Advice regarding best Burma hotels

Old Sep 18th, 2007, 08:01 PM
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Advice regarding best Burma hotels

Family circumstances looked like they would impede our plans to travel to Burma this December, but happily it looks like our planning is back on track now. We'd love comments from Hanuman, Craig and the other Fodorites who have recently stayed in hotels in Burma.

Yangon - we have booked a Traders Club Room, but are a bit worried since some have described Traders as "tired" -- has anyone stayed on the Club floor?

Inle Lake - we have booked Inle Lake Princess for two nights. Is this enough time? Will it be uncomfortably cold at night? Is there another area hotel that is as nice/warmer?

Bagan - we could use some input here. Could stay at Hotel@Thalabar Gate or at Bagan Hotel River View (have not heard back from Aureum Palace yet). We like to be walking distance to things (sights, restaurants, foot massages!). Any advice on the most convenient and luxurious of these options?

Coast - we have 2-3 nights still to plan and are deciding between Mandalay and someplace on the coast. Given other postings, we are leaning toward the latter. Any recommendations for lovely high-end hotels on the Burma coast?

Thanks for the help!
WinterTravel is offline  
Old Sep 18th, 2007, 08:29 PM
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What kind of hotel do you like? Traders is a large commercial hotel. and gets a lot of tours (non american) I personally avoid those hotels. I would recommend either the Savoy or the Pansea.
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Old Sep 18th, 2007, 08:31 PM
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Hi WinterTravel,

I think December is a wonderful time to visit Myanmar with very pleasant temperatures.

Yangon: We stayed at the Strand but we did have lunch at the Traders. From what I saw it was OK and very close(2 blocks) to Scott's market. Didn't see the room only the lobby and the Chinese restaurant where we had lunch after spending the morning at the market. Within walking distant there's another hotel close by that offer very inexpensive and very good foot massages($4 an hour). I do recall that the Traders accept credit card with no overcharge.

Inle Lake: We stayed at the "Inle Princess Resort" which I think is the same hotel that you've booked(you wrote "Inle Lake Princess"). For December get the cheapest room - the "Mountain View" room as there is no advantage in getting the more expensive rooms with outdoor bath - too cold! Late at night it got very cold for us and I remember the hotel's thermometer reading of 5 - 6 Celsius in the early morning. Ask for extra heaters and hot water bottle and you'll be fine. Be prepare to eat all your dinners at the hotel since I don't recommend taking a long tail boat out at night(pitch dark and cold!). The hotel will arrange a tour boat(motorized long tail boat with a driver) and if you have a good travel book(like Lonely Planet Myanmar) you will not need a guide.

Bagan: We stayed at the Aureum and it was very nice but not within walking distant of any ot the things you've mentioned, except for some close by temples. The rooms or villas had the best amenities out of all the hotel in Myanmar that we stayed in. Transportation is quite cheap here, taxi cab or a horse drawn carriage are readily available so I would suggest that you stay Aureum and venture out for restaurant and massages. I highly recommend that you book the Balloon over Bagan for a morning as it was spectacular!

Mandalay: I'm not a fan of Mandalay and I think a coastal town will be a better option.

I shot a lot of video and if you'll like the see the hotels and sight I will be more than happy to mail you a copy. Let me know by email: [email protected]

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Old Sep 18th, 2007, 08:40 PM
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Balloon over Bagan - if you're doing it make sure it's a morning flight.

Aureum - I also tried several time to contact them by email and fax without reply. We ended up getting a local travel agent booking it for us.
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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 03:01 AM
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December is a great time. It will get cold at Inle lake but only at night. Bring something warm for sleeping and for when you get up in the morning.It will be gorgeous from 9AM to 7PM.

I would add a day to Inle Lake at least. It's magical.

I would pick Mandalay over what I have heard of the coast but I would pick the shan states over both.

I stayed at the Bagan Golf Resort which was lovely but that was 7 years ago -- who knows what it is like now.
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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 03:09 AM
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WT - glad to hear your planning is back on track.

In Yangon we stayed at the Savoy which I would highly recommend. Although not 5-star, it is a very comfortable hotel, well situated with a good restaurant and a nice pool. We had a very spacious suite both times we stayed there.

In Bagan, we stayed at the Aureum, which is probably the nicest resort in all of Myanmar. The two story Lotus villas have the best views. I agree with Hanuman that you should leave the resort for dinners if you have the time. We did eat dinner there one night and it was quite good - the breakfasts are excellent. I also attempted to contact the hotel and never heard back. I would use a local agent (such as Santa Maria) for all of your hotel reservations - we saved quite a bit doing it that way. Bagan is quite spread out - you need a car and driver or horse cart to get around. The other hotels you named may be better situated in neighborhoods for walking around but I would still stay at the Aureum, given the choice.

At Inle Lake, we stayed at the Inle Lake Resort. It is more conveniently located than the Inle Princess and you do not need to take a boat to get there. There is also a small village nearby that you can walk to from the hotel. We visited it one morning on a market day and got some great photos. I don't think 2 nights is enough time - that only gives you one full day at Inle Lake. Inle Lake Resort is on par with the Inle Princess - both are 4-star hotels - it was a little chilly one morning - we were there in February though which is not as cold as December.

There is an Aureum on the coast but I have not stayed there. We did not visit Mandalay.

Good luck in your planning. Hope this helps.
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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 10:02 AM
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Thanks everyone for all of the comments thus far. Gloria - to answer your question, our hotel taste is somewhat complicated! We absolutely love 5-star luxury in the right context (we always choose the Peninsula in Bangkok and the Oriental in Singapore), but we also like neat boutique properties in certain environments (we loved the quirky/charming $55/night Apsara in Luang Prabang over the fancy Maison Souvannaphoum). When we first arrive on a trip we tend to choose a chain over boutique (so that there are amenities/something to eat/do when we are jetlagged and up at the wrong time).

We are big walkers/wanderers who like to be spontaneous and decide our program as we go (we like to watch the local world go by and not just go from sight to sight). We generally don't like to be isolated from town (we simply love wandering around on foot, finding local restaurants and wandering into $4 foot massage shops after a day of activities). To use the Luang Prabang example, we started our stay at The Grand which was lovely but not within walking distance of town. We switched to a hotel in town and were much happier being able to be spontaneous (with no worry about arranging transport to/from town).

In big cities we have been of two minds -- last year we chose The Metropole in Hanoi (historic like the Strand in Yangon)over the more modern chain hotel options because prices were not drastically more than the others (rates at the Strand seem to be 3-4 times that of Traders, which does not seem worth the splurge). We definitely don't like to "rough it" in the least.

From Craig and Gloria's comments, for Yangon it sounds like we should look into the Savoy or Pansea too. Is either better located for wandering in town than Traders?

We've heard very positive things about the Inle Princess Resort, but wonder if we should consider location a minus (since going out on a dark, cold lake to find dinner at night does not sound fun!). Hanuman - did you find the location a drawback, or do you spend most time on the lake/near the hotel anyway? For Bagan we will try again to reach the Aureum though we are worried about the location (given what we said earlier about our wandering tendencies and need for nightly $4 foot massages in dimly lit local haunts!). Has anyone stayed at any of the in-town Bagan options?

Gloria - you mentioned considering going to the Shan states instead of Mandalay or the coast. Any particular place (since we only have 2-3 nights)?

Craig - we know you loved Luang Prabang as much as we did (we hoped to go back for a couple of days this trip, but could not get a room!). How do the towns in Burma compare to Luang Prabang in terms of the plethora of laid back local cafes/massages/etc...?


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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 10:56 AM
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WT - Yangon, Bagan and Inle Lake are nothing like Luang Prabang.

Yangon - this is a big city that seems to be more of a sprawling cluster of neighborhoods than anything else. For wandering, you would probably want to be in the old part of the city down by the river. The Strand would be ideal but it is ridiculously overpriced. Traders is also in that area. The next closest to that area is the Pansea - this is in the embassy district and close to the National Museum - not sure if it would a great area to walk around though. The Savoy is actually in a pretty busy area with a number of restaurants nearby as well as the Shwedagon Pagoda. We did not do much walking but I think you would enjoy walking around the neighborhood here.

Bagan - this is actually an archaeological zone that consists of several villages spread out over a wide rural area. There are 3 fairly distinct populated districts:
1) New Bagan, where the popular tourist restaurants are located - I don't think wandering around in this area would be very worthwhile.
2) Old Bagan, where Myinkaba village, several major temples, a couple of major lacqerware shops and the hotels you mentioned are located - this is somewhat spread out and has a pretty rural feel to it but you could probably easily wander around this area. Don't know how many laid back restaurants or massage places you might find - that just didn't seem to me to be what Bagan or any of Myanmar was about.
3) Naung U, another area that is pretty spread out and rural for the most part - it includes a fairly big market, the Aureum Palace, Bagan Golf Resort and some major temples. Not good for wandering around on foot.

Inle Lake - No matter where you stay, you will likely eat at your hotel at night. The boats don't go out at night because its not safe to do so. I did read one post here from a couple that stayed at the Inle Lake View Resort and walked to the village next store for dinner on a couple of nights - we did see a couple of restaurants along the main road. During the day, the main activity is to get on a boat and visit the various villages around the lake while soaking up the gorgeous scenery. Several of the villages are quite touristy and your driver will probably have a fairly set itinerary for covering most of the major ones. We had an excellent guide but you really don't need one for this. You can certainly wander about on your own but you do need a boat to get to these villages.

Hope this helps.
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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 01:52 PM
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My two cents worth:based on my three one month trips in the last two years.

Yangon: you want 'best'? Stay at The Strand. No contest. Look on their website for promotions - of course you never pay the vast rack rate. www.ghmhotels.com/

Second choice: Governor's Residence [now an Orient Express Hotel] - it's fine if you want to stay removed and want to pretend you're not in Yangon. Very nice grounds and pool. Get an upstairs room - that way people don't look in your windows all the time.

I havn't stayed at the Savoy. Traders is a perfectly fine down town hotel where I'd happily stay if I was on a tight budget. It's best feature is that it's in the middle of everything. Some tourists will tell you that doesn't count for much - but I like Yangon. One night passing thru on the usual tourist shlep doesn't reveal much.

Bagan: I spent a week at Tharabar Gate. It's about your best bet if you want to be within walking distance of some of it. Get a suite.

I can't tell if you want the Inle Lake or Inle Princess Resorts. Inle Lake is fine. Lousy food. Get a waterfront room.

Lovely high end hotels on the coast will cost you an arm and a leg.

Do beach in Thailand. Do culture in Burma.

and read this:
http://www.pandaw.com/downloads/docu...%20Burma.1.pdf

This is the best summation of the current state of tourism in Myanmar I've come across. Good for anybody concerned about where their tourist dollars will end up. In the corrupt pockets of the Government... ? It's a damn interesting read.

Have fun. I'm heading back there in three weeks.




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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 02:27 PM
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What a great article dogster... confirms everything I've heard.
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Old Sep 19th, 2007, 06:24 PM
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Winter,

For Inle there's nowhere really that you can stay, 4 - 5 stars, and walk out and around for massages and restaurant. Unless you want to stay in Nyaungshwe but I didn't see any 4 or 5 stars hotel there more like the backpack type of hotels. I didn't find the location of the Inle Princess a minus as our day time activities involved the lake and as far as I know there's no "nightlife" around Inle Lake.

Yangon, I didn't see anything worthwhile near the Strand but I did enjoy walking around Chinatown and the area around the Traders.

Bagan, too spread out as Craig have said. The restaurants, outside of our hotel that we did try, were nothing to talk about. Hire a horse drawn cart and during lunchtime, while your driver rest and eat, you can wander around the villages for restaurants, massages and shopping.

Overall, IMO the food in Myanmar was not gourmet or really worthwhile to go out for. We were disappointed at not being able to find the fresh river prawn, which is famous in Myanmar, and later we found out that most them are exported to Thailand! Yangon will have some restaurant outside of hotels that you might want to consider. La Planteur(French - pretentious but probably the best in town), L' Opera(Italian - Bob recommends it and there're a couple of Thai style fish shabu shabu or hot pot type of restaurants that we like.

If you want over the top luxury, pampering and food you might want to consider the Road To Mandalay river cruises and you will be able to visit both Mandalay and Bagan. You can also package that with a stay at their hotel in Yangon too. We were invited to lunch on the RTM, by the General Manager of the Orient-Express, but we did not have the time so we only look. Everything looks lovely, food, dining room etc and when they dock you are free to wander for massages and such.

I think all the best hotels in Myanmar have been recommended to you by Craig, Gloria, Dogster and myself already. Each town is different and we go them because they are unique. Inle for the lake, Bagan for the temples and history and Yangon because we have to!
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 02:52 AM
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I would strongly recommend The Governor's Residence in Yangon (the former Pansea) and ask for one of their new Governor's Rooms! Greta food and a really classic atmosphere in a historic building.

On the coast, head for Ngapali...the best beach there in my opinion!
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 10:31 AM
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Thanks, thanks, thanks! Taking everyone's advice, we looked into adding an extra night at Inle Lake (no availability, but we're on a waitlist), we contacted the Savoy and Pansea (now called "Governor's Residence") in Yagon. Savoy is fully booked, but we were able to get the Governor's Residence (only for one night on way into Myanmar and one on way out, but it sounds like that might be enough), so we'll stay there instead of Traders. We are on the waitlist at Savoy -- any sense of whether we should switch if that comes through?

We are reorienting a bit to see if we can visit one more place. Sounds like people either love or hate Mandalay (LP guidebook noted that as well). Not sure if we'll try for there or the coast. Any specific hotel recommendations (high end/boutique) for Mandalay or Ngapali?
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 10:45 AM
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Interesting article, dogster. I read Paul's book (sorry, can't remember the title) and his politics as expressed in that book make me take some of his statements in this article with a grain of salt. ("General Win is a great patriot" was the basic message of the book)
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 11:27 AM
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The book by Paul Strachan is Mandalay: Travels from the Golden City

The argument that the government doesn't need tourist money because it gets it other ways is one that is being touted by many tour companies right now. I noticed that Far Fung Places is using it in their literature. They don't mention the 10% tax on everything that goes to the government, for instance. Certainly, given his financial stake in tourism, Strachan can hardly be called disinterested.

I have long struggled with the decision about whether to go to Burma. I read everything I can lay my hands on about Burma. My next Burma read will be the book by U-Thant's grandson, who takes the position that westerners need to visit Burma.
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 02:24 PM
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Ahhh Kathie, I can tell from your many posts in here that you're a kind, intelligent and generous woman and I applaud your conscience and political awareness... but, you know, in my humblest of humble opinions, the only way you're really going to find out about Burma - is to go.

Burma is a puzzle. It is everything you've read about in the books - and the exact opposite - simultaneously.

I don't want to go down the 'should you go, shouldn't you go' route - we've all done that before - I just want YOU, Kathie, to go.

Because you're perfectly primed, informed, politically aware and, I think, smart enough to realise, once you get there, that there's a whole heap of new information on the ground that will add meaning and depth to what you already know. New information that may well challenge your preconceptions - or strengthen them.

Either way, you're never gonna know, if you never ever go.

Just book it now.
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Old Sep 20th, 2007, 02:55 PM
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I expect when I do go, I'll come back still conflicted. It is a complicated situation, as and you say "It is everything you've read about in the books - and the exact opposite - simultaneously." I do believe that.

Burma is on our short list (yet again) for next year.
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