Confession time: I am addicted to chocolate!

I love nearly every form of the delicious decadence. From creamy milk chocolate Easter bunny ears to chipotle chili and cinnamon laced dark chocolate to white chocolate’s velvety smooth creaminess, chocolate is a good friend of mine.

I know I’m not alone in my passion for all things cocoa. Speaking with various innkeepers, I know chocolate is often incorporated into many aspects of a bed and breakfast, everything from welcoming chocolate chip cookies or other baked treats to romance-package chocolate strawberries to the sweet chocolates left on pillows for turn-down service.

Between the dark and milk chocolate bars and the deliciously petite truffles, we tasted subtleties of flavors from the Orient through the Black Pearl Bar’s ginger, wasabi and black sesame seeds. From there we traveled south to Australia thanks to the Woolloomooloo Bar’s salty macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut and hemp seeds.

The enticement of chocolate’s sweet aroma often emanates throughout our favorite inns. When looking for a little something sweet, innkeepers often gravitate to local chocolatiers. But if the chocolate supply has been found lacking and guests are hoping for something a little more alluring than the traditional grocery store brands, there are many unique options.

The staff here at Suite Exchange eagerly became taste testers in a “sweet exchange” sampling of gourmet chocolates. Below is a sampling of the results.  Continue reading »