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Penang, Malaysia, is a wonderful
destination. George Town, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage
City. On a tour of the heritage sites we noticed that next to the
deep blue historic Cheong
Fatt Tze Mansion, built by a wealthy
tycoon at the beginning of the 20th century, another
classic building was built by one of the Chinese merchants. Today it
is called The Chocolate Boutique. Needless to say we had to visit.
Yoges gave us a house tour with each room of the mansion
featuring a different type of chocolate, and, of course, there were
luscious flavors to sample. The boutique offers 80 types of
chocolate. From the Tiramisu Chocolate Room we visited John’s
favorite, The Healthy Chocolate Room, where the dark chocolate is
thought to lower blood pressure. Personally, I found the Fruit
Chocolate Room totally irresistible, especially the chocolate with
fresh mango. We even
tried the chocolate with durian, the famed fruit of Asia noted for
its obnoxious odor. It too tasted great with the smell of chocolate
covering any bad smell. We ended our tour with their special blended
White Coffee, a coffee unique to Penang which comes in many flavors.
At the end of the visit Mr. Anel, our driver,
asked, “You like chocolate?” He received a resounding, “Of course!”
He suggested, “There is another chocolate store on the way to
your hotel, would you like to stop?” Again, we chorused, “Of
course!”
At the Cocoa
Boutique, Ms. Moon showed us the wide selection. We loved all the
sampling, including the Crunchy Coconut, Sesame Chocolate with its
nutty taste, and Tongkat Ali, also known as Ali’s Walking Stick or
ginseng, long touted to boost energy and vitality, especially for
the men. There were sugar-free chocolates made with maltitol and a
display of handmade chocolate.
After our city tour ended on such a sweet and
chocolately note, we returned to our hotel, the Park Royal. The
hotel is beautiful with a long sandy beach and two pools.
We were chatting with Ms. Dawn, one of the hotel’s staff,
telling her about our wonderful chocolate find and she suggested,
“If you love chocolate you should go to our St. Gregory Spa and try
their Chocolate Mud Body Mask.”
As much as we love chocolate we were hesitant
about being covered in chocolate. “Come I should show you our St.
Gregory Spa. The spa offers body massages along with an
extensive range of facial and other therapeutic treatments such as Thalgo marine facial
and massage treatments.
After our quick tour of the full-service spa, Callie, one the spa
therapists, offered, “Here let me put a little of the dark chocolate
on your hand and afterwards I am sure you will want to try our
Chocolate Mud Body Mask.” We could not resist something that
offered: “A sensuous treat for chocolate lovers. Milk, honey and
chocolate are applied on your body to firm and nourish your skin.”
After days in the sun it sounded like the right thing to do. We ate
chocolate because it is good for our health and now it is also good
for our skin. Penang and the Park Royal are definitely for chocolate lovers.
Visit www.parkroyalhotels.com,
www.visitpenang.gov.my,
and/or www.tourism.gov.my.
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.
Photos by J. J. Scott.
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