Zhouzhuang Mailun Academy Homestay

Overall an enjoyable and relaxing one night stay at this tiny cosy hotel in Zhouzhuang, for our final leg of our 6 days Suzhou trip. We took a didi over to Zhouzhuang, which was faster and cheaper than I expected, just a little over half an hour. The hotel staff called me the day before to arrange for pick-up near the watertown ticket office. Actually I can't speak Mandarin and their English wasn't too good but we ended up chatting on Wechat as Wechat has a built-in translate function in their chat. So, 15 minutes before we arrive, we just had to let them know on Wechat. And the staff is already waiting for us, helped us with the luggage and guided us through the ticket buying process. You do have to pay for the ¥100 RMB ticket to get into the watertown and the ticket is good for 3 days. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the entrance. I picked this hotel because it was right inside the watertown and it had the ancient Chinese interior, although all the amenities are modern, including a robust and high-tech Kohler smart toilets in each bathroom. There is a nice coffee shop inside the hotel and the coffee shop owner is friendly and takes his coffee craft seriously. The hotel gives you 2 free drinks during your stay and the coffee menu is quite extensive. If the hotel rooms are not booked on that day, we are told the hotel opens their doors to coffee customers. The hotel owner is actually younger than I expected so I am impressed she meticulously created this authentic experience and the attention to detail. She was friendly and helpful and was open to accommodating our needs. We booked the entire 2nd floor, which was 3 bedrooms and we had 6 adults in our group. This tiny hotel only has 3 bedrooms so if you booked all 3 rooms, you pretty much get the entire hotel to yourselves which include the first floor which is spacious and comfy. When I visit Zhouzhuang again, I am looking forward to stay here again. It's certainly not cheap, but you do get what you pay for - which is people passionate about hospitality (in a Chinese way) and also a hygiene and staying experience that is certainly up to international standards.