Review: Beach Hopping in Anguilla on a High Speed Power Boat

When my friends Roy and Lisa from We Are SXM, a St. Maarten vacation planning website called me to invite me on  board a power boat to Anguilla, I took exactly 5 seconds before replying with a resolute “yes”. What’s there to think about, really?

So I did what any sane island blogger would do; I called up my sidekick Neil and asked him to reserve the date, he is after all really good at taking pictures of me (vain much?) and I started charging all of my camera equipment. Anguilla beaches + speed boat = sexy kickass pictures.

This trip was going to be with captain Pascal from Beach Boys Water sports on his Sonic Cigarette boat called Braveheart. He provides different exclusive island trips to St. Barth, Anguilla and around St. Maarten. I was asked to come along on a trip to Anguilla, where we would be visiting different beaches.

On a beautiful and clear skied Saturday morning Neil and I joined the rest of the gang waiting on the dock. We arrived a little late. Hey, what can I say? I like to make an entrance. Braveheart was sitting in the water ready to embark us on a trip of a lifetime. 

Now, if you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I am no stranger to this charming British isle. In fact, I am actually writing this post from my home away from home in yes, you guessed it, Anguilla. But I will tell you more about this trip another time.

Anyway, back on the Braveheart. We cruised through the lagoon at a fairly decent speed until we hit open water where captain Pascal let it rip, so to speak.  Destination, Maunday Bay, Anguilla.

To give you an indication, the regular public ferry  to Anguilla takes about 25 minutes from Marigot on the French side of St. Martin, to  Blowing Point, Anguilla’s ferry terminal. 

Captain Pascal’s Braveheart did the trip in 11 minutes flat. My hair was a total mess by the time we got to Maunday Bay but the trip itself as well as the scene that awaited us made it worth all the fuzzy hair in the world. Tip: bring a hat.

After the initial “Wows” and Aaaaaahhhs” we jumped into the crystal clear water at Maunday Bay, home to the super deluxe hotel Cap Juluca where Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt used to vacation , pre-Angelina Jolie.

Next on the AXA Beach Hopping trip was another luxury resort, the Four Seasons, previously known as the Viceroy. This resort sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean with beautiful Meads Bay on one side and Barnes Bay on the other.

What a lot of people don’t know is that there is a cave that you can swim into right underneath the hotel’s Sunset Lounge Bar. 

Pascal of course provided us with the necessary snorkeling equipment (all included in the price) and off we went exploring the underwater world of this cave. Beautiful is such a simple word to describe all that we saw. Colorful and breathtaking would be more appropriate terms in this case.

Sandy Island was next on the list. A little sand bank in the middle of the ocean not too far from Meads Bay, Sandy island is that one image that pops into your head whenever someone mentions the Caribbean. It makes me think of a Bounty Island. Nothing but white sands, a small restaurant and cabanas scattered around it , Sandy Island is the perfect place to relax and forget your worries. Seriously, there is no way anyone can leave this place and still feel stressed.

 

Next on the list of beautiful beaches was Little Bay, a truly beautiful little beach on a list of gorgeous beaches. I don’t even know where to start. Maybe it was the way the sun hit the water or maybe it was the clarity of it or perhaps the fact that it’s a bit inaccessible from land and thus almost deserted most of the time. Little Bay is something out of a Caribbean dream book. Small, intimate, gorgeous and with an abundance of beautiful and colorful underwater species including turtles to admire. 

Last stop on the Beach Hopping tour was Shoal Bay. No beach hopping trip to Anguilla would be complete without a stop here. Voted one of the top 3 most beautiful beaches in the world at one time, Shoal Bay is what you would imagine a Caribbean beach to look like; yellow umbrellas, great local food shacks and the bluest stretch of sandy beach imaginable.

This was also our stop for a much needed meal. All that zipping around is bound to make you hungry.  After a few potent rum punches and a delicious grilled meal it was unfortunately time to head back home. I remember feeling satisfied and completely at peace on the boat as we sped towards St. Maarten while the sun was setting on the horizon.

I did not know much about the Braveheart, captain Pascal or his high speed boat excurions but as he gave me a hand getting out of the boat at the end of the trip I realized how very knowledgable and professional he is. 

This particular beach excursion was organized by  We Are SXM, with whom you too can book this off shore high speed trip or others on board the Braveheart. The boat holds about 8 passengers comfortably and drinks as well as snorkeling gears are provided.

Still not convinced that you should run to book this or any other trip on Braveheart? Just watch this video.

Do you have a favorite Caribben boat tour? If so, mention it in the below comment section.

Always live, Laugh and Travel.

XoXo Riselle a.k.a. The Traveling Island Girl