blairfell

Looking for a budget hotel 35 usd/night with AC and decent location. Suggestions?

Kathie

You don't need AC at Inle. The nights are quite cool - you may ned an extra blanket. Sorry, I don't know of a place in that price range. But there dis a well-priced guesthouse at Inle that gets rave reviews - several people here have stayed there, including, I believe, yestravel. Take a look at her trip report if she doesn't see this thread.

Also, you may well find people over at Thorntree who can recommend a place in your price range.

Prachuap

Maybe just ask all your questions in one post.

Travelfish lists budget guesthouses across SEA.

yestravel

Sorry, we didn't stay in a guesthouse at Inle Lake & don't know of any. I do agree that it gets chilly at night and in the am.

sartoric

Blairfell, I was there in March this year and there were several new guest houses under construction along Yone Gyi St, which is one of the main streets in Nyaung Shwe leading to the lake. They're probably open for business now.
This is a good area to stay for convenient access to the lake and the town. There is a great tour guide called Phyu Phyu in Yone Gyi St - very reasonable prices and good English.
Click on my name for a trip report of Myanmar, Inle Lake is towards the end. I enjoyed some really cheap and good meals in Nyaung Shwe, details are in the TR.

Kathie

Sorry, yestravel, I thought it was you who reported on the Princess Gardens (?) but maybe whoever stayed there will see this thread.

yestravel

No problem...hard to keep everyone and their trips straight.

LancasterLad

Agree with Sartoric. Nyaungshwe is teeming with decent budget accommodation. All the better if there are some new ones. It's a really pleasant place, and plenty of decent places to eat.

If you want a little adventure off the tourist trail, then rent a bicyle. Cross the bridge, and head south towards Kaungdaing. Chill with a few locals without any hassle to buy souvenirs. Then take your bike onto a boat and cross to Maing Thauk, and then cycle back. Do it late afternoon, and providing visibility is alright, you'll getgreat sunset views.

It's also easy to pick up the boat tours from Nyaungshwe to Inle Lake, which is about 4Kms away. You follow a canal, with lots of life on either bank, and then you suddenly open out into the Lake. It's a great day out on the Lake, with plenty of stops along the way. All the boats follow pretty much the same route. Views from the Lake can be patchy though, depends on the time of year. When we were there the 'slash and burn' season was in progress big time, so distant views were practically nil.

Kathie

I don't know how much time you have at Inle, but do spend at least two full days on the lake. LL says "All the boats follow pretty much the same route." If you just show up and get into a boat with other visitors, this will be try, and you will come back wondering why people rave about Inle. The "tourist route" covers all of the "workshops" on the lake - i.e., shops. If you are interested in some of these, fine, but don't spend all of your time there. Do visit InDien, visit the location of the 5-day market (as long as it isn't the floating market), and take a full day trip to Sankar. Get out on the lake as early as possible each morning and you will have most of the stops to yourself.

yestravel

I agree with kathie. We picked the places we wanted to visit and spent 2 days on Inle Lake. Really enjoyed it. We didn't have crowds anywhere we went. At Sankar there were maybe 10 tourists. We spent the other day in Nyaungshwe and enjoyed exploring the little town. I think it would be quite nice to stay in town.