At the beginning
of a new year my thoughts turn to reviewing past experiences. John
and I agree that we love all our chocolate experiences, but some
chocolate destinations are our favorites.
Chocolate Town Without question
we both agree that Hershey, PA, our favorite chocolate town. You
gotta’ love a place where the streetlights are shaped
like Hershey Kisses, but we are impressed with the whole Hershey
story. Milton S. Hershey made chocolate affordable for everyone but
most people don’t realize he used part of his wealth to create a
home and a school for orphaned boys. Today the school continues to
open its door to those less fortunate. Besides the factory tour and
the museum the Hershey Spa features a menu of chocolate-related
treatments. It truly is “The Sweetest Place on Earth.” For more
information visit www.hersheypa.com.
Chocolate Street Hands down,
there is no street quite like the one in Bariloche, Argentina. Its
location above a lake in the Andes is breathtaking. Bariloche has a
very European feel to it, mainly because some of the earliest
settlers were from Europe. But it wasn’t until after World War II
that they began making chocolate. What is the benefit of having a
whole street lined with stores selling chocolate? The answer is each
store tries to make itself unique and tries to create the best
chocolate. John and I purchased small samples from each store and
took our goodies to the central park with a view of the lake and
called it lunch. Today is it considered the “Chocolate Capital of
Argentina.” For more information visit www.turismo.gov.ar.
Chocolate Museum We have been to several chocolate museums and the Chocolate Art
Museum in Prague has to be the most unique. Without a doubt, though,
John and I think the Choco-Story Museum in Brugge, Belgium, is the
best we have visited. Located in a historic building in the city
center that is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the museum covers
several floors. Besides detailing the history of chocolate it also
has demonstrations, workshops, and special children’s activities.
Many museums are part of a specific chocolate company. The Choco-Story
does not appear to be one of them, even though they sell a variety
of chocolate products. Visit www.choco-story.be.
Chocolate Buffet John and I have sampled wonderful chocolate delights in various
places in the U.S., Latin American, Europe, Asia, and Oceania but we
have not found anything that competes with the Chocolate Buffet at
the luxurious and historic Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Vietnam.
It was a bit of a surprise to find such an expansive chocolate
selection in Hanoi because, while everyone loves chocolate, Asians
are just developing their taste for “The Gift of the Gods,” as the
Mayans called it. Every Sunday the Sofitel Le Club spreads a buffet
that is yards long with every conceivable chocolate treat, including
ice cream made in-house. This was one place we threw caution to the
wind and tried as many different kinds of chocolate as we could.
Visit www.sofitel.com.
Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel
publications and to Creators Syndicate and has
co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.
Hands down,
there is no street quite like the one in Bariloche, Argentina. Its
location above a lake in the Andes is breathtaking. Bariloche has a
very European feel to it, mainly because some of the earliest
settlers were from Europe. But it wasn’t until after World War II
that they began making chocolate. What is the benefit of having a
whole street lined with stores selling chocolate? The answer is each
store tries to make itself unique and tries to create the best
chocolate. John and I purchased small samples from each store and
took our goodies to the central park with a view of the lake and
called it lunch. Today is it considered the “Chocolate Capital of
Argentina.” For more information visit 
We have been to several chocolate museums and the Chocolate Art
Museum in Prague has to be the most unique. Without a doubt, though,
John and I think the Choco-Story Museum in Brugge, Belgium, is the
best we have visited. Located in a historic building in the city
center that is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the museum covers
several floors. Besides detailing the history of chocolate it also
has demonstrations, workshops, and special children’s activities.
Many museums are part of a specific chocolate company. The Choco-Story
does not appear to be one of them, even though they sell a variety
of chocolate products. Visit 