My wife and I are reclining on parallel massage tables. We have just been smeared from head to toe in molten dark chocolate, wrapped in fresh banana leaves and left to lie there contemplatively for half an hour in order to feel the full benefit of the Cacao Detox Body Wrap in the spa at the Rabot Hotel from Hotel Chocolatin Saint Lucia.
It's a most unusual, but also rather wonderful moment and is one of the myriad chocolate-infused experiences you can enjoy on this captivating Caribbean island. Ever since the 1700s, cacao has formed an essential part of daily life in Saint Lucia. Many islanders start every day with a cup of cacao tea; this staple morning beverage made from cacao sticks, milk and spices is said to have health-giving properties.
Cacao, which flourishes in the island's fertile volcanic soil, is also a vital element of Saint Lucia's export and tourism industries. As you travel round the island on the "Cocoa Trail" you can sample a dizzying variety of chocolate delights that even Willy Wonka might envy.
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Cacao flourishes in the island's fertile volcanic soil
(Image credit: Alamy / Sublimage)
There are already more than 150 Hotel Chocolat shops in the UK. But the lovely Rabot Hotel from Hotel Chocolat, which blends seamlessly into the surrounding rainforest, is the first in the world to open under the British brand name.
As well as the aforementioned Cacao Detox Body Wrap, visitors can go on a fascinating "Tree to Bar" tour at the 25-room boutique hotel, which is located near the vibrant town of Soufriere. During the tour, you are immersed in the world of the 144-acre cocoa farm; gardeners scurry hither and thither pushing wheelbarrows overflowing with multicoloured cocoa pods.
The tour takes visitors through the lush vegetation that covers most of the mountainous estate. It sprawls across the slopes beneath the Pitons, a pair of breathtaking volcanic peaks that erupted from the Caribbean Sea eons ago and have been granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Our guide outlines how over the past 20 years the estate has run a philanthropic "island growers programme", which donates seedlings to more than 70 local farmers to help them cultivate cacao. The tour concludes with a fun chocolate-making workshop at an open-air restaurant. You have to pound the cacao nibs extracted from the pods vigorously with a pestle for at least half an hour to turn it into a paste. After adding cocoa butter and sugar and pouring the liquid into a mould, you produce a bona fide chocolate bar.
The chocolate dance
The astounding 'Cacao-rima dance'
(Image credit: Fond Doux)
The Fond Doux Eco Resort, built on a 250-year-old cacao farm in the vicinity of Soufriere, offers a "Chocolate Heritage" tour. The property simply pulses with nature; wandering through its jungle, you feel like an extra in "Jurassic Park".
Our guide plucks a cacao pod off a tree and cracks it open. He invites us to suck one of the beans inside. It tastes like a child's sweet, and it is easy to see why in this state the beans are nicknamed "Jungle M&M's".
The highlight of the tour is the astounding "Cacao-rima dance", which is designed to shell the beans. Our amazingly agile demonstrator Shyne pours several tubs of beans moistened with cacao pod juice into a gigantic, 300-year-old cast-iron witches' cauldron. Gripping the rim tightly, Shyne leaps in and dances on the beans. His hypnotic, hyper-rapid movement is a cross between Soca dancing and skateboarding. There is a photo on the wall at Fond Doux of King Charles smiling as he watches the Cacao-rima dance. I'm sure it received the royal seal of approval.
A cocoa-themed menu
Grilled lamb smothered in dark chocolate at the Mango Tree
(Image credit: The Mango Tree)
Stonefield Villa Resort, a beautiful, 17-villa property also near Soufriere, serves up a very enticing "cocoa menu" every Friday night. Positioned under a mango tree at the hotel restaurant called, er, the Mango Tree, guests sit by a swimming pool on an idyllic wooden terrace with a view of the Pitons. There they can try the popular starter of chocolate shrimp tempura, deep-fried with cacao-infused butter and served with a cacao mango dip. Hear me out – it is actually far more delicious than it sounds. The saltiness of the shrimp cuts through the sweetness of the batter to create a memorable melange of flavours.
Also highly recommended is the main course of dark chocolate lamb. The chef's signature dish is grilled lamb smothered in a dark chocolate and red wine sauce. You can enjoy this delectable menu accompanied by the resonant tones of a steel band. My judgement on the hotel's chocolate menu? Stonefield, you are spoiling us.
The verdict
Soaking up the views in Saint Lucia
(Image credit: Matt Wild)
Chocolate raises your serotonin levels and floods your brain with joy. You can understand why the scientific name for the plant is "theobrama cocoa", which means "food of the gods". You can relish the treat every which way on Saint Lucia as there are more chocolate-based activities on the island than you can shake a Yorkie at. If you are lucky enough to visit any of the island's marvellous chocolate experiences, you might feel as if you've won the golden ticket.
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