Hi You All,

A few weeks ago I decided to take my family for a mini vacation to Myanmar for the new year. I've managed to book some of the best hotels, albeit at higher than the suggested room rate, but at least we should be in comfortable surrounding. Please can you guys give me some suggestion about the transportation from the airport to the hotels.

27 Dec BKK - RGN - He Ho staying at the Inle Princess Resort. The hotel has told us the airport pickup fee is US $15 per pax so they're going to charge us $45 for a limo and the boat transfer. Is this necessary or can we easily find our own way to the resort? Also, how cold does it get around Inle for the new year period?

29 Dec He Ho - Mandalay staying at the Rupar Mandalar Resort. I figure for Mandalay it should be easy to find transportation to our resort and we don't need the limo service. What do you guys think?

30 Dec Mandalay - Bagan staying at the Aureum Palace Hotel. Again do I need the hotel limo service or is it easy to get a taxi or an airport limo?

1 Jan Bagan - Yangon staying at the Strand Hotel. I think I can easily find transportation to the hotel from the airport.

3 Jan RGN - BKK

I've only been to the border towns in Myanmar and this will be the first time for me to see the main cities of Myanmar. I've searched all the posting here at Fodors about Myanmar and have contacted all of the suggested in-country tour company but decided to do it on our own - huge savings!

If any of you have any restaurant suggestion for Inle, Mandalay or Bagan kindly give them to me.

Cheers,

It is a long way.
Have a good time.

Hanuman - as you probably know from previous posts, we are planning a similar trip in February but we will not be going to Mandalay. We booked everything (flights, hotels, drivers, guides) through a local agent. I am confused that you say you booked your hotels at higher than the suggested room rate and later you say that you are getting huge savings by not using an agent. I have found that the savings on hotels are substantial versus using the discount hotel websites or booking directly.

It is also unclear what you have been quoted for the transfer from Heho airport to the Inle Princess - is it $45 total? We were quoted $26 but we do not need the boat to get to our hotel. With stops at the umbrella village and Pindaya caves along the way, we will actually be paying $42. I have read that it is better to arrange in advance as there are not many airport taxis so they have the upper hand and will try to take advantage of you. I would be very surprised if you are picked up in anything resembling a limo, by the way. The trip from the airport to the boat jetty is fairly long - a couple of hours maybe, so that is why the price is higher.

I have also heard that the situation with taxis in Bagan is similar to Heho- don't know about Mandalay.

I hope you can post a report on the Aureum Palace as there is nothing posted anywhere about this hotel.

One more thing - the weather at Lake Inle can be chilly this time of year, especially at night and early in the morning since it is at a higher elevation. It would probably be a good idea to bring along a light jacket and dress in layers.

Hanuman, have a wonderful trip! I will look forward to your trip report.

I have not been to Burma, but have done the research for a trip four different times, ending up cancelling each time (politics). When I did the last research, the advice I received about getting to the Inle Princess was to book the hotel transport, as the land/water combination was a bit tricky to navigate on your own. In all of the other places, I was told I could easily get a taxi to town.

Craig,

I was quoted by all the local agents on a per person basis. I ask for a triple (double with an extra bed) for all the hotels except for the Aureum where I opted for the family suite which has 2 bed rooms. The price quoted to me for the same(or even a lower class) hotel but with a guide, car + driver and domestic air tickets came out to about US $2,000 per person or in our case US $6,000 total.

When I reserve with the hotel directly or through a Thai agent(for the hotels only) the total for all the hotels came to about US $2,000 only inc the extra bed. The domestic air ticket came out to US$240 per person or US $720 for the 3 of us. The total for our hotels + domestic air for 3 pax came out to roughly $2,720.

When I ask the local agents why their prices were so much higher I only got the explanation that it is their peak season and the rest of the money was for their services and touring! I figured that with my $3,000 + savings I can find a guide and a car easily and have quite a substantial amount left over.

Re my booking at a higher rate than the hotel quoted rate. This happened only at the Inle Princess Resort where I manage to only get a mountain view chalet and that I had to pay $300 a night(inc the extra bed) and the hotel's web sited quoted a price of only $160 a night + $60 for an extra bed. When I contacted the hotel directly they said that they had no vacancies but a local Thai agent manage to get me a room but at a higher price which I took. The airport transfer for the Inle Princess involve both car and a boat ride and their regular price for this service is $30 for 2 pax max. I guess they are charging an extra $15 in our case for the 3rd passenger.

When I come back I will definitely let you know about the Aureum. We are staying in their Lotus Villa and we have to attend the compulsory dinner on Dec 31st. We're still waitlisted for the balloon ride but I'm keeping my finger's crossed.

Thanks for the info about Inle. I will break out our winter stuff since I find anything below 20 C to be cold!

Kathie,

Thanks for your advice and I will definately try and write a report.

Craig,

Corrections - the family suite I mentioned in my earlier post was at the Rupar Mandalar Resort in Mandalay and not at the Aureum.

Hanuman, we are using Santa Maria - total cost of the 10 night trip for 2 people including airfare, top hotels w/ breakfast, the Bagan balloon ride, transfers and 4 side trips to various places is $3180.

Craig,

I've only contacted Santa Maria for their services for a guide, car and driver and I still found that to be expensive. I was quoted a total of $525 for all of my chosen cities and my trip is only for 7 days and nights(last day does not count since my flight leave at 9.00 am).

I did not ask Santa Maria to quote the hotels and flights because I gave up trying to use a local agent after the others quoted me very high prices.

Your quoted price looks great! I understand that if I was to travel at any other time(not over the new year holiday) the prices would be even lower. I'm not sure if Santa Maria will be able to offer that kind of price if you were to book over the new year holiday.

I would think that it would be slightly more expensive over New Year's.

Have a wonderful trip, Hanuman - I look forward to your report.

We were in Myanmar for 2 weeks Jan. 6 to 20, 2005--Mandalay-Bagan-Inle-Yangon. We booked 3 hotels on web sites, 1 hotel + 2 planes + 1 driver for a day in Mandalay + boat Mandalay to Bagan from a Myanmar agent. All the transfers we did ouselves. I'll give you the info I have in my journal.

We arrived in Mandalay from Chiang Mai. I don't know the location of your hotel, but the airport is a good hour from Mandalay. It is in the middle of nowhere. We were fortunate that our agent came to meet us to be paid because by the time we exited, it was dark and there were no taxis. We hitched a ride with him for $10, which I had read was the taxi rate-he didn't complain. When we had asked the agency the price of a transfer, they quoted $25.

We saw very few taxis in Mandalay, but our hotel called one to take us to the boat--$4.00. In Bagan at the dock, there were old assorted cars "taxis" at a fixed rate $5.00. We stayed at Tharabar Gate. We used a horse & cart for our 4 days in Bagan--#71--Suu Win--$5 for a 6 hour day. We tipped generously. I had read the price would be $10--but business must have been slow + he had 4 days work. His english was decent and he was a pleasure to be with. There seemed to be a horse & cart depot accross from our hotel and we would use this to get out to other hotels for dinner-- $1.00 each way. Our hotel quoted us $10 for a taxi to the airport. We asked Suu Win, and he had a freind drive us for $5.

At Heho, the "taxis" (old cars) cannot approach the airport, so you are stuck with a baggage handler to take you about 100 meters. We couldn't negotiate for less than $20 to take us to the Lake View Resort. For our return airport trip, the hotel charged $25. To be fair, most of these taxis came from Nyang Shwe, so it was out of their way to go from Heho to Lakeview and return to Nyang Shwe. If we had been on an organized tour, we would have been taken to Nyang Shwe where the agencies have offices & then the boat across to Lake View.

After lunch, we used the hotel's boat, 4500 ks, to take us to Nyang Shwe to use the internet. This was fortunate, for they found us a local boatman to take us back later, 4000 ks. We used this boatman for the next 3 days at much lower prices than we would have had to pay the hotel. You can find boatmen around the docking area. Our boatman was a delight although his english was minimal--His card says: KO YEE (NanThe)--Hire Express Motor-boat "big wooden Bridge" Gate -- Boat No. Nya Ya.--2270/2325/3159 His boat was as nice as the hotels.

In Yangon, there was a prepaid taxi counter, $5. We stayed at Kandawgyi Palace. Most of the taxis we negotiated for 1000 to 2000 ks. Departure taxi through the hotel for 5000ks.

Dining in Mandalay was fairly grim--if noone else chimes in I'll relate our experiences.

Keep in mind that these prices are 2 years old. The exchange rate was 850ks to the US$.

I'll add what information I have.

I used Rubyland, www.rubyland.net. for hotels, guides and they picked up my plane tickets - sometimes having to change them. BUT - I already knew prices when I went in - I just hadn't done the final booking. When they delivered a price to me, I complained, saying the plane tickets were this and the hotels can't average more than this amount a nite - and they immediatly dropped the price. That they made a profit (but not so much) was fine with me. After navigating the country, they were very worth it.

A guide, for mandalay is Sai Moon Sein, Tel: 02-8035l, email: [email protected]. EXCELLENT - and he makes more if he is booked personally by you - keeping more money with those who earn it.

I also used the horse cart in Bagan - quite satisfactory for me and they hang around the hotels so you can walk out and get one.

I would have pickup up arranged for HeHo and for Mandalay. I did not see many taxis outside the airport in Mandalay - and its 45 min from town!
As previously stated, taxis aren't allowed at the Heho airport - you must get down to the road - with luggage etc. and deal with the chaos. I am REALLY glad I had pick-up arranged for here. I don't think it would be EASY to navigate your own way to the Inle Princess.

My trip was November 2005 so my information is only a year old. Re food in Mandalay, the only place I liked, my guide took me to. Food was not memorable in Myanmar, especially after coming from Thailand.

I look forward to your trip report. Enjoy your trip - Myanamar is definitely unique.

By the way, in Nov. 2005 exchange rate was - for me, meaning I didn't go to the bank but a travel company employee exchanged for me (I know, I am sometimes overly trusting), 1000 Kyats per $1.00 US. Real rate at the time was around 1150 to 1200 but we are only talking pennies here.

Thanks twofortheroad and wintersp! I've arranged for the hotel to pick us up at He Ho and Bagan since I arrive at almost 6pm.

I've sent a couple of mail to Sai Moon but they keep getting bounced back undeliverable. I will try and give him a call once I'm in country.

Hanuman, Sai told me to drop the Moon and he was Sai Sein - although his business card says Sai Moon Sein.

I'm having a hard time trying not to be overly jealous about your trip. I really want to return-but now is not the time for me - although I think it might be the best time for the weather.
Enjoy your trip!