Anguilla might just have the best beaches in the world.

A bold claim but I don’t think I’ve ever walked on softer, whiter sand. The warm aquamarine waters and rolling waves are the icing on the cake.

Check these out and see for yourself:

Anguilla is a very short ferry ride from Marigot, on the French side of St Martin. It’s a British territory so passports, immigration, taxes, queues and everything else that goes with crossing an international border were in play for a day trip.

Once through immigration and customs we were offered car hire by a not pushy salesman. We’d seen lots of folk on the ferry kitted out in lycra and laden with road bikes but it was very hot, Julie and I didn’t have any lycra and only had a day to explore so of course we got some motorised wheels. At Julie’s insistence, and excitement, for an extra $10 we took possession of this little number:

Anguilla is a reasonable flat island (probably great for cycling, actually). With a low population, it’s also peaceful and easy to get around.

The beaches are not exclusive to the expensive resorts we couldn’t afford to stay in so we had no problem strolling along the wide expanse of sand near the fancy hotel at our first stop.

We even managed to find a piece of the island all to ourselves. Gorgeous sand, rolling waves, picnic food, water, shady spots, abandoned sun lounges at a deserted holiday home; Julie and I didn’t feel compelled to move for most of the day. I could have spent all afternoon and we think is around Prickly Pear Bay but our sense of adventure eventually had us back in the convertible to see more of the island.

The popular Long Bay and Sandy Bay are beautiful and had some reefs to explore with snorkels. However, after our private beach of earlier in the day, it felt crowded. Despite he amenities that gave us some Caribbean rum cocktails, I did prefer our own little hideaway.

It was kind of a shame that we made it back to the ferry. Very tempting to spend the night in the car or on a beach under the stars.

Anguilla. Secluded slices of paradise aren’t too hard to find.