There are many delights to be had in New York, but one of life's simplest pleasures is chocolate. And there are enough chocolatiers in Manhattan to make a day tour out of visiting them. With the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan SoHo Village as your home base, start around the corner from the hotel at Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven, a factory and shop where you can watch cacao beans move through the process of becoming delicious. The chocolate selection is, of course, stupendous, and the ice cream (in multiple rotating flavors) is among the cheapest scoops in town.

Next stop is Kee's Chocolates near Spring Street on Thompson, where bon-bons are filled with exotic flavors like honey kumquat, lemongrass mint or four types of peppercorns. (Kee's also makes delectable macaroons.) Then on to MarieBelle on Broome Street for some iced Aztec chocolate and some snazzily illustrated pieces.

Up in the East Village, tiny Bespoke Chocolates takes small-batch confections to the extreme, offering truffles made with chocolate produced on a single Colombian estate. Bespoke's pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels made Time Out New York's Top 100 Tastes list for a reason — salty and sweet, crunchy and smooth, they're the perfect contrast in a single bite.