I traveled from Guadeloupe to Saint-Martin, French side than I took a small ferry at Marigot Ferry Terminal to go to Anguilla from Tuesday 31 december 2024 to Sunday 5 january 2025. It was not necessary to book. I bought my ticket when I arrived at the Ferry Terminal. A valid passport (with at least six months before expiration) is required for all visitors in Anguilla. When it was time to check-in, I got a boarding pass after showing my passport. I paid a passenger tax of 5 euros, than 30 euros one-way in cash on the boat. The ferry service is reliable and the crossing only takes about 20 minutes. The same procedure is in effect for the return trip. I paid 28 USD in cash for the departure tax in Anguilla. I arrived at Blowing Point Ferry Terminal. I took a taxi to go to my AirBnB accomodation at CARTeas AI in George Hill. It was my first time in Anguilla, a British overseas territory. According to a free tourist guide 2025, the island of Anguilla is in the most northern part of the Leeward islands. It also includes the island of Sombrero and some other smaller islands and islets. It has the beautiful white sand 33 beaches that are among the finest in the world. Anguilla boat racing is the island’s National Sport. K@ribbean Newsweek shares with you some pictures.

Day 1: Tuesday 31 December 2024

I spent the New Year’s Eve in the restaurant Criss Conch Shack at Sandy Ground Beach. I ate crack conch (lambi croustillant). There are other restaurants located on the same beach. After the fireworks, I walked a little on the beach.

As a visitor, I did not want to rent a car. If I wanted to go out, I called the taxi I took at the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal. The taxis only accept USD. It was more expensive to take a taxi than to rent a car or a scooter. Sometimes I used a small amount of money in Eastern Caribbean dollar to buy food at the supermarket.

Day 2 : Wednesday 1 January 2025

In the morning, I stayed in the AirBnb accomodation called The Earl Grey Suite at CARTeas in George Hill. The accommodation is very nice, clean and quiet. It’s high level. Since I have been traveling, this is the best accommodation I have stayed in. Than I spent the afternoon at Rendez Vous Bay. I ate at the restaurant SunShine Shack on the beach. There are other restaurants located on the same beach. I walked a little on the beach.

Day 3 : Thursday 2 January 2025

I went to The Valley, the capital of Anguilla. The city is very clean and quiet. I walked a little bit. I saw NCBA one of the banks, the Post Office, The People’s Market, the Anguilla Tourist Board that gave me a bag with guides and goodies. I took pictures of some government buildings. I went to the Wallblake House, the mausoleum of James Ronald Webster and Radio Anguilla 95.5 FM that is the Government owned radio station and has been in operation since 1969 officially. There I met Farrah Banks, the director of information and communication; Felicia Hennis, the Chief information Officer; Keith Greaves, the Programme Manager and Renford Kelsick, the News Reader/Announcer.

The Wallblake House is built with slave labour, this estate grew sugar and later cotton. During its peak, it extended as far as the present runway.

After my visit at the Wallblake House, I ate at Nicole’s Restaurant.

The Anguilla Tourist Board explained me that Anguilla was part of Saint-Kitts and Nevis. James Ronald Webster is the leader of the Anguilla revolution in 1967. The island is now governed by the British, the people have an Anguillian passport and a British passport (to go to the USA). The Economy is based on tourism. Before, salt was the major industry in Anguilla.

James Ronald Webster is known to be the father of the Nation. May 30, 1967 is celebrated today as Anguilla Day. This day commemorates the repulsion of the Royal St. Kitts Police Force from the island. In 1980, Anguilla officially seceded from Saint Kitts and Nevis and became a Bristish Caribbean territory with some measures of autonomy in Government.

Driving is on the lef t. The roads are in a good state. Rosette, a friend of Njeri and Roy Carty, the owners of the accomodation told me that Anguillians drive up to 40. I saw the sign 20 and 30 but not 40. Everybody has a car. There are no buses. Sometimes, people stopped to give me a ride. They were very nice.

Day 4 : Friday 3 January 2025

On Thursday, I asked Farrah Banks the director of information and communication at Radio Anguilla to come and see Renford Kelsick, the News Reader on air at 7:00 AM. So on Friday, I woke up early to go to Radio Anguilla 95.5 FM. In the evening, I went to the restaurant Tasty’s Point of View in South Hill. The Chief offered me a Johnny cake with fish.

Day 5 : Saturday 4 January 2025

I went to the shop Irie Life to buy some gifts. It is in South Hill. Rosette, a friend of the owners of the accomodation showed me other places : The Anguillian Newspaper, the old Court House, the company of electricity, the company of water, one of the orphanages. Late in the afternoon, I ate my last food at D’BBQ Hut Trini Style Barbeque. I was near the airport. I really liked taking videos of the private small planes and the bigger ones.

Day 6 : Sunday 5 January 2025

It was time to go back to Saint-Martin, French side than to Guadeloupe. I paid 30USD one-way in cash inside the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal, than 28USD in cash for the departure tax in Anguilla because I stayed over 12 hours.

What I learnt

I learnt that the majority of the supermakets are owned by Chinese. I heard people speaking spanish on the streets, in the restaurants, people’s accent when they spoke English. In fact, there is a significant community of people from the Dominican Republic living in Anguilla. Anguilla and the Dominican Republic share a strongly connected and deep rooted history. If I well understood what people told me, in the past, Anguillians migrated to find work in the sugar cane fields and made children with the people from the Dominican Republic. Anguillians sailed the boats called schooners to the Dominican Republic where work was available.

I did some research : « During the great depression in the 1920’s, Caribbean people migrated to the Dominican Republic and Cuba to find work in the Sugar cane fields. The Anguillans provided transport with schooners they learned to build from the Nova Scotia sailors they had been trading with for years.

Boat building became one of the mainstays of the economy of both the Virgin Islands and Anguilla – the Virgin Islands specialising in a unique design of sloop and Anguilla in large sea worthy schooners.

People came from all over the region to purchase these boats. The similarities between our two territories does not end there. The very first settlers of Virgin Gorda came from Anguilla and had names like Hodge, Vanterpool and Romney just to name a few. The capital of Anguilla is The Valley and the connections go on« . (source : A Tale Of Two Boats And The Anguilla Connection, https://thevimagazine.com/vi-bvi/anguilla-connection/)

I didn’t see anyone begging in the streets. According to the Taximan Jeffrey, nobody is homeless, everybody works.

For more information, read :

https://www.portdemarigot.com/en/gare

https://www.gov.ai/service/about-anguilla/anguilla-history

https://www.facebook.com/radioanguilla

https://www.anguilla-beaches.com/anguilla-boat-racing.html

My pcitures and some videos are also available on my Instagram.

Un résumé

Anguilla est un territoire britannique à 20 minutes en bateau de Saint-Martin, côté français. Il est possible d’acheter son billet de bateau le jour de son départ. Je trouve que c’est une île très propre et calme, surtout la capitale qui s’appelle The Valley. Les habitants d’Anguilla ont un passeport d’Anguilla et un passeport britannique (pour se rendre aux Etats-Unis). Pendant mon séjour, je me suis rendue à Radio Anguilla 95.5 FM et j’ai demandé à Farrah Banks la directrice de l’information et de la communication d’assister à un journal radio avec Renford Kelsick le vendredi 3 janvier 2025. J’ai beaucoup apprécié ce moment.

St@y connected !

Salaura DIDON