Good news chocolate lovers – we’ve found your happy place. In fact, we’ve found 17 of them, from hotels set among cocoa bean groves to master classes with the world’s finest chocolatiers and chocolate museums. Travel the world for your passion and make your next holiday just a little bit sweeter.
1. Margaret River Chocolate Factory, Australia
Free entry, free tastings – do you need any more reasons to visit? If so, the signature cashew clusters, salted caramel truffles and surrounding wineries might make it even harder to resist.
2. World Chocolate Wonderland, Shanghai, China
A chocolate theme park? Oh yes – and it’s glorious. Take a wander through the sweetest world ever with buildings, cars and trees, all created from chocolate.
3. Rabot Hotel, Saint Lucia, Caribbean
Set among the heady cocoa groves of Saint Lucia’s oldest cocoa plantation, this luxe hotel offers cocoa spa treatments and chocolate tours around the estate.
4. Swiss Chocolate Train, Switzerland
Travel in first class comfort through the famous chocolate making riviera region and visit the Nestle factory. We hear it’s a sweet ride.
5. ChocoMuseo, various locations, Peru
Head straight to the source of your favourite treat. This plantation grows and makes chocolate. Learn to grind your own cocoa beans in the “make it yourself” workshop.
6. Chocolate Museum, Cologne, Germany
In Rheinau Harbour in the Old Town there lies a museum, with an amazing 4,000 sq m all dedicated to the history and culture of chocolate.
7. Chocolate Walking Tour, Brussels, Belgium
See chocolatiers at work and savour delectable samples as you tour some of the city’s famous chocolate shops and makers.
8. Cooking Class at Valrhona’s Ecole du Grand Chocolat, Paris, France
Learn from Parisian master chocolatiers with a week-long, hands-on chocolate making course. For serious chocolate connoisseurs only.
9. Rosas & Xocolate Hotel, Yucatan, Mexico
This romantic, Mayan-inspired mansion offers chocolate-based spa treatments and sweet-smelling amenities lovingly engineered by renowned Belgian chocolatier, Mathieu Brees.
10. Chocolate Week at Olympia Hall, London, UK
This October, indulge in abundant tastings and try out your chocolate making skills at this week-long, all-about-chocolate festival, in its fourth impressive year.
11. Hummingbird Chocolate Shop, Ottawa, Canada
Experts recently awarded their “Hispaniola 70 per cent cacao bar” the best dark chocolate in the world. A must visit on any chocolate lover’s itinerary.
12. Omnom Chocolate Tour, Reykjavík, Iceland
Sea Salt, Persian liquorice, coffee and burnt sugar – watch Icelandic Omnom chocolate makers blend unique flavour combinations to create pure magic.
13. El Castillo del Cacao, Nicaragua, Central America
The first chocolate factory in one of the world’s finest cacao growing regions. Tour the factory and observe the traditional techniques, from roasting and cracking to tempering and tasting.
14. Cadbury World, Birmingham, UK
Take a British chocolate day trip to the world of Cadbury chocolate. Try the 4D experience and ride the crunchie rollercoaster which dives right into a pool of liquid chocolate.
15. The Shop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Drop into the Shop, Cambodia’s first chocolate production workshop and try uniquely delicious local flavours such as their Mondolkiri honey pralines.
16. Haigh’s Chocolate Factory, Adelaide, Australia
Heading to South Australia? Don’t miss visiting this famous Aussie chocolate brand’s headquarters. See skilled confectioners hard at work as they handcraft exquisite sweets.
17. Fudge Cottage, Christchurch, New Zealand
Watch and drool as a 30kg batch of mouth watering hot fudge is poured out to be sliced (and then tasted, but naturally).
– TEXT BY LUCY CLEEVE
This article was originally published by Singapore Press Holdings.
