Above: a cacao-accented dish at Boucan by Hotel Chocolat in St Lucia (CJ Photo)
By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor
St Lucia will celebrate the island’s annual Chocolate Heritage Month in August, celebrating the island’s rich centuries-long history of cocoa production.
Over the course of the month, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board wil be offering travelers a variety of chocolate-themed activities and experiences, including chocolate-infused spa treatments, cocoa plantation tours, inventive “choc-tails,” specialty tasting menus and island-wide hotel and resort offers featuring savings up to 50-percent off accommodations.
“Travelers are in for a sweet treat when they visit Saint Lucia during Chocolate Heritage Month,” said St Lucia’s deputy director of tourism, Tracey Warner-Arnold. “Saint Lucia’s reputation as a premier culinary destination is growing tremendously, and the celebration of our chocolate heritage adds another layer of fun – and tasty – exploration for visitors.”
St. Lucia’s chocolate legacy began in with the thriving cocoa industry in the 1700’s, and to this day the island produces some of the world’s most desired chocolate.
Hotels and resorts are promoting this part of the island’s heritage through creative chocolate services and amenities, hands-on agritourism experiences, and the use of native cocoa in both the kitchen and spa.
One of the island’s top hotels, Boucan by Hotel Chocolat, is set on a working cacao plantation in the Soufriere area.
