5 Best Hotels in Myanmar

Name: Mandalay Hill Resort
Address: 9, 416/B Kwin, 10th St., near foot of Mandalay Hill, Mandalay, Mandalay, Myanmar
Telephone: 02-35638
Price range: $$$

Because demand far outweighs supply, hotels in Myanmar are significantly more expensive than in neighboring Thailand. Yangon has the biggest concentration of upscale accommodations—some tip the scale at $500 a night—including two classic colonial luxury hotels and a handful of international business hotels. Places in Yangon catering to foreigners almost always have 24-hour electricity and most have some degree of Wi-Fi. Mandalay has a few luxury big-box hotels, including western chains, and several options considered midrange by Myanmar standards. Brief electricity blackouts are common, but the more upscale hotels have generators that start automatically during power failures. At many smaller hotels they may wait to see how long the outage lasts before starting up their generator.

Mandalay Hill Resort

$$$ | 9, 416/B Kwin, 10th St., near foot of Mandalay Hill, Mandalay, Myanmar Fodor's Choice

A stone's throw from Mandalay Hill and a short jaunt to the royal palace, this Thai-owned big-box hotel offers easy access to Mandalay's main sites. What it lacks in local character this hotel makes up for in amenities, which include nicely manicured grounds with an enormous pool with swim-up bar, gym, and tennis courts. The buffet breakfast is an excellent spread and is served from quite early, so guests heading out for sunrise can still grab a bite. Rooms are on the smaller side but comfortable and quiet, with strong air-conditioning and decent Wi-Fi service. The bicycles for hire are in good condition.

Bagan Lodge

$$ | Myat Lay Rd., Bagan, Myanmar

After a hot, dusty day of temple hopping, this resort’s pool and surrounding sun loungers will welcome you with open arms. So, too, will the buy-one-get-one happy hour from 4 to 7. Each room is its open bungalow with gleaming hardwood floor and is decorated in Colonial-influenced style, with a mix of wicker and dark wood furniture. The buffet breakfast is ample, with all manner of western breakfast foods and decent coffee. Staff are available and helpful, happy to arrange, pending availability, early check-in and late check-out. Because the hotel is slightly out of town, you’ll need a bike or vehicle (taxi/horse cart, moto) to get around; the hotel has electric bikes for hire.

Blue Bird

$$$ | 10 Naratheinkha, Bagan, Myanmar

Owned by a charming French-Burmese couple, and recently renovated, this lovely 24-room boutique hotel packs in a motley crew of travelers. Rooms are furnished simply but, after a long day of temple-hopping, are clean and serene. The bathrooms are oversize, with slate floors and rain-forest shower heads, and some include outdoor showers. Quirky touches include vintage medicine cabinets as safes. Borrow a board game from the front desk, or peruse the well-stocked DVD cabinet before retiring to your room and climbing inside the mosquito net.

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Hotel Alamanda

$$ | 60B Shwe Taung Kyar Rd., Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar

Quiet and quaint, this six-room former colonial home is just out of the city center, between Inya Lake and the Shwedagon Pagoda. The French owners are present but not overly intrusive, and though the staff speak limited English, they're enormously friendly and accommodating. It's not quite luxurious, but it's very comfortable, with gleaming teak floors in the rooms and plush beds. There's free Wi-Fi throughout and a guest computer available. One of the most welcome things at Alamanda is the included breakfast, best enjoyed in the tranquil courtyard; dig into homemade bread, ample fresh fruit, yogurt, muesli, and proper coffee.

Thazin Garden Hotel

$$ | Thazin Rd., Bagan, Myanmar

Between the dreamy pool surrounded by flowers and the guest bungalows, each with its own veranda, you may just find yourself lazing here all day. There are a few restaurants within walking distance, and the hotel’s restaurant—with seating on the lawn, overlooking the garden with its own stupa—makes it popular with outside guests. Rooms are done up in standard Southeast Asian, but it’s lovely—dark carved wood beds, gleaming hardwood floors, cute flower petal art on the bed, and crisp white sheets with brightly colored accent pillows. Standard are large enough to accommodate two adults and a child or two.

Myanmar

Myanmar

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