Far south in the Caribbean, at the end of a string of islands that starts with the Dominican Republic and works its way in an arc south toward Venezuela, lies the country of Grenada. (Pronounced as if you’re saying “grenade-a.”) This laid-back spot is far from the maddening tourist crowds that have taken over other cruise ship stops, which is what makes it so appealing. At least for me. My four days there were short but oh-so-sweet—both figuratively and literally.

Known as The Spice Isle, Grenada is famed for the nutmeg and mace it produces. (If you’re not familiar with mace, it’s a red, weblike coating that’s wrapped around each ball of nutmeg.) Nutmeg is in almost everything that you’ll eat, both sweet and savory. The island also has a good reputation for the chocolate it crafts—rightly so—and you can get a bean-to-bar look at how it’s made by visiting one of the “factories.” We stopped at Belmont Estate, where our guide cracked open a cocoa pod and explained how the seeds were first fermented, then dried, ground, formed into bars and aged. Their packaging is top-notch, too, so make sure to get a bar or two to take home as gifts.

BTW, if you’d like to check two things off your to-do list, I highly recommend stopping at the House of Chocolate in St. George and getting a scoop of the nutmeg ice cream while you stock up on chocolate bars from around the island.

As we were driving back to the resort (more on that below), we stopped in the rain forest at the Grand Etang National Park where our guide, Dwayne from Sweet Grenada Tours, did his best to entice one of the locals to strut his stuff. And by “locals,” I mean the mona monkeys that live in the park. Success! While these guys are wild, they’re not timid around people—especially those promising bananas—and you can see ours enjoying his treat while I’m enjoying him sitting on my shoulder (and not peeing on me).

The rest of the time I spent chilling at Silversands, the newest resort on the island. The centerpiece is an infinity pool that runs from the reception area all the way down to the beach, Grand Anse, a 2-mile stretch of sand that runs along turquoise water. Walk its length and you’ll find a few restaurants and bars (I ducked into Umbrellas during a short rain story for a cocktail—quite a lengthy list) and a craft market.

I decided to camp out by the pool, enjoying the view (and the drinks; the Water Daisy is made with an olive oil tequila and watermelon—do not miss it!!) at the hotel. The service is amazing—everyone seems genuinely friendly and is willing to chat about the island and help you out with whatever you need. And if you don’t feel like wandering too far, you can hunker down and take your meals at one of the two restaurants. (Another menu suggestion: the bang bang shrimp at Asiatique. Total yum.)

Another cool thing about Silversands is that you can control everything in your room via an app. I sat in bed one night opening and closing the mosquito blinds, watching the window blinds move back and forth, turning down the air conditioning and making the lights dim and brighten. (What can I say? I’m easily entertained.) While I did miss having Alexa to do everything for me, this was pretty close.

Would I go back? Definitely—especially if I were in the mood to just lounge, take walks along the beach (the sunsets are amazing!) and not feel rushed to do anything. There’s plenty of time to cross things off my to-do list once back home.