Confession: I like winter. I really do.

I like Christmas and I like snow and I like hot cider (even better when spiked: this recipe is amazing) and I like staying in under cozy blankets and writing and drinking tea. But yesterday as I was walking home from the subway, the wind off the East River in my face, my fingers frozen even through my gloves, I found myself dreaming of warmer climates.

I never used to think of myself of a Caribbean-type person; my travel-style has always been more adventure-inclined. However, there is something really nice about a trip where you’re supposed to just lie on a beautiful beach all day. If you’re up for one of those, I highly recommend St. John. It’s a quick flight (from the East Coast), tiny, not touristy, made up entirely of beautiful beaches, breathtaking sunsets, and painkillers (the best cocktail ever–and it doesn’t taste the same if you make it at home). We stayed at Gallow’s Point half the time, and the rest rented a beautiful house up in the cliffs where we could look out over this inlet.

It was a different kind of travel experience for me, to be sure, but isn’t that what wanderlust is all about–trying new things?