Bookaholic's haven

Having discovered that there are cafes around the world dedicated to bookaholics, I wondered whether there are boutique hotels or bed & breakfast places for lovers of books. I wasn't altogether surprised to find out that there are - and one of them is in the city that I called home for four years of my life.

This charming place, Booklovers B&B, is in the city of Wellington, New Zealand. Located downtown, it is the place to stay for people "who love books, cafes and culture". The owner is herself a writer and she shares the story behind her B&B, "I hadn't thought of opening a B&B - but halfway through renovating, I realised the house would have to make a living... After serving breakfast, I mainly spend my days researching and writing... 'B&B lady' sounds like a comic role, but for me it's a wonderful balance with writing. It would be difficult to hear better stories than those told at my own breakfast-table or to meet more interesting characters than the people sitting there." The B&B's rooms are named after authors and when you leave, you get a selection of books to take home with you!

On the other side of the world, on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada, is a B&B called Between the Covers Bed & Breakfast. The owner is a writer of children's books and you can see where she gets her inspiration from. Imagine staying in this place, with a book in your lap, and looking at this view!

You might be so taken up with the scenery that you won't be able to read a page! Of course, the two rooms in the B&B come full of books and you may take one home with you. These rooms "overlook lavender and green fields hemmed by towering pines."

In Oregon, USA, at Nye Beach, is the Sylvia Beach Hotel, "a hotel for booklovers". Its rooms are named after famous authors and the one below is the Jane Austen room.

There are volumes of books in all the rooms and be warned - "there are no TVs, radios or telephones in the rooms. And no wi-fi." You have to enjoy the company of real-life people... and books, of course. 

For those who prefer a holiday in England rather than North America (distance being a main factor), there is a hotel for book lovers in Dorset. The Booklover's B&B is located on the first and second floors above the owners' bookshop. It has two rooms, one of which faces the sea. 

There are books aplenty in the bedrooms as well as in the sitting/dining room.

If anyone knows of such a hotel or B&B closer to home, please let me know.