25–30 minutes by taxi, then 20–25 minutes by boat
Using SXM as your Anguilla gateway usually means a taxi from Princess Juliana to Marigot on the French side (plan 25–30 minutes) and then the public ferry to Blowing Point, Anguilla (about 20–25 minutes on the water). Many regulars on the Anguilla forums say this combo is “easy and much cheaper than flying.”
The public ferry between Marigot and Blowing Point typically runs about every 45 minutes during daytime hours, not late at night. Travelers with arrivals after roughly 17:00–18:00 often end up overnighting on St. Maarten because the last ferry has already gone. Build at least one backup departure into your plan instead of aiming for the very last boat.
Base fare on the public ferry sits around US$20 one-way per person, plus departure and port taxes that push the real cost higher. Forum reports mention extra immigration and port fees on both the St. Maarten and Anguilla sides, so budget a bit of cash per person beyond that US$20 headline number. Cards are hit-or-miss; carry small bills in USD or euros.
Door-to-door, expect around 2–3 hours from aircraft door at SXM to clearing formalities at Blowing Point, assuming your flight is on time. You’ll clear immigration on the St. Maarten side, then again on arrival in Anguilla, and customs on both sides if you’re checked. That makes the transfer longer than the raw 45–55 minutes of taxi plus boat time suggests.
Private fast boats operate from docks in the Simpson Bay Lagoon area, much closer to SXM than Marigot. These runs cost a multiple of the public ferry but often bundle meet-and-greet at the airport and handle immigration paperwork for you, which some resort guests headed to Meads Bay or Shoal Bay say is worth it on late-afternoon arrivals.
Watch out for tight connections with the last public ferry of the day; several trip reports mention missing it due to immigration queues at SXM and then paying for an unplanned hotel. Lines at the Marigot terminal can also back up during Christmas, New Year’s, and March school breaks, adding 30–60 minutes to your wait. The short crossing can be choppy on windy days, so motion-sickness tablets earn their keep.
What regulars do: they book flights that land at SXM at least 2–3 hours before their target ferry time, and they keep a small carry-on with a change of clothes and toiletries in case they have to overnight on St. Maarten. One last tip: a week before you fly, confirm same-week ferry schedules via Anguilla government notices or fresh TripAdvisor threads; printed timetables from old blogs are often wrong.