How often is it that you get the opportunity to indulge your passions? My husband and I have just spent a most enjoyable, if soggy, weekend giving in to two of mine - history and chocolate.

Staying at the four-star Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club situated within striking distance of Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon and Cadbury World what more could I want?

The hotel prides itself on providing every comfort for its guests from fitness suites and beauty treatments to the two golf courses, including the Championship Arden Course, home to the recently-held British Masters and English Open.

When the English summer weather will not allow you to play the ancient game, or if like me you are not of the golfing persuasion, you can relax in the steam room or sauna after taking a dip in the heated indoor swimming pool or hot tub, or pamper yourself with a facial or massage - luxury!

Dinning in the hotel can be undertaken in one of two restaurants, the casual Long Weekend Bar, providing snacks and light meals up until 10pm, or in the main dining room which caters for both breakfast and dinner with a full al a carte menu and an impressive wine list.

Alongside the hotel there is a trout lake and wilderness walk that skirts around the golf course and provides a gentle pre-dinner stroll through a clearly-defined wooded area with views across rolling countryside. It is hard to believe that you are less than two miles from Birmingham, it is so peaceful.

Our first stop on the history trail was to Warwick, which has the feel of a market town rather than the home of one of England's premier historical attractions. The town centre is compact with plenty of places of eat and lots of interesting shops to wander round, especially if you have an eye for antiques.

The castle is easy to reach by foot. On the day we visited, there were several extra attractions including birds of prey and an "eye witness" account from a bowman fighting on the Yorkist side at the Battle of Towton which was excellent, his anecdotal evidence full of detail and amusement which enthralled adults and children alike.

One of the exhibitions attracting the longest queues was the Death or Glory Dungeon and Torture Chamber. I gave this a miss in favour of the Kingmaker, which details the exploits of the Earl of Warwick during the War of the Roses, and his allegiance to Henry VI.

Visitors tour the dimly-lit undercroft complete with "authentic" smells and sounds, following the Earl's preparations for battle.

Sunday morning saw me off like a Truffle Hound in search of chocolate in the shape of Cadbury World - a half hour drive from the hotel.

There is a self-guided tour, which takes visitors through a series of rooms giving a detailed audio-visual account relating the discovery of the cocoa bean right through to the hi-tech packaging plant of modern chocolate manufacturing.

I would say that the experience is directed more towards the under-12s, however the tour was interesting and informative with interactive video stations and an opportunity to try your hand at coating a sweet with chocolate, which is difficult enough, but near impossible is the Chocolate Challenge where you are given a generous sample of liquid chocolate and defied not to lick your lips - I failed.

You can see the mock up of the chocolate Coronation Street and take a leisurely trip on a beanmobile through a grotto populated by cocoa bean characters. There is a shop at the end of the tour, selling a wide variety of Cadbury products and souvenirs - and naturally I came away laden.

Next day, replete with chocolate, we made our way to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of the Man of the Millennium (as voted by Radio 4 listeners).

A delightful town with so much to see that a few hours just did not do it justice. We visited Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried alongside his wife Anne and other members of his family, and also the house where he was born. All the major sites relating to the Bard are all within easy walking distance. Children's interests are well catered for with a trail linking several attractions including the Ragdoll shop for Rosie and Jim enthusiasts and the Teddy Bear Museum which attracts plenty of adults too.

A long weekend is just not long enough to explore all this area has to offer: my appetite both for history and chocolate was not quite satisfied and having seen the splendours of the greens at the Forest of Arden I might even take up golf!