Help Kathie plan her return to Burma
 

Hello friends,

We’re headed back to Burma in Nov/Dec. We are primarily interested in visiting places we didn’t get to last time.

Our priorities are:
Mrauk U. We’d like to stay three nights to have two full days there to explore. Given what we’re read of others’ experiences of going to the Chin villages, we’ll skip that. We’d love to be able to fly into Sittwe, catch a boat and get to Mrauk U before dark. Does anyone know if that is possible? I’ll be asking Santa Maria, of course, but wondering if I’m only dreaming about being able to do that.

Mandalay. We want to visit mostly to see the ancient cities outside of town. I think we need to allocate two full days for that. We also want a daytrip to Pyin U Lwin, which is another full day. We thought about an overnight there like Robbie and Fred did, but I think a daytrip will be enough. So that means 4 nights in Mandalay. I’m hoping for a partial day at the beginning or the end to do some crafts shopping, but that will depend on the flight schedule.

*We need a recommendation for a hotel in Mandalay.*

In addition, we are hoping to make a quick stop in Bagan (2 nights) to see Min Thu and visit some more temples.

Then we want some time in Yangon and are hoping to squeeze in a daytrip to Bago. I am hoping to fit all of this into three nights. Crazy, I know. I think we’ll probably have to save Bago for next trip.

The logistics are what will determine what we can/can’t do. I’m afraid we may have to overnight in Yangon between the Mrauk U and Mandalay portions of the trip or else our first night in Burma.

Our hotel choices are :
The Princess Resort at Mrauk U
In Bagan, the Thiripysaya Sanctuary
In Rangoon, The Strand.
We need advice on a Mandalay hotel.

Thoughts? Ideas? Input?

Many thanks.

This will answer some of your Mrauk U questions. I suggest you peruse the site. There are options here you may not have seen. No, I'm not suggesting you use Diethelm or not, but their itineraries give you a clear idea of what's possible a bit off the well-beaten track.

http://www.diethelmtravel.com/myanma....aspx?pktid=99

Ever thought of Putau?

Dogster, Thanks for the link. I have to admit that I don't relish the thought of spending a night in Sittwe. Jules reported on a trip to a monastery in Sittwe that sounded good, as well as a small museum, but the trips to the Chin villages as described by many travelers (mostly on Thorntree) sound truly grim - the villages are mostly vacant as the able-bodied are out in the fields and the tatooed elderly women are brought out for the inspection of the tourists - in the best tradition of "human zoos." And, of course, I want two full days in Mrauk U to look at temples.

I have not (yet) considered Putau, though a trip to the north of Burma is no doubt in our future. We'd like a trip of similar length entirely in northern Burma.

Right now (before retirement) we're doing snippets.

I know I'll never convince you - but a river trip in Burma is pretty damn fine. I think you're missing out on a whole new world by ignoring that option.

I thought Putao is an outdoor nature kind of place? A friend just spent sometime up there and all he did was to stay in a beautiful resort, hiking, rafting and those kind of activities. I don't know if you can "see" this link but here are some pictures form his trip in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/...276.1309562409

Well, just getting from Sittwe to Mrauk U is a river trip, and I'm looking forward to that. Right now I'd prefer that to an organized cruise. Maybe when time is not an issue, I'd do one of the Pandaw cruises. Do you feel that the trip to the Chin villages is unmissable?

What more do you know about Putau? When we were in Burma, I read about a resort up in the mountains. It sounded beautiful, but it also sounded tailor-made for the high end tourist who doesn't want to see more of Burma. While I plead guilty of being high-end traveler, I DO want to see more of the lives of the people.

I'd be interested in any more information you have, dogster.

Unfortunately, Hanuman, I can't access your friend's photos.

Just found this.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-b...ha-lodge-.html

might be a bit suss now. I wondered why their website had disappeared.

BTW, I haven't been to Mrauk U. That 6 hour boat ride ain't my idea of a good time.

Thanks for the link. The Balloons over Bagan people are ok in my book. But I'd prefer not to do business with the Htoo folks. Close connections with the junta. I avoid all the Aureum resorts and the Treasure resorts.

My understanding is that the Princess Resort has its own boat that does the trip in less time. In any case, it's the only way to get to Mrauk U.

Kathie,

While it’s not The Strand, I can recommend the Mandalay City Hotel. It’s a good 3* hotel. (Just request a room away from the Mosque next door to avoid the 5 am call to prayer – or embrace it as a built in alarm clock.) Gets mixed reviews on TA.

IMHO the drive to Pyin U Lin (aka Maymo) was more interesting than the town itself. Will be interested in your opinion.

Hope you have another wonderful trip & can’t wait to read all about it!

Mary

Thanks, Mary. I'm interested in going to Pyin U Lwin not just for the town, which gets ok reviews, but also for the botanical garden. I'm an orchid grower, and they have an interesting collection. I also read The Weeping Goldsmith, the travels of a botanist in Burma and was fascinated.

Kathie-I don't know if you can squeeze in another 2 days, but if you can, take a look at Monywa as an overnight destination from Mandalay. The caves and other sites around Monywa sound really interesting, although the hotel choices in Monywa are limited to two hotels-both, not good, but hopefully acceptable for one night.

Hi Shelly, I noted that you'll be going to Monywa and it looks great. I don't think we can eke out another two days this trip. I'll be very interested in seeing your itinerary when you get it firmed up.

Kathie, Again, it's not the Strand either, but we stayed at the Sedona in Mandalay and that worked out great for us. The breakfast was an excellent buffet that changed daily (the best we had in Myanmar). V comfy beds, etc.

Patty, the Sedona is one on my list that I wanted more info about. How was the location? Anything close to walk to?

I just checked my email and found I already had a response for Zaw at Santa Maria. His two recommendations for hotel sin Mandalay are the Rupar Mandalay and the Mandalay Hill Resort. Anyone know anything about either?

And as I feared, the logistics for Mrauk U are complicated. We will likely need a night in Yangon before flying to Sittwe and a night in SIttwe. The flights to SIttwe are apparently change from morning to evening on whim, making planning more difficult.

Also, Zaw thought we could visit all three of the ancient cities outside Mandalay in one day. What do you think?

Oh, I love my typo above - "hotels in Mandalay" became "hotel sin Mandalay"

Kahtie. You can def do all 3 cities in one day. We kind of did! But...on our first day our flight arrived at 730 so we wandered around town in the morning & in the afternoon went out to Ubien for a few hours. Walked the bridge & wandered throught the village on the other side. We did go back to Ubien the next day & the day after so we got 3 sunsets out there & one early morning. But by the time we got to ancient city #3 (begins with S & my mind is blocking we did not spend a lot of time there. But we did take it very slowly around Ava. Which we loved.

I agree I wouls skip Sittwe if I could but....it does give you a look at a totally different place in Burma with a very different feel to anywhere else you would have visited. There was not much hotel choice when we were there. Our flight did not get in from Yangon until about 4 so no way yo get to MU that day. Yes we needed a night in Yangon before the flight to Sittwe. Even our little private boat was a 5 hour trip not 6 & it went by quickly. If you stay in Sittwe go the the fish market on the way to the boat the next morning. It was pretty amazing & we go to lots of markets when we travel.
Not long until you go!

Thanks so much, Jules. That information is very helpful. I'm re-working the itinerary I'd outlined previously to take the logistics into account.

Since it sounds like we'll end up with an overnight in Sittwe, We'll try to take in the monastery and museum you mentioned as well. And we'll look forward to the fish market in the morning.

Did Santa Maria book the private boat for you?

Yes Santa Maria arranged the boat. Little & not lux by any stretch but fine. They did have photos that they emailed to me & they were accurate.

The monastery & museum will probably not be ahighlight of the the trip but worth a visit to fill in your Sittwe time. We got lucky & met a monk that loved to chat at the museum & at the monestary there were a group of teenage monks that were very excited to have visitors so that made the visit worth it.

Thanks, Jules.

I do remember reading about that high-end hotel, Malikha Lodge, way up in the north but haven't seen any info on it lately. I remember the open season as being rather restricted. I'm beginning to wonder if it's still open.

Kathie, The Sedona really doesn't seem to have much around in walking distance. It's on a main drag. But it worked well for us since we didn't really want to do much in Mandalay itself. I think you could do all three cities in one day, but you might not see U Bein Bridge at the right time. It's worth getting there before sunset, taking a boat and taking lots of photos!

In Sagaing we ate at a nice Chinese restaurant that our guide for the day actually owned. Delicious food.

As patty says it is definately worth taking th boat at Ubien. We were out there for 2 afternoon/evening boat trips, one evening walking only & one morning walking.

Yes, we will definitely take the boat at Ubien. I'm not sure if I want to cram all the ancient cities into one day. I'm still playing with the itinerary.

Hi Kathie, we chatted a while ago about "fast boats to Mrauk Oo" and concluded that it was not for us...Remember? That river trip is apparently pretty nice and allow for interesting "river life" viewing opportunities if taken at a gentle pace.We will be doing that trip in January and will eagerly wait for your comments about the Chin villages(if you decide to do that). In Sitwe,apparently the Shwe Thazin Hotel is "the" only place to stay and I will be waiting for your comments also on that.
To weigh in with my 2 cents,in Rangoon, the Savoy is "the Strand without the price" as someone has put it...and in Mandalay,we stayed at the Hotel on the Red Canal, a "boutique" hotel,very nice and quiet,well run by a friendly staff.Friends who stayed at the Sedona regretted it...Everybody's perception is different though,so,hard to say...You really should try to spend a day in Bago.It really is not that far from Rangoon and worth the detour.If you want I can recommend you a great guide who will drive you there.He is very reasonable and knowledgable. Stops on the road, in villages, are very interesting also.

Hi cestgaston, yes, I remember our conversation about the "fast boat" and in no way am I looking for the fast boat. I'd prefer not to use the government boat, but since it only runs twice a week, I'll have no problem avoiding that. I'd heard via the grapevine that the Mrauk U Princess had it's own boat - still four hours, but supposed to be very nice. I am yet to get any confirmation of that. I'd also concluded that if we have to stay in Sittwe, it will be at the Shwe Thazin Hotel. WHether or not we have to stay in SIttwe depends on the airline schedule. If a morning flight is running, we can get to Mrauk U for dinner. If not, we stay in Sittwe. Frustratingly, the schedule apparently changes on whim.

At this point, we've decided against the Chin villages.

Further research on hotels in Mandalay has crossed the Sedone off the list. A friend stayed at the Hotel on teh Red Canal and didn't like it, but it and the Rupar Mandalar look to be the only two boutique hotels in Mandalay.

Thanks for your comments, cestagaston.

Hi Kathie,the airline schedule is indeed frustrating...As you know, they have that lone airplane doing the loop and they don't want to commit to a set schedule...I tried like heck to avoid that night in Sittwe and couldn't...

cestgaston-Could you please give me the name and contact info for your driver to Bago. Thanks

Kathie I can't remember if I mentioned it but we did see the Princess boat & it did look lovely.

We stayed in Sittwe at Shwe Thazin. It was fine. Nothing special. They were doing renovaitons when we were there so it may be different now. Did not see anywhere else to stay though!

Thanks, Jules.

cestgaston, I would be interested in your Bago driver's contact into. WHile it looks right now like we won't have time, it may turn out that we do. I'd love to get to Bago.

Another vote for the Mandalay City hotel. Great position in the centre of town BUT its only 3 star at best and I think you like a bit better.
While in Mandalay try the resturant 'A Taste of Mandalay", we had an excellent lunch there.
I agree that the the trip to Pyin U Lwin is better than the destination, however the gardens etc around the town are excellent.
The ancient cities to me were the highlight of our trip, probably because I had seen Bagan, Inle etc before. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

I know Pyin U Lwin as Maymyo. It took me a while to realize I've been there. It's not very thrilling, but if you like gardens, it's a good one, full of actual, real-live Burmese doing normal family things. So, far that, it's worth it. I'm struggling to think of anything else. But, in the most ordinary of places there are gems. Sometimes the very ordinaryness IS the gem.

You can also ride around in a gaily decorated horse buggy thing, which I liked. You have to tweak your mind to George Orwell era. Then the details are fun.

gmoz, I am very much looking forward to the ancient cities. I would like to have gone last trip, but we just didn't have the time. And thanks for the restaurant recommendation.

dogster, I think of most cities in Burma by their old names, but because I read The Weeping Goldsmith (a botanist's account of Burma and of the gardens at Pyin U Lwin/Maymo), I think of it as Pyin U Lwin as that is the name he used. I may go back and re-read George Orwell before this trip.

Thanks to all for your comments. I emailed Zaw our proposed itinerary last night.

We'll have 2 and a half days in Mandalay, a half a day in city, likely for crafts shopping, a full day at the ancient cities, and a full day to Pyin U Lwin.

Then we'll fly to Bagan, have a day and a half there. We'll have time (I hope) for late afternoon at the temples and a chance for Cheryl to take more sunset photos of the temples. Then we will have a whole day of temples. I'm going to ask Min Thu for his recommendations on where to go. It may be that we will go farther afield to see temples we haven't seen.

We have to fly to Yangon for an overnight, then to Sittwe. We will have to have a night in SIttwe either on the way in or the way out, it appears, in order to get to Mrauk U. We will have three nights at Mrauk U. Then we fly back to Yangon for two nights.

Because Mrauk U is a priority, it drove the rest of the itinerary. Getting to/from Mrauk U is complicated and time consuming. But I expect the experience will be well worth it.

Kathie-Your itinerary looks good to me. The only thing you are doing that I have read mixed reviews about is Pin U Lwin. I understand you are going mainly to see the botanical garden, but if it were my choice, which it is not, I'd opt for the boat trip to Mingun instead . I am only saying this based on what I have read, so I might be completely wrong.

I appreciate your thoughts on this Shelly. I will review the boat trip to Mingun option again.

Some of our hotel choices are booked up. We will have the chance to try out the Savoy on our one night in Yangon between Bagan and Mrauk U. I'm glad to get a chance to do a comparison.

We are hoping the one full night at Rupar Mandalar will come through for us. The other recommendation from Santa Maria is Mandalay Hill Resort. Anyone have any experience with that one?

We wanted to be in a riverview room at the Thiripysaya Sanctuary in Bagan, but those rooms are full. We can splurge on a river view suite, but it's $240 a night...

All in all, it's a few minor details to work out.

Hi Kathie
Quick question - we had booked the Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan - but now see you are staying at the Thiripysaya Sanctuary - and also noted that was a recommended hotel by Indagare. What is your opinion as to where to stay for a first visit. It is our anniversary - currently have a suite booked at Tharabar Gate.

The location of the Tharbar gate is perfect. The suites are huge, with lovely, modern baths, and you have a private patio where you can sit in the sun or shade and have a room service lunch. The only downside to the Tharbar gate is how big it is. You may run into French or Italian or German tour groups staying there.

For a time (years ago) Thiripysaya was THE place to stay in Bagan. In recent years, reviews have described the rooms as "tired." The location is beautiful, right on the river, inside the archaeological zone. We saw the public areas of the hotel in 2009, and they seemed nice. The hotel is closing for a month or two this summer to renovate, so we are hoping the rooms will look great when we are there. We ended up deciding to splurge on the riverview suite.

We haven't seen the rooms at Thiripysaya, so I can't give you a first-hand comparison.

Some follow-up on our planning: We were able to get the Rupar Mandalar for our three nights in Mandalay. The current high season airline schedule makes it look like we can fly to Sittwe and get to Mrauk U the same day. That will mean we actually have 4 nights in Mrauk U, three full days.

At the last minute, I decided I wanted another night in Yangon at the end. Too late - the Strand is fully booked, and I did't want to bother with changing hotels for one night, so we'll stick with what we had.

BTW, when I checked on flights between Bangkok and Yangon, Thai Air economy is totally sold out for many of the days.