Getting to Anguilla: Flights, Ferries and the St Martin Connection
Anguilla is straightforward to reach and slightly awkward to plan, which catches people out. There are direct flights, but not many. Most visitors arrive via St Martin and cross by boat, and that final twenty-five minute leg is where trips go wrong: missed last crossings, groups split across two boats, an eleven o’clock arrival at SXM that turns into a nine o’clock arrival at the villa.
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Here is how the two routes actually work, and how to choose between them.
Route one: fly direct into Anguilla
Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) takes direct service from a small number of places. As of August 2026:
- American Airlines from Miami (MIA). The only direct mainland US scheduled service, and the simplest way in from most of North America.
- Cape Air from St Thomas (STT), once daily.
- Charter Air Direct from San Juan (SJU), three times weekly on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Tradewind Aviation from San Juan (SJU), one round trip daily, running seasonally from 10 December 2026 to 12 April 2027.
- Seasonal charter service from Baltimore (BWI), Boston (BOS) and Newark (EWR), twice weekly in the winter months.
If your dates line up with the Miami service or a winter charter, take it. You land twenty minutes from most villas and skip the crossing entirely, which is worth a great deal when travelling with small children or a large party.
The catch is the seasonal pattern. Several of these run only December through April, so a summer trip usually means the second route.
Route two: via St Maarten, then across by boat
This is how most people arrive. You fly into Princess Juliana International (SXM) on St Maarten, which has broad transatlantic and US service, then cross to Anguilla. Two ways to do that.
The public ferry from Marigot
The long-standing service runs between Marigot Bay on the French side of St Martin and the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal in Anguilla. The crossing takes roughly twenty-five minutes and runs around eight times daily, generally between about 9am and 5pm depending on season.
Fares are approximately US$30 per adult one way, with reduced fares for children. Bring cash. Allow thirty minutes before departure for check-in and immigration on both sides.
The thing to understand: Marigot is on the French side, and SXM airport is on the Dutch side. You need a taxi across the island to reach it, which adds time and cost that people routinely forget to budget.
Private charter from the Dutch side
The alternative departs from the Anguilla ferry terminal across from Princess Juliana Airport, or from docks a few minutes away, with ground transfer included. Fares start from around US$65 per person one way. Operators include Funtime Charters, Calypso Charters and GB Express.
You pay more and you get three things back: no cross-island taxi, departure timed to your flight rather than a fixed timetable, and the whole group on one boat. For a party of ten arriving on a late flight, that is usually money well spent rather than an indulgence.
Which route suits your trip
Direct to AXA if you are travelling in high season, with young children, with anyone who has mobility difficulties, or as a couple on a short stay where a lost half-day matters proportionally more.
SXM plus public ferry if you are budget-conscious, arriving mid-morning or early afternoon, and travelling light. It is the cheapest way in and perfectly pleasant in good weather.
SXM plus private charter if you are a group of six or more, arriving on a late or unpredictable flight, or carrying a lot of luggage. Once you divide the charter cost across a large party it stops looking expensive, and it removes the single biggest failure point in the journey.
The timing mistake
The most common planning error is treating SXM arrival time as arrival time. It is not. Build the chain properly:
- Land at SXM
- Immigration and baggage, which can run long when several wide-bodies land together
- Taxi to Marigot if using the public ferry, or transfer to the dock if chartering
- Ferry check-in and Anguilla immigration, thirty minutes
- The crossing itself, around twenty-five minutes
- Immigration at Blowing Point, then the drive to your villa
Realistically that is three to four hours from wheels down to villa door on the public route. If your flight gets in mid-afternoon, you are cutting it fine against the last crossing. Either book a charter, or plan a night on St Maarten and cross fresh the next morning. Arriving at a villa exhausted at ten at night is a poor way to start a week.
Arriving at Blowing Point
The ferry terminal sits at Blowing Point, on Anguilla’s south coast. It is a small, quick terminal, and the island is compact enough that nowhere is a long drive from it.
Worth knowing if you are arriving late or leaving early: staying near Blowing Point removes the transfer from both ends of the trip. La Gran Maria is the villa closest to the terminal in our collection.
Getting around once you are here
Rent a car. Anguilla has taxis and they double as informed island tours, but the restaurants are spread across the whole island rather than clustered in one town, and that is a large part of what makes the place worth visiting. A car is what lets you use it. Several villas can arrange rental in advance, and some keep vehicles on site.
Before you book
Schedules change, particularly the seasonal air service and the ferry timetable. Confirm directly with the airline or operator close to travel rather than relying on any guide, this one included. The details above were verified in August 2026.
We handle transfer arrangements as part of planning a stay, including timing the crossing to your flight and getting a large group across on one boat. Tell us your dates and flights and we will build the last leg around them, or browse the full collection of Anguilla villas.