A Secret in St. Maarten: Get to Anguilla via Fast Ferry

If you love island hopping and getting two passport stamps on one trip this is for you. Plan on visiting St. Maarten this summer? You can easily hop a 30-minute ferry over to the neighboring island of Anguilla. My husband and I did this a few years ago and let me just warn you; the ferry ride is a little choppy on the way over to Anguilla but it’s very quick. Make sure you sit inside (unless you don’t mind getting soaked!).

A roundtrip fare will run you about $90 for a day trip (ferries leave about every half hour starting at 9:00am with the last ferry leaving Anguilla at 4:30pm). If you’re able I’d recommend spending a night on the island or you can simply just spend the day on Shoal Bay (one the best beaches in the Caribbean).

The day I went it rained off and on so I’m in definite need of a do over! If you go, please come back and tell me all about it.

Tap or click here for more ferry information or to book your ferry trip!

Quality in Travel

I've been traveling all my life. I was seven when I went on my first cruise to Bermuda. My aunt liked to take me along; we were either cruising the tropics or flying down south somewhere. I'm thankful for those experiences because they made me appreciate and want the finer things in life. I recently mentioned this in an IG post: I could care less about designer clothing, bags or shoes. Since becoming a mom in 2015 I can't even remember the last time I dressed up! And that's okay with me. I just need access to the Caribbean several times a year and all is well in my world.

This leads me to my next point: I want quality when I travel now. In the past, I constantly wanted "cheap"; trying to find the cheapest flight and settling on decent 3 star hotels were satisfactory to me (there are still many great 3 stars out there though). Cheap flights can be good but they aren't always great and can be quite draining. For example, I was able to find a "cheap" flight to Providenciales but I had THREE layovers. It was horrible. I told myself "never again". 

I can easily say that at the age of 36 I now don't mind paying for quality when traveling; especially if I'm given an option to pay over time. I've come to appreciate travel agents for this very reason. I'm also in the process of setting up my OWN agency to provide this exact service. 

Because everyone deserves to experience a little luxury from time to time. 

Stick with me!

Wes

Get Excited: St. Maarten from JFK $363 (RT)

Travel Dates: Nov. 13 - 17

Well it looks like you've got yourself a deal! Hotels.com is still running the $94 per night offer at Simpson Bay Resort and Marina for these same dates - Jump on it! 

Airline: American Airlines

Airport Codes:

St. Maarten: SXM

New York: JFK

*Book through any travel site (I prefer Orbitz) and be sure to include American Airlines in the "Additional Search Options" field with the specific dates above.

Happy travels! 

No disclaimer here: Direct flight at decent hours! Go for it!

Get Excited: St. Maarten Resort $94 (nightly) in November

Simpson Bay Resort and Marina, located on the Dutch side of St. Maarten is running a HAUT deal today (savings of 45%!) through hotels.com (expires at midnight). Travel dates are from November 13th to the 17th for the affordable price of $94 per night. Though not an all-inclusive resort, the grounds are home to several restaurants, bars and a casino. 

I spent some time here back in April and it is a family friendly, LARGE (there are about 9 buildings I think) and modest resort. If possible, try to stay in one of the renovated buildings. Nevertheless, St. Maarten is a beautiful island and a hub for island hoppers (visit Anguilla, St. Barths, or Saba - see my post here on Saba- by ferry). Oh and another thing - Don't get sucked into attending one of the timeshare sessions!! 

Happy Travels! 

Simpson Bay Resort and Marina, St. Maarten