Tucked away just an hour from the UK is a hotel entirely covered in chocolate.

This is a room that money can’t buy, but no, you don’t need a golden ticket – you just have to be the world’s sweetest person.

Tony’s Chocoloney has collaborated with the Social Hub in Amsterdam to gift a few people a night in the once-in-a-lifetime, chocolate-filled room.

And I was lucky enough to be the first person to stay here. From the cupboards and shelves stocked with chocolate, the intoxicating chocolate smell, and the words of kindness dotted across the place, the room was a unique place I will not quickly forget.

But it wasn’t just the edible chocolate in the bathroom that shocked me the most: it was the message behind the competition.

What to expect

I entered the room through large red drapes to discover it came complete with a personal bartender, who served me a drink of my choice. I went for the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, which was extremely delicious and indulgent. The bartender was friendly, attentive and chatty.

I was then left to explore the apartment’s three rooms: the main red one, a tucked-away blue room, and an upstairs black-and-white room. Each room had its own message and purpose: the red for community and connection, the blue for self-reflection, and the black and white for gratitude and recognition.

In the red room, I found a self-sufficient kitchen with a working cooker, coffee machine, sink, microwave, a build-your-own ice-cream sundae selection, a fully stacked fridge with a selection of drinks, and (most importantly) cupboards filled with chocolate.

Each guest has a shelf full of chocolate which they can take home, to share with the sweetest people they know (or someone less sweet, if they so choose). There were messages about kindness and connectivity everywhere; it was almost like being at dinner with Meghan Markle. There was even a chocolate Jenga on hand with questions on the wrappers.

The blue room has a lucky slot machine, which you need to find tokens around the suite to play. Inside, you can win chocolates and find self-reflective questions. I brought along my brother, who was asked: “What’s one belief you have changed your mind about?”

He replied: “That I’m not good enough.” This was not something I expected him to say or knew he had battled with, as to me, my older brother is nothing but perfect.

Lastly, we visited the black-and-white room, where you can leave a message of kindness for the staff or the next person staying.

Charlie Ayres, head of brand at The Social Hub, said: “We wanted every part of the room to spark togetherness and encourage kindness, using chocolate to create opportunities to share, interact and above all, be sweet to one another. This is a one-off, limited experience designed to celebrate some of the world’s sweetest people, while also telling a more important story. Through our partnership with Tony’s Chocolonely, we hope to spark conversation around exploitation in the chocolate industry, showing how experiences can be both joyful and meaningful.”

My stay in the chocolate-filled ‘red room’

The red room and the black and white room were where we were staying for the night, and the space is, quite simply, magical. As soon as I entered, I was greeted with a stunning chocolatey scent that isn’t sickly sweet but rather nutty and milky. Everything looks out of this world, and just as you think you’ve seen all the chocolate, you open a new cupboard or space, and there is more.

The bed itself felt like melting into a cloud, with a soft mattress and a thick blanket. I personally wished the room were a bit warmer as it was a large space with only air conditioning and no heating.

However, there were plenty of blankets to use, which made me snug and cosy. One issue was the television, which we couldn’t seem to get working, but this forced my brother and me to keep chatting.

I woke up feeling extremely rested. We treated ourselves to a delicious sundae before receiving a warm and lovely wake-up call, which reminded us to take the sweetness we learnt and project it to the world.

Commenting on his experience after the event, my brother said: “Sweetness and warmth even down to the scent wafting throughout the rooms. It had a spacious bathroom, a comfortable bed and an abundance of chocolate as a treat at hand, anywhere you looked. Thought and caring touches sprinkled throughout promoting mindfulness and a reminder that peace doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”

The chocolate-filled room will be open for the next five days. Fans in Amsterdam can also experience the space on March 29 from 1pm.

The message

When the world needs a little sweetness, this collaboration aims to encourage people to connect with family, friends, and even strangers, and to recognise the importance of making choices that positively impact those around them.

Trix van der Vleuten, chief marketing officer at The Social Hub, told me: “The world feels increasingly divided. We’re more digitally connected than ever, yet loneliness is rising. We wanted to come together with Tony’s to showcase that sweetness, simple, human kindness, matters more than ever, and that people can enjoy our products while positively impacting society.”

Through the launch, Tony’s Chocolonely hopes to highlight its efforts to help around 40,000 cocoa farmers earn a living income. The company’s chief of global brand and communications, Sadira E. Furlow, said that the brand aims to end exploitation in the cocoa industry by proving that chocolate can be made more ethically.

Find out more about how you can stay at the Social Hub here.