Ever consider Anguilla? Anyone stayed there?

The beach looks amazing there. Anyone stayed there (not just a day trip). Did you like it compared to SXM? Anyone done a split trip?

It lacks that lush feel, but the beaches interest me as a possibility.
Thanks!

Love Anguilla and personally think, if judging by beaches alone, AXA is a far superior beaching destination and IMO, the snorkeling is superior on AXA. And while I love the look of most of the AXA beaches I do think the SXM beaches are very beautiful with more 'life' to them.

AXA is very unlike St. Maarten/St. Martin - logistically not nearly as easy to get to, for us at least coming out of the NE corridor, and very expensive by simple comparison. Food is great in either place but again, I think SXM has more variety at different price levels.

SXM has far more opportunities for different activities that just don't seem to exist on AXA. No casinos and the nightlife on AXA is a little more subdued, IMO anyway. That's not good or bad, better or worse - just different.

If you're looking for clothing optional to make your trip perfect, you'd probably be better off looking elsewhere as I don't even think they're particularly tolerant of even topless on most AXA beaches.

The good thing about staying on AXA is that it's very peaceful - no traffic headaches like SXM - and if you get tired of 'peaceful' then SXM and all it's positives are just a short boat ride away.

We generally stay on SXM but do some time on AXA often - sometimes at the beginning and sometimes at the end and a few times, right smack dab in the middle of our SXM time and we love them both for very different reasons. St. Maarten has our heart but AXA is a very close second for totally different reasons.

Pat pretty much nailed it in his post. We have been to SXM many times in the last 20 years, taken multiple day trips to AXA in the past. This last May we stayed on AXA for 7 days and SXM for 3 days. Both islands have a bunch to offer.

I will definitely return to SXM in the coming years, but I really look forward to returning to AXA (sooner than later). The slow pace, beautiful beaches, fine dining options, and live music draws me to AXA.

However like Pat, but on a different island, my Caribbean heart resides. That island would be STJ (St John), but AXA is a very special place.

Pat - how many nights is good for Anguilla? We only have a total of 8 nights. I am so drawn to both!

Michel,

How many nights? Wow! That's a tough one - we usually go over on an early boat from SXM and stay three nights, returning to SXM midday on our last AXA day. So it's almost like having four full days there.....

We go to SXM for two weeks generally speaking and we've gone to AXA straight from the airport a few times before we checked into our SXM timeshare but I probably won't do that again. It was a pain hauling all the luggage over there when most of it wasn't needed. We've also gone over in the middle of our two weeks on SXM which was nice but then you're paying for rooms on AXA while your hotel on SXM sits idle.

And what I personally definitely wouldn't do again is spend my last few vacation days on AXA and then have to make the connections back to SXM for departure the same day. I'm a 'what if' person and if we were connecting to our homeward flight from AXA, I know I'd be worrying the whole time about things like 'what if the channel crossings can't be made on departure day' or 'what if we get caught on AXA in weather and miss our flight' - or 'what if the boat broke down?'Oh ye of little faith!!

If you've already been to St. Maarten before then perhaps you'd want to spend your whole trip on Anguilla flying in and out of Wallblake with only a day-trip or a one or two day overnight to SXM?

It's really hard to say what might work for someone else. We like to do NOTHING every now and then so we find the AXA days perfect for exercising that option. But too much of nothin'..... aren't they words from an old hit song? Most wouldn't enjoy that. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Pat has her facts correct, as usual. We stay on Anguilla for two weeks at a time, (Nov and April), it is never enough. We like to fly in and out, usually from SJU, but also take the ferry across, and on the return leave 3 hours before our flight.
If you like laid back, peace and quiet and great food, Anguilla is for you.
Happy planning.
Ellen