juluca private beach.
  • You can also easily do a day trip to St. Barts from St. Martin

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means we will receive a small commission for some purchases made using links in our blog with no additional cost to you.  Please be assured we would not promote any product unless we believe that our readers will also benefit.  The commission does not influence the editorial content of this site.

Last Updated on September 2, 2021

About the Author

Anisa is an experienced international traveler with extra pages in her passport and stamps from 41 different countries across 5 continents (and counting). She was born and raised in Texas. After a 13 year stint in NYC, she moved to England to live with her husband.

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