Cashew Villa, Soufriere, St Lucia

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This is being written on our apartment balcony. The sun is setting over the Caribbean in front of us. To the left, the twin peaks of the Piton mountains. To the right, is Anse Chastanet, our local beach. In the fridge, some kingfish steaks and fresh vegetables for dinner ... and some good local rum, just £6 a litre.

From St Lucia airport, we drove off in a rather old Suzuki jeep – that's what a cheap rental gets you here. It proved ideal on some pretty poor roads, especially when we hit the final two miles to the villa, a steep and rough switchback that climbed up Hummingbird hill until we reached the villa and the view in the photos.

We have tried to work at the local pace today, with a trip to Soufriere to shop. When we fail to find the fish market, a local gentleman walks with us to the edge of town and points us in the right direction. He isn't selling or looking for a tip, he is just keen to help two visitors.

The fish market is small and everything is clearly this morning's catch. Dorado, kingfish, snapper and others that we fail to recognise. We decide on kingfish and then walk across to the neighbouring fruit and veg. market – where, again, identifying what they are selling proves tricky. Then a short walk over the river bridge takes us to the bakers and, finally, we cross the street to the miniature supermarket. Nothing is very far in Soufriere

Once the midday heat has passed, we wander out again to investigate Anse Chastanet, the beach at the end of our road. It proves to be a lovely long stretch of volcanic sand with leaning palms trees behind.

Tomorrow we plan to explore a little more – perhaps the botanical gardens, where there are said to be some good walking trails

Did we mention the weather? Well, it is more than 20 degrees warmer than when we left England but there are a few clouds in the sky, honest. More next week.

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