THIS August, Saint Lucia’s Chocolate Heritage Month offers travellers a variety of ways to satisfy their sweet tooth.
From inventive “choc-tails,” chocolate infused spa treatments, cocoa plantation tours and specialty tasting menus, visitors to Saint Lucia this summer can sink their teeth into Saint Lucia’s rich history of cocoa production.
Hotels and resorts islandwide are also offering decadent deals for couples and families with savings of up to 50 percent off standard rates.
Saint Lucia’s chocolate legacy dates back to the thriving cocoa industry of the 1700s and the island continues to produce some of the world’s most sought-after chocolate.
Hotels and resorts celebrate this rich heritage with inventive chocolate services and amenities, as well as agri-tourism experiences for guests. Many of Saint Lucia’s top restaurants incorporate native cocoa into both sweet and savoury menu items, while resort spas create chocolate-infused spa treatments that are both indulgent and healthful.
For a deeper look into the island’s chocolate heritage, plantation tours at Morne Coubaril Estate and La Dauphine Estate showcase the tradition of Saint Lucian cocoa production. The Fond Doux Holiday Plantation tour leads guests through the cocoa fermentation house where visitors can participate in the traditional “cocoa-rina” dance to polish the cocoa beans while Jade Mountain’s Emerald Estate, Organic Chocolate, and Chocolate Laboratory offers guests a behind-the-scenes look at a bean-to-bar, single estate boutique chocolate maker.
The Tree to Bar Experience at Hotel Chocolat guides visitors through the many stages of chocolate production, from seedling nursery, fermenting room and sun-drying station to grinding, mixing and tasting.
“Travelers can discover sweet treats and decadent eats when they visit Saint Lucia during Chocolate Heritage Month,” Tracey Warner-Arnold, Deputy Director of Tourism said. “The celebration of our chocolate heritage, along with Saint Lucia’s growing reputation as a culinary destination, adds another layer of fun that visitors can taste only in Saint Lucia.”