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A Chocoholic's Ultimate Weekend Escape in the Hunter Valley
By: Bec Mowbray, Yahoo!7 Travel

I visited the Hunter Valley for the first time ever a few months ago (read my article here). It was an amazing experience and I knew it wouldn't be long until I would return - especially after I heard that the annual Hunter Valley Chocolate Festival was coming up in August.

There was no way on Earth that I was going to miss out on that! And I didn't...

Escape from the city
Last time I drove to the Hunter Valley I left Sydney at 5pm on a Friday night. A word of advice - do not do this! Not only was it a slow and frustrating trip, it was also dark before we got out of the built-up city streets and onto the scenic highway.

This time, however, I decided to rise early on Saturday morning and begin my weekend escape at around 8am - and what a difference it made! The morning sun had just started to warm the air and shed light on the scenic country views that I had unfortunately missed the last time around.

The Hunter Valley Chocolate Festival
As soon as I arrived I checked in to my accommodation, Harrigan's Irish Pub, grabbed my tickets and practically ran down the road to the Hunter Valley Gardens to kick off my weekend of chocolate binging.

It's so convenient that Harrigan's is so close, because the Gardens were absolutely packed, with no available parking in sight!

Great expectations
Being a little bit (that's a lie... a lot of) a chocoholic, I had extremely high expectations for the Hunter Valley Chocolate Festival, and while the overall experience was fun, I personally feel like the whole affair could have been a lot more 'chocolatey.'

I was expecting rows and rows of exotic chocolates from all over the globe, with tempting free samples and chocolate fountains as far as the eye could see. Think Willy Wonka and you'll get a vague idea of what I was hoping for.

The Chocolate Pavilion
Mostly, however, there were stalls from various retailers and companies around the area, spruiking their products, which included coffees, cookies, lollies, slices, cakes (amazing cakes, might I add), and even decorative soaps.

There were a few stalls boasting chocolatey treats, but nothing spectacular that I couldn't easily find in my local area (Darrel Lea, for example). I ended up settling for a strawberry cup with melted chocolate drizzled over the top. There were plenty of stalls selling these. While they were tasty, they don't exactly excite your tastebuds.

While all of the stalls were fascinating and I definitely found more than a few yummy treats to fill my belly, I left the pavilion feeling a little chocolate-deprived.

The Main Stage
I left the pavilion and headed down to the Main Stage for the History of Chocolate presentation and then a cooking demonstration with Better Homes and Garden's Celebrity Chef, 'Fast Eddy.'

If you visit the Chocolate Festival next year, make sure you catch at least one of the shows on the main stage. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the fascinating history of chocolate and how it has evolved from the simple cocoa bean to the sweet and delicious treat we know today.

If you are a fan of cooking shows, you will absolutely love the cooking demonstrations as well (especially the ones where you can taste the delicious end product.)

Not quite a chocolate fantasy
While I wish that the Chocolate Festival was a little more like the fantasy I created in my mind, I have to admit it was a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday - and if you have kids, it would make a fantastic family day out. But I don't think that you can get a whole weekend (or even a full day's) excitement out of the festival.

More than chocolate
But fortunately that's part of the beauty of setting it within the gorgeous Hunter Valley Gardens. After I had had enough of the Chocolate Festival, I easily enjoyed another hour or so just wandering through the Gardens, marvelling once again at the creativity and beauty of the different gardens. After seeing each of the gardens again, though, my favourite remains the children's Storybook Garden.

Tempus Two
I didn't visit any wineries on my first visit to the Hunter. But this time I made it one of my top priorities (apart from eating my own bodyweight in chocolate) to go and visit at least one winery.

Now that I'd experienced all that the Chocolate festival had to offer, I had Sunday free to do just that, and I had it on good authority that Tempus Two was the one not to miss.

I was not disappointed. Tempus Two is not only one of the most highly acclaimed cellar-doors, but it also boasts a gourmet Japanese restaurant, the most delicious gelato made on the premises, and is also home to the one-and-only Smelly Cheese Shop's Hall of Food.

Gelato
The gelato is the most delicious I have ever seen and tasted in my life! (And I have tasted more than my fair share of ice-cream, let me tell you!) You will be spoilt for choice here, with enough flavours to get everybody's mouths watering. I tried the coconut and the baileys flavoured gelato - both amazing. I'll definitely be visiting again and again until I can proudly say that I have tried all of the yummy flavours!

Hall of Food
The Smelly Cheese Shop's Hall of Food will blow you away. Even for someone who doesn't really know their cheeses, this place opens up your eyes and taste buds to a whole new and tasty world. This is the place to pick up quality cheeses, fresh crusty breads, flavoured olive oils, olives, spreads and even kitchen utensils! If it's gourmet, it's here!

A perfect winter's afternoon
Sitting on the grass lawn of Tempus Two on a warm sunny winter's day is just perfection. Add to that two scoops of amazing gelato and a glass of their own copper-labelled Moscato and you'll be in pure heaven!

Note: definitely pick up a bottle (or four, like I did) of Tempus Two Moscato - trust me, if you have a little bit of a sweet tooth, you'll definitely love this one.

Back to reality
I left for the Hunter Valley expecting a full weekend of chocolatey fun, and while the festival itself didn't keep me completely occupied for two whole days, it was still an extraordinary weekend full of warm weather, yummy treats, fruit and cheese, deliciously satisfying Moscato and that sense of complete freedom the Hunter always seems to instil upon its visitors.

Click here for more information on the Hunter Valley Gardens.

Related Links:
Hunter Valley Heaven
Eating your way through the Hunter Valley
Top 10 Hunter Valley Gardens Events