We’re writing this post from our cliffside room overlooking Soufrière harbor in St Lucia. We had decided to take advantage of a shared January break to go on a family vacation at the start of the new year – this time in the Caribbean. We chose St Lucia for its mix of hiking, snorkeling, history, and nature – something for everyone.

The closest direct flight left from JFK airport, so we drove partway down to New Haven the night before. This gave us the chance to stop by Modern Apizza and sample their clams casino pie – yum! (Thanks, Cha!)

After a very early start to beat the commuters, a pleasant check-in, and a 5-hour flight, we landed here in paradise. Our friendly taxi driver from the airport pointed out many local attractions we hope to see this week. He has an interesting career, split between driving tourists and installing street lights, plus playing musical gigs in the evenings.

He dropped us off at our accommodations for the week, the Green Fig. An unavoidably prominent and unspeakably picturesque feature of the local landscape is the Petit Piton, the volcanic mountain visible in all the photos below. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and we can see why.

We arrived in late afternoon, but the staff greeted us with welcome drinks and kindly fed us a snack. We had just enough time for a dip in the pool nearest our room before heading to dinner. We’re going to hit the sack early tonight and look forward to exploring Soufrière in the morning.