A chocolate-themed hotel, complete with chocolate shop and chocolate menu in the restaurant, is the obvious place to stay for the upcoming Eurochocolate festival 2008 in Perugia

I have just heard of a place that has piqued my curiosity. I have never been there (yet) but I read good reviews of it and it intrigued me so much I have decided to write about it anyway, while making plans to visit it some time soon. It is the Etruscan Chochotel, the world’s first hotel devoted to chocolate.
Situated in Perugia, this unusual three-star place has 94 rooms laid across three aptly named floors—Milk, Gianduja and Dark—and decorated in shades of chocolate brown, with just a touch of Etruscan-inspired frescoes to break the choc-obsession and remind guests of the town’s ancient heritage.
For aspiring Peter Pans (or families with children) there are also 24 Sweet Rooms with fitness area, relaxing music, playstation, Xbox and PCs.
And in every room, Sweet or otherwise, scattered on the chocodesk by the bedside are pralines and bonbons to tease the palate and prepare it for the gustatory delights of the hotel’s restaurant. Guests can choose from two menus—à la carte for a triumph of baked ricotta, truffle gnocchi, spelt creamed with sausage and truffles, a plateful of Umbrian salumi or a simple, juicy, gigantic steak; or the chocomenu, a celebration of chocolate and cocoa from starter (ricotta tart with chocolate drops and sweet peppers cream) to dessert (a chocolate cake with a molten chocolate core and vanilla-scented custard).
For true chocoholics, there is also a chocolate shop selling velvety concoctions by Italian and foreign chocolatiers such as Amedei, Domori, Gobino and Maide, as well as books, cups and even cocoa shampoo, soap and body lotion.
With the annual Eurochocolate taking place in Perugia between 18 and 24 October, the hotel is offering special packages, which include a chocolate-enriched breakfast, a sweet little present and two chococards for discounts at museums, cafés, restaurants and chocolate shops in Perugia. Best of all is the Sweet Suite package, where guests stay in a special room strewn with chocolate and pralines which they can take away when they leave (assuming they don’t eat it all first, as I would do).
It sounds like the perfect place to stay if you are planning to attend the nine-day Eurochocolate extravaganza, where you can see artists create sculptures out of a ton of black chocolate, win six chests full of chocolate, or treat yourself to a chocolate massage.
And if your birthday is some time between now and the end of December, you can have an even sweeter treat from Chochotel. The birthday man (or lady) will pay only €0.99 on the day of his or her birthday, while friends and family can take advantage of a 10% discount (all subject to availability).

For more information on the Chochotel, visit www.chocohotel.it or call +39 075 583 7314. Regular rates start from €44 to €100 per person per night, including breakfast. For more information on Eurochocolate, visit www.eurochocolate.com or call +39 0 75 502 5880.