Caribbean getaway quick? Try these 4 packed-together islands

Want to to pack more into limited vacation time? Island hopping in the Caribbean is one way to do it – and you don’t need your own yacht or private jet.

Using St. Maarten/St. Martin as a home base and making day trips to diverse islands works particularly well. St. Martin itself ( www.vacationstmaarten.com) provides a Dutch and French experience on one island. Via a short trip by ferry or small plane, the smaller islands that can be easily visited from St. Martin are all slightly different, offering a multifaceted slice of the Caribbean.

For some of the most beautiful beaches in the West Indies, there’s Anguilla, a narrow limestone island. Saba, a volcanic island thrusting straight from the sea, is known as the “Unspoiled Queen” and is wonderful for travelers seeking to visit the Caribbean of yesteryear.

St. Eustatius offers a taste of the 18th century with various historic sites. And for those seeking the “scene” and high-end shopping, there’s St. Barthelemy.

Here’s your quick guide.

Anguilla

Bring your swimsuit and towel when you head to Anguilla, a 20-minute ferry ride or 10-minute flight. The public ferry leaves from Marigot, St. Martin’s capital, and, at about $58 round-trip including departure fees, is more economical than flying, which can cost several hundred dollars. Instead, save that money to hire a taxi for an all-day tour of the island – most drivers at the ferry terminal double as tour guides.

Anguilla’s beaches are like the Platonic form for Caribbean beaches everywhere: white, powdery sand, a turquoise crystalline sea and azure skies, not to mention coconut palms and sea grapes. Striking beaches are Shoal Bay, Cove Bay and Maundays Bay, where you’ll find the Cap Jaluca resort. You can do plenty besides swim: dine, snorkel, shop, ride horseback, scuba dive, enjoy music or have a massage.

While Anguilla, a 35-square-mile British territory, is largely known as an island where wealthy people own secluded homes or stay at large resorts, there are interesting activities. The Anguilla Heritage Trail is a self-guided tour of 10 historic sites. (Maps are at Wallblake House, the only surviving plantation house on the island.)

Details: ivisitanguilla.com.

Saba

You won’t find gorgeous beaches on Saba, but you’ll want to bring your swimsuit for other reasons. The Saba National Marine Park encircling the island offers world-class scuba diving and snorkeling.

Part of the Dutch Caribbean, this tiny island is 5 square miles with about 1,500 amiable residents, and aside from the scuba diving, a day on Saba is bit like stepping back in time. With only one road – named “The Road” – Saba is best toured by taxi, and knowledgeable drivers can be hired for a two- to three-hour tour (generally $50). Saba also is home to the world’s shortest commercial runway, with cliffs on one side and crags down to the sea on the other, making the landing harrowing but memorable. Flights are typically $120 to $150 round-trip; the private ferries from St. Martin are $80 to $90 round-trip.

Besides taking in the old Caribbean-style cottages clinging to Saba’s steep hillsides – most painted white with green shutters and orange roofs – hiking to the top of 2,887-foot Mount Scenery is a popular and rigorous activity, as is descending the 400 rugged steps to Ladder Bay for a picnic.

Details: sabatourism.com.

St. Eustatius

It may be hard to believe, but 11.8-square-mile St. Eustatius, commonly called Statia, was once called the “Emporium of the Western World” and “the Golden Rock.” In the 18th century, ships swarmed in its harbor, a center of commerce between the Americas and Europe.

An 11-gun salute in 1776, the first international recognition of American independence, changed all that, after which Great Britain destroyed warehouses and seized merchant goods, ruining the tiny island’s economy. Now part of the Dutch Caribbean, Statia attracts divers and hikers, much like Saba, but its well-preserved historic sites also draw history buffs.

Fort Oranje is well-maintained, with cannons, fortifications and a courtyard containing the island’s original Dutch Reformed Church, dating from 1776. Nearby is one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, Honen Dalim, built in 1738. The St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum is in the restored former headquarters of Lord George Rodney, a British admiral during the time of the American Revolution. The Lynch Plantation Museum has furnishings, family heirlooms, photos and household artifacts showing what life was like 100 years ago.

Statia has no regularly scheduled public ferry service, but there are a few flights daily from St. Martin, costing about $150 round-trip. Motor scooters can be rented for roughly $40 a day.

Details: statiatourism.com.

St. Barts

Those seeking to hobnob with other bon vivants are rarely disappointed with St. Barthelemy, often shortened to St. Barth or St. Barts. The 8.1-square-mile island, a hilly and rocky French territory, promises to keep pleasure-seekers occupied with its fine dining, hip clubs, water sports and shops stocking the latest European and American fashions – all against a gorgeous backdrop of beaches, sheltered bays and sea coves. People-watching is just one part of the fun.

For some of the best shopping in the Caribbean, try Quai de la Republique or the Carre d’Or plaza in Gustavia. Watch the uber-yachts come in at Baie de St.-Jean, or visit perhaps the nicest beach on St. Barts, the Anse de Grande Saline, with shopping, windsurfing and restaurants. Epicureans can try Le Ti St. Barth Caribbean Tavern or La Gaiac (reservations necessary).

Visitors to St. Barts have the choice of a 40-minute ferry ride or a 10-minute flight. Flights can be as cheap as $170 round-trip from St. Martin; private ferries can be roughly $120 round-trip.

Details: gotostbarths.com.