This past weekend, I was in New York, celebrating some upcoming birthdays for family members. I’m funny about where I stay. The crowds in Times Square are a little too much for my brain, so I have always enjoyed staying around Central Park. This past weekend, we opted to stay at The Sherry-Netherland Hotel, a place I had stayed before and loved…and we loved it even more this time! In 2016, it was voted the number one hotel in America by TripAdvisor.

There are lots of reasons we love the hotel: the location, directly across the street from the main entrance to Central Park; great service; warm, friendly staff; large rooms and gigantic suites; gorgeous lobby frescoes; room service from Harry Cipriani; attention to detail; elevator operators; fresh flowers; individually decorated suites and rooms; and last but not least…Louis Sherry Chocolates.

I research hotels. I don’t just make reservations all willy-nilly, unless I’m traveling for my daughter’s sports team…then it’s all about convenience. But when I’m traveling for “leisure,” I do my homework. I research everything: the reviews on TripAdvisor; the location; the square footage of the rooms; the outdoor spaces; room service; rooms with views; special rates and packages; and any other amenities. I like to enjoy my stay to its fullest, and I’ve found that spending a little extra time checking reviews and specials is time well spent. And when I first researched The Sherry-Netherland, besides the outstanding reviews the hotel had, I noticed they put Louis Sherry Chocolates in every room. Sold! Chocolate waiting for me every day? You don’t have to tell me twice! I booked it right then! In all seriousness…the TripAdvisor reviews were glowing, and after reading more about the hotel’s history in Forbes Magazine (see it here), I was intrigued. I read more about the hotel’s celebrity history at gothamist.com (David Bowie, Diana Ross, Barbra Streissand, and more), and you can see that here. You can see the website for The Sherry-Netherland Hotel here.

So yes, we love The Sherry-Netherland Hotel (it was outside this very hotel where I once ran into one of the original Charlie’s Angels!), but we also love the chocolates.

If you’ve never had Louis Sherry Chocolates, you’re missing a treat. In the rooms at the hotel, they’ve always left small tins of chocolate almonds. They’re fantastic…chocolatey but not too sweet…a perfect treat after coming in from a night out. But since that first stay in 2018, I’ve sent Louis Sherry candies to friends on different occasions.  Amazon has a huge selection of Louis Sherry Chocolates in a variety of beautiful tins! To see their selection, click here.

The chocolates are of excellent quality, no doubt. But you know what I really love? The beautiful tins! They come in tins of 2, 12, or 24, and there are lots of tins from which to choose. Their original tins are offered in various solid with gold edges…beautiful and understated. But they also offer designer tins, with designs by interior designer Miles Redd, painter Harrison Howard, decoupage artist John Derrian, and more. My personal favorites of the designer tins are the Cubist design by Redd (see below), and the pink Orchid design. The original solid-color tins are gorgeous too. They’re all so beautiful, though, that it can be difficult to decide which one is most fitting for a friend when sending a gift. Make sure you have plenty of time to look through all the designs when you sit down to order.

Need a new idea for hostess gifts? The Louis Sherry Chocolates would be loved by any hostess! If you know you have some parties coming up, it might be a good idea to stock up on a few different designs. I’m placing my order now for a few hostesses I know.

And make sure you order one for yourself. I recommend the 12-piece tin.