HOTELS
Myanmar’s hotel industry is young! I remember my first trip there forty years ago, when there were seven hotels in Yangon that were open to foreigners. Rats and cockroaches said good night to each other and it was a good idea to bring your own mosquito net and insect spray.
In Mandalay things looked rather worse, the same in Bagan, where there were numerous homestays in addition to three (!) hotels, for which even the required three dollars seemed excessive.
At Inle Lake there were no hotels at all, whose visitors had to stay overnight in Taunggyi.
Rooms with air conditioning were the exception – which doesn’t mean that it worked – and those without bathrooms were the rule; even in the Strand Hotel Yangon there were shared bathrooms!
All other destinations – with the exception of Bago near Yangon – were closed to foreigners! This was no big deal, because the stay in the country was limited to eight days, so that the offered destinations were more than sufficient. And this condition changed only little until the mid 90s!
But a lot has happened since then! Today there are hundreds of hotels in the country, from absolute luxury hostels to the simplest hippie houses – although you can hardly get accommodation for three dollars today.
We have divided the hotels that we have tested and (at least) classified as acceptable into three (self-established!) categories: Luxus*****, 3-Stars*** and Budget**.
Although many hotels in this country adorn themselves with stars, in our experience there is no generally valid classification. The category – like the name of the establishment – is obviously often chosen by monks… Luxury hotels in Myanmar do not necessarily offer what you would expect from a luxury hotel in Bangkok – let alone Switzerland.
What can you expect in the individual categories?
Luxushotels*****-****
Luxushotels*****-**** are those that are characterized by very special characteristics. For example, the Strand Hotel in Yangon only offers suites, some even with a butler. This is luxury, even if there is not even a swimming pool or a gym there at the moment. The Governor’s Residence in Yangon also belongs to this category – at least as far as the price level is concerned. Likewise the big hotels in Yangon like Shangri-La, Sedona and Melia fall into this category, just to name a few.
There are also some hotels that offer luxury rooms, but their standard is not the same as that of a luxury hotel. In Bagan, Aureum and Thirpyitsaya fall into the luxury category. The Popa Moutain Resort not far from Bagan would be classified there as well. In Mandalay we would include the Rupa Mandalar, the Sedona (with some exceptions) and the Mandalay Hill Resort. At Inle Lake there are many of them, such as Inle Princess or Villa Inle. Myanmar currently has two beach resorts on the Bay of Bengal. The old-established Ngapali and the newly developed Ngwesaung. There are several luxurious resorts here. And so it is almost the same with luxury hotels in Myanmar, except for those in remote destinations such as Putao (Malikha Lodge).
3-Star Hotels***
3-star Hotels*** offer a decent standard, but usually do not have a pool, especially in the big cities. Elsewhere (e.g. in Bagan) many hotels have a pool. Also a restaurant is not to be assumed necessarily.
Budget Hotels**
Budget Hotel** is simple, even if your websites like to present a different picture. A big problem, even in good hotels, is care and maintenance. What looked quite passable two years ago may have been totally run down today.
That has both practical and philosophical reasons. On the one hand, Burmese don’t perceive dirt in our way: what’s wrong with a few cobwebs? Or who is bothered by mice and cockroaches in the house? Or garbage dumps in romantic places like Inle Lake? Burmese certainly not, as you can see everywhere. This is all the more astonishing as the inhabitants of this beautiful country attach great importance to cleanliness. Just look at the egg peeled girls in their traditional costumes!
The second (‘philosophical’) reason lies in the Buddha’s teaching: ‘Everything that becomes must pass away’ teaches the enlightened one and it is one of the pillars of his teaching! This also applies to hotels and sometimes you can’t help feeling that the people in charge don’t want to violate this ‘law of nature’…Hotel
Here the list of our 'favourite hotels' (with LINKs to the websites of the hotels)
Yangon
Strand Hotel, *****, in its prime ‘The finest hostelry East of Suez’ – luxury with style! On request with your own butler!
Rose Garden Hotel, *****, modern hotel on the east shore of Kandawgyi Lake, great Shwedagon view!
Silver Green Hotel, **, Budget with comfort, just outside the city centre.
Mandalay
Mandalay Hill Resort, *****, at the foot of Mandalay Hills, luxury hotel with pool landscape and garden, very good cultural show.
Triumph Hotel, ***, our favorite in this category, large swimming pool, beautiful bungalows.
Marvel Hotel, **, directly in the station (but quiet), right in the middle, large, well-equipped rooms, good breakfast.
Bagan
Aureum Palace Bagan, ****-*****, known by film, radio and television (The dream hotel!), in the midst of the temples of Minnanthu, well equipped luxury bungalows, some with their own ‘island’.
Tharaba Gate, ***, located at the city gate of Bagan, very nice bungalows, good management.
Hotel Umbra, **, Wetkyi-In, on the – little frequented – road from Nyaung Oo to Alt Bagan, especially beautiful are the rooms in the New Wing, large pool.
Inle
Sanctum Inle ****
Golden Island Cottage 2 ***, beautiful bungalow complex on the eastern shore of the lake near the village of Thale U.
Princess Garden Hotel **, Budgethotel in Nyaungshwe, so ‘ashore’, which has the advantage that one can still stroll in the evening in the village and eat in one of the many restaurants, whereas on the lake one has to eat in the hotel.
Pyin Oo Lwin
Dat Taw Gyaint Waterfall Resort, *****, top luxury in a fantastic location outside the city by a waterfall.
Orchid Nan Myaing Hotel (Craddock Court) ***-**, nostalgic hotel (20’s) with large garden, many rooms of different categories.
Win Unity Hotel,**, near Botanical Garden, solid quality.
Shan State
Riverside @ HsipawResort***, Hsipaw, bungalow hotel on the river bank opposite the town with well-equipped rooms, shuttle boat to the town.
Mr. Charles, Hsipaw,**, large selection of rooms of various quality, until recently the hotel in Hsipaw, very popular with budget travelers.
Golden Hill Hotel, Lashio**, 50 rooms different quality, best in town, value for money!
Mawlamyaing
(Moulmein)
In Mawlamyaing the choice of hotels is relatively modest. We don’t have any real ‘favourite hotels’ there, but the following hotels seem to be the best choice.
Cinderella Hotel,***, cosy and central.
Than Lwin Hotel,*, nothing special in old colonial villa, but it’s haunted!
Hpa An
Hpa An Lodge,****, a remote boutique resort located at the foot of the Zwekapin rock with French management. Excellent cuisine!
Zwekapin Hotel,***, situated in front of the city, nice location, a little bare, but nice rooms.
Hotel United,**, best price-performance ratio among budget hotels.
Tanintharyi
Eain Taw Phyu Hotel,**-***, our favourite hotel in Tanintharyi.
Hotel Dawei, **, best house on site.
Myint Mo Hotel **, very good value for money.
Delta
As already mentioned, the Guest Houses in the Delta meet only modest demands. In Pyapon we recommend the AUNG NAING THU and in Bogale the NAN SABEI.
Chinstaat
The Mountain Oasis Resorts in Mindat and Kanpetlet are the best you can get there.
Golden Rock
Mountain Top Resort, ***,
our favorite hotel, lobby built around a rock, the rest is spread out on the slope, only 5 minutes walk from the sanctuary.
Golden Rock Hotel***, similar standard to Mountain Top (same owner), but close to the old parking lot, from there half an hour uphill to the sanctuary.
Golden Sunrise Hotel, **, 2 km from base camp Kinpun Sakhan, very comfortable, good standard. To the sanctuary either via the pilgrim path or up by truck.
Ngapali Beach
Has a wide range of rooms of all categories, although in the budget class somewhat thinly equipped… Our favorite hotels are:
Amazing Ngapali, *****-****, beautiful beach hotel with its own well-kept beach. The pool a bit small, inexpensive food, all rooms with lake view (an exception in Ngapali!!)
Laguna Lodge,**, built by the German Oliver Soe Htet in an unconventional pee-pee long stocking style on the beach. Good breakfast and relaxed atmosphere, good bar.
Memento-Resort,*-**, offers rooms of quite different quality, some directly on the beach, facilities, food and service rather modest.
Ngwesaung Beach
Myanmar Treasure Resort,****, 4 arces large complex with all amenities, the most beautiful (and most expensive bungalows with Sea View) for us 1st choice, many restaurants nearby.
Palm Beach Resort,****, very nice chalets, a little further from the village.
Hill Top Resort,**, for modest demands, near the island of love.
Sittwe
The Strand Hotel, Sittwe**, the one-eyed among the blind…
Royal Sittwe Resort, Sittwe**, outside the centre at the Viewpoint beach, popular with NGOs.
Mrauk U
Mrauk U Princess,***, most stylish accommodation in town, far from the temples, own shuttle service from Sittwe.
Shwe Thazin Resort, **, best choice in this price range, beautiful bungalow.
Mrauk U Hotel,**, former Government Hotel, near Shitthaung Temple, unfortunately a bit noisy.
Loikaw
Loikaw Lodge by the Lake, ***, this 11-room accommodation was opened in October 2016 by a German and his wife from Yangon, and is in the eyes of the author the most beautiful hotel in town. No televisions, lots of teak wood, lots of books and a view of the lake over which the sun sets in the evening. Great food and a wide range of tours.
Kayah Resort, ***, is one of the top addresses in the city, has a pool and is located next to the golf course. The rooms (except the suites) are a bit sensitive. Problem: the food! Dishes are often served cold.
located very central not far from the river. Rather simple rooms from 35 dollars. Breakfast is good and especially the older gentleman at the reception knows a lot about excursion offers and travel times of various buses, flights etc. to report.
Myat Nan Taw Hotel, **, this hotel was opened in 2015 and offers spacious rooms, slightly away from the city centre. Rooms starting at $45, laundry, bike rental, trekking and ticketing.