For couples who covet sweet entertainment without the crowds, modest little Hershey, Pennsylvania can be a delicious honeymoon destination. Hershey has everything one might look for in a sigh-worthy site without overpriced package deals or grown-ups in cartoon costumes.
A recent off-season visit to the luxurious Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania revealed a perfectly timed adventure replete with winter holiday festivities, outstanding dining, spa choices, and cozy corners to be discovered in the nooks and crannies of the spectacular Hotel Hershey and environs. If you both love chocolate and desire a sweet beginning to a long-lasting marriage, this is a honeymoon choice (Hershey) bar none.
Hershey Is Honeymoon Heaven
Hershey is a small town three hours northwest of New York City, and accessible by train, plane, or car. It was founded by entrepreneur Milton Hershey, who after a series of bungled career moves, discovered the world’s penchant for the sweet stuff. Hershey eventually constructed a town geared towards the manufacture of Hershey chocolate and a lasting legacy of philanthropy very much in evidence to this day.
An amusement park, wildly popular in summer, a hockey arena, a Chocolate World simulated factory tour, and historical museum are but a few of the attractions that lure visitors to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Besides amusement-park-loving families, honeymoon couples are also among the faithful who flock to Hershey, seeking a refuge (and a playground) in which to enjoy their new couple status.
The Hotel Hershey
The Hotel Hershey is an especially appealing site for the recently wed. This Mobil-rated, four-star, AAA four-diamond property in central Pennsylvania sits high atop 300 panoramic acres. The site offers a sweeping view of the rolling hills of the Keystone State.
The Hotel Hershey has been called palatial by many world travelers, including the famed Lowell Thomas, who deemed the destination “…a palace that out-palaces the palaces of the Maharajahs of India.”
Inspired by a trip to Europe in the early 1930s, town founder Milton Hershey built the classic hotel during the Depression and had it reflect his Mediterranean preferences.
The Hotel Hershey, a member of the Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, offers 234 deluxe rooms and 27 suites that are ample and well-appointed; romantic and cozy at the same time. The Hotel Hershey also features a private golf course, lush gardens, and an elegant restaurant, all perfect for honeymoon romantics.
The Tastes of The Hotel Hershey
The Hotel Hershey is not merely an award-winning hotel, it is also a charming throwback to an era when small pleasures were the goal, not an afterthought. The Hotel Hershey is noted for its outstanding service.
Breakfast and dinner offer romantic views in The Hotel Hershey’s Circular Dining Room, designed specifically so every view offers glimpses of the well-maintained gardens and rolling landscape. If a couple doesn’t feel like dressing up for the more formal dinners at the Circular Dining Room (jackets required for dinner) then The Fountain Cafe is the place to dine. It offers fresh fish and delectable soups and salads.
Breakfast is buffet style in the Circular Dining Room, and casual wear is the norm at that time of day. In the sunnier seasons, the Clubhouse Café and Creamery, just off The Hotel Hershey’s 9-hole golf course, serves overstuffed sandwiches and hand-dipped ice cream.
With its sweeping circular common space, decorated with mosaic tile and an architect’s know-how, The Hotel Hershey is a sweet spot for those looking for a cocoa haven heaven.
Grown-Up Pleasures in Hershey
For couples who seek out a little more excitement (but not too much), Hersheypark, Hershey Gardens, and the Hershey Museum are a free seasonal bus stop away. Nature trails, carriage rides, and winter activities will fill up the rest of your “to do” list in Hershey and of course, couples can make their own fun regardless of location.
The Spa, a 3-story European-style facility, is two years old and plans are already underway to expand. With an indoor reflecting pool with outdoor views, the spa and gym offer enough body-and-mind treatments to please the savviest spa-lover and exercise enthusiast and will not disappoint.
Shops on site include The Jeweler (with lovely pendants, bracelets, and accoutrements, in case you need to add to your collection) and souvenirs “indigenous” to the site. We’re talking about chocolate-scented candles contained in tin Hershey Syrup containers, among other sweet things. What better souvenirs to take back home?
They don’t call Hershey the "land of sweet indulgence” for nothing.
