EIGHTY-nine-year-old Zheng Jixuan is thrilled with the place where he will live out his dotage: a small but comfy room in the newly built wing of an old-people's home in the city of Hangzhou, 180km (110 miles) south-west of Shanghai.
At the end of the day, I want a comfy hotel room with AC, room service, and TV with a gazillion channels -- and a good concierge.
Next to the books, there's a brilliant cafe with free wireless internet access and papers; upstairs there's a comfy reading room.
And that did happen to close friends who had endured hellish contractor woes to turn their basement into a comfy family room.
A comfy double room looking out over beautifully landscaped gardens costs €45-60, and the genial chef, Jean Berteau, prepares a tempting three-course terroir menu of escargots à la bourguignonne, a succulent jambon a l'os, slowly braised with wild mushrooms, and a sinful mousse au chocolat, priced at €24.50.
Make sure you have a comfy, airy room.
The walk may seem a long one from your comfy bed and your comfy room, but that's one of the great things about libraries.
A great place to stay in the vicinity is the Locanda degli Ulivi (doubles from €90 B&B) in Montebudello, where comfy rooms share a pool with a view and there's a great restaurant serving local classics like tagliatelle al ragù, tortelloni and scaloppine all'aceto balsamico.
And some are totally over the top, like the lovably goofy Pinetree Lodge, a small maze of comfy rooms with so many trophy heads mounted on the walls that you'd think they'd snagged taxidermist rights for the Central Park Zoo.
Where to stay: The Life Story Guest House is a great place to meet fellow travelers and offers comfy rooms in an ideal location with friendly hosts.
