Hershey Sweet Welcome Lights and Overnights #HersheyPA

Not sure what to do with the family this holiday season? Schedule some time in Hershey Park, it’s the perfect get away for the whole family: Hershey Park has something for everyone! Wondering where to stay while at Hershey? Don’t fret; Hershey has accommodations for every price point and style.
If your family is outdoorsy, try Hershey Park Camping Resort. You can book cabins, pitch a tent, or bring your RV.  So many housing options. But don’t think that you’ll miss out on the fun. There’s a shuttle that will take you to the park and weekends are  filled with family friendly activities.
Hershey Park Camping
These cabins are great. They sleep a whole family and have a bathroom and a small kitchen. And the porch! It would be great for watching the world go by, I think.
If roughing it isn’t your thing, you can try the Hershey Lodge.The Woodside Cottages at The Hotel Hershey make for a memorable holiday experience. The most premium accommodations at the Hotel, the Woodside Cottages feature larger bedrooms, world-class bathrooms and private outdoor entrances. Individual rooms or full cottages are available for reservations. Guests who reserve a full four- or six-bedroom cottage receive access to a multi-functional great room with cathedral ceilings, fireplace, microwave and wet bar.

Available at Hershey Lodge November 11 – December 29, 2016 (When Hersheypark Christmas Candylane is in operation)

Overnight packages during the holiday season include:

  • Christmas Candylane Package
  • Available at The Hotel Hershey November 25 – December 18, 2016 (Friday & Saturday nights)

    Package Includes: Deluxe accommodations, breakfast buffet with Santa per person, one-day admission to Hersheypark Christmas Candylane per person, admission for one vehicle to Hershey Sweet Lights, seasonal admission to Hershey Gardens, admission to The Hershey Story’s Museum Experience.

    • Lunch With Santa Package

    Available at The Hotel Hershey November 25 – December 18, 2016 (Friday nights)

    Package Includes: Deluxe accommodations, lunch buffet with Santa per person, one-day admission to Hersheypark Christmas Candylane per person, admission for one vehicle to Hershey Sweet Lights, seasonal admission to Hershey Gardens, admission to The Hershey Story’s Museum Experience.

New for 2016 is Hershey’s Water Works at Hershey Lodge. The new indoor pool complex includes two interactive indoor pools, Twizzlers Twists Slides, Reese’s Water Walk, water play structures and the Cocoa Cabana dining location with a full bar.
 
The pool has several lifeguards on duty so parents can chill out with the famous (chocolate) martinis at the bar. 
Need a little pampering? Then stay at The Hotel Hershey. The Spa at the Hotel Hershey will pamper you like you’ve never been pampered before. Leave the kids with the grandparents and indulge yourself in a little bit of grown up fun at The Hotel Hershey. It’s a world class resort and you could spend all day at The Spa pampering yourself! At the spa, known as The Chocolate Spa you can indulge in the steam room, sauna, an inhalation room, a silent meditation room, and of course you can get any chocolate treatment your little chocoholic heart desires. Want a whipped cocoa bath? It’s yours. Need a cocoa massage? Of course you do. Head over to their website to see all of the options. There are even non-chocolate options.
The following packages are available:

The Spa At The Hotel Hershey

  • Holiday Season Sampler

November 1 – January 31

$185 Monday -Thursday, $195 Fri-Sun

  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate Immersion

December 1 – January 31

$195 Monday -Thursday, $205 Fri-Sun

  • Peppermint Mocha Manicure & Pedicure

December 1 – February 28

$140 Monday -Thursday, $150 Fri-Sun

The Spa at Hotel Hershey Lounge

Here’s the lounge where you can rest while waiting for your appointment.  Hot water for hot chocolate and fresh cold water are available while you wait.

The decor of the spa is just as beautiful as you’d expect.

The Spa decor

This beautiful giant urn is also a quiet pool with tinkling water sounds for relaxation.

After your spa treatments you should totally indulge in the buffet with bellinis.

The spa bellini

Your first night at the park, I highly suggest checking out Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. Christmas Candylane is bringing back all the past favorites, along with all the new additions that were added last season. Wildcat, sooperdooperLooper, Cocoa Cruiser and Laff Trakk will be open during Candylane (weather pending). With Laff Trakk sporting a special holiday theme inside the indoor glow-coaster. Two NEW additions will be added to the rides open in Candylane; Wild Mouse and Howler. Four million sparkling lights will illuminate and excite as you make your way through Hersheypark.
Hershey Candylane

A NEW holiday show will be sure to put you in the holiday spirit, get ready for A Music Box Christmas. In addition, some of everyone’s favorite Candylane activities will be returning, including: Santa and his live reindeer, Rudolph’s Skating Pond, and NOEL, the breathtaking light show.

Christmas Candylane begins Friday, November 11th and is open on select dates through Sunday, January 1, 2017. For operational hours and dates visit www.Hersheypark.com.

Don’t miss the reindeer while you’re there!
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After you’ve had your fun at the park, drive through two miles of lighted displays from the comfort of your car in Hershey Sweet Lights. Enjoy illuminated holiday lights through the fields and wooded trails while listening to holiday music. Sweet Lights begins Friday, November 11th and is open on select dates through Sunday, January 1st.  For operational hours and dates visit www.Hersheypark.com.
sweetlights
When you’ve worn yourself out for the day, come back to your room and enjoy a special milk and cookies for kids or any one of the other delicious in-room amenity baskets available.
Hershey's Sweet welcome basket
Gift basket of yum.
cookies
Little kids (and the big ones) will love the extra touch of cookies and milk at bedtime.  The chocolate scented toiletries, and hershey kiss designs on the sheets and walls will have you dreaming of chocolate all night.
See the lights and spend the night in Hershey, PA; what a sweet weekend.
Disclaimer: Sweet Welcome was sponsored by HE&R and we received complimentary items and admission.

Sweet Welcome: Dining and History in Hershey #HersheyPA

Just when you think Hershey couldn’t get any better, think again. You’ll want to eat while at Hershey. In fact, you’ll want to eat a lot when you’re in Hershey.  If you want a holiday themed dinner and a show you could try  Holiday with Dickens at The Hotel Hershey Sunday, December 4 at 3:00 PM Holiday Tea ($40) and 6:30 PM. Holiday Dinner ($99).

Hershey Holiday Show

This heartwarming show-of-the-season is performed by Gerald Charles Dickens, the great, great grandson of literary master, Charles Dickens. During his energetic one-man show, Dickens brings A Christmas Carol to life. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 717-534-8800.

If it’s just you and your significant other, put on your best outfit and eat at The Circular, at The Hotel Hershey. I love The Circular breakfast because of the omelet station and the fresh squeezed orange juice. The decor is so breathtaking, restored to look as glamorous and beautiful as it did in the 1920s. Also? Chef Cher Harris was crowned Pastry Queen in the World Pastry Championship in Italy. She’s the chef for The Hotel Hershey so no matter what restaurant you eat at The Hotel Hershey, it’s sure to be delicious. While at the spa we noshed on an array of desserts that were awesome.

There are four other restaurants at The Hotel Hershey: Trevi 5 featuring Italian, Harvest, featuring American, the Cooca Beanery for your breakfast needs and the Iberian Lounge, which is a dark after hours bar, that looks like someplace Hemingway might enjoy.

hotel-hershey-views

Everywhere you turn there is something spectacular to look at.

If super fancy meals aren’t your style then you’ll still find something to suit at The Hershey Lodge. There’s Hershey Grill, The Bear’s Den, Coca Beanery Debbie Lebkicher’s, and The Forbear. While we didn’t eat at The Forebay, we heard that if you’d like to try wild game (boar, rabbit, venison) that The Forebay  is the place for you.

As much as I enjoyed the chocolate, my favorite meal was Devon’s Seafood + Steak, located in The Hershey Press Building. Chef Hellberg greeted us and he couldn’t have been cuter or nicer. I really valued that given my non dairy limitations they provided a meal that was as fulfilling and as beautifully plated as everyone else’s. 

No matter where you dine, you should totally try the chocolate martinis.

chocolatini

After a great meal, I think the next thing you should do is take the Chocolate & History Trolley. This trolly is THE best sightseeing tour you’ll ever go on! Seriously, the staff dresses up in period costumes and  “cover the inspiring story of Milton Hershey and the main sites of the town of Hershey (the original chocolate factory, Mr. Hershey’s birthplace, his home Highpoint Mansion, Chocolate Avenue, the Hershey Kiss Streetlights, HersheyPark, and Milton Hershey School).” They are entertaining AND they hand out chocolate every few minutes, what’s not to love? It’s incredibly charming and informational. It’s the best 75 minutes you’ll ever spend.

Whatever you decide to do, let Hershey give you a sweet welcome.
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Want to hear more? Click Here.  Interested in dining and lights? Check this out as well 🙂

Have a Hershey Valentines Day

Disclosure: The below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

It’s Valentines Day, and you know what that means- Chocolate.  For me, that means one name- Hershey’s!  It’s my favorite, and I love the variety that it comes in.  What better gift to get a choco-holic then chocolate?  Plus it’s the perfect “add on” gift or special something.

valentines day chocolate

Their current collection includes:

Hershey’s® Kisses

Hershey’s® Giant Kiss

Twizzlers® Cherry Hearts

Reese’s® Peanut Butter Heart

Jolly Ranchers®

All these would make any sweets lovers’ holiday complete.   My husband loves the Reese peanut butter hearts.  It is epically huge, and what’s better then a giant Reese?   If you ask my son, the giant Hershey kiss is better- but not by much.  That was always my grandfather’s favorite as well, and it reminds me of him every time I see one.  It’s a great memory, he used to love those. Just be sure to save some of those “giant” candies for later, and not give yourself a cavity and a stomach ache.  Be they sugary sweet candies like Jolly Ranchers, or licorice like Twizzlers, Hershey has a candy for everyone.
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Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate

I received a copy of Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate by William Curley to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

couture

Chocolate: it’s one thing most people love in an almost sinful way. You can make cakes, cookies, bars, drinks, truffles and treats of all kind with it. The art of skillfully creating with chocolate takes a certain type of culinary talent, not one that I posses. However, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying a book on the subject.

Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate BY William Curley is absolutely amazing and awe-inspiring. The book contains recipes and techniques for tempering and creating some of the most decedent chocolate treats I have ever seen.

The Good:

Couture Chocolate is as beautiful as it gets. The photos are absolutely stunning and look like display pieces one would see in some sort of chocolate museum. They truly are works of art. William Curley is an amazingly talented chef and has truly mastered the technique of working with chocolate based on his creativity in this book. I enjoyed the little bit at the beginning about his experiences with working with chocolate as well as the many photos that show some of the most difficult chocolatier techniques to preform.
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