I visited Hotel Chocolat in Newport, and found a true chocoholic's haven

AFTER hearing nothing but rave reviews on social media about the Hotel Chocolat concept store that had recently opened in Newport, we headed down to try it out for ourselves. Sallie Phillips reports.

As someone who loves chocolate, this was somewhere I was very keen to visit when it was announced that the new store would be opening in March this year.

Upon entering the shop, it was lined wall to wall with chocolate in almost every flavour and style imaginable.

Right at the back is the famous 'Wall of Chocolate' where customers can find their 'Love Match' with chocolates, choosing from a range of milk, dark, white, truffle and pralines, among many others.

The famous Wall of Chocolate (Image: NQ) Each chocolate comes in a small bag that can be mixed and matched with up to six others for a special gift for someone, or for yourself to try all the different flavours on offer.

As well as this, there are selection boxes of chocolates, slabs, and even 'panels', designed as thin sticks of chocolate in boxes of sizes of your choice.

My favourites from the Wall of Chocolate (Image: NQ)

After choosing my favourites from the Wall of Chocolate, I wanted to give the iconic Velvetiser Café a try, particularly their ice cream that has garnered so much praise online.

The café also offers a variety of hot drinks, cakes and more.

However, the ice cream is clearly the star of the show, given that it is listed on the menu as 'ice cream of the gods'.

Hotel Chocolat's 'ice cream of the gods' (Image: NQ) Infused with a mix of Jersey milk and cream with pure roasted cacao nibs that are then removed with a sieve, this desert is creamy beyond imagination, and certainly lives up to its name.

Silky smooth and drenched in your choice of sauce, including chocolate or salted caramel, this luxury desert is available for just £3.45, and comes highly recommended from many customers who have visited and raved about it.

I was even given a free milk chocolate shard to enjoy, and can thoroughly agree that this ice cream is phenomenal, and that everyone should head down to Hotel Chocolat to try it.

The Hotel Chocolat in Newport is in Newport Retail Park on Spytty Road, between Vision Express and Trespass. 

Their opening hours are 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm Sunday.