Rangoon Hotels & places to visit

Dear All.

(1)Can anyone recommend any 4-5 star hotels in Rangoon?

(2)How long do you recommend staying in the city centre?

(3)I have 7-11 days to explore Burma, can anyone give me any suggestions on where I should visit?

(4)Any great suggestions on good hotels, how to get around, what money to take, would be advantageous.

Many thanks for your help, and God bless you all!

Rangoon Hotels %26amp; places to visit

Spent 10 days in Burma in December. Can recommend three 4-5 star hotels in Yangon. Traders Hotel (owned by Shangri-La group) is in an excellent location across the street from Bogyoke Market. But it is a tall, concrete building (drab). The staff is fabulous and there is a health club with outdoor swimming pool free for guests. We stayed there for two nights. The other deluxe hotels are The Strand (not the most convenient location and undergoing some remodelling) and the Pansea (nice, quiet, upscale area of town). Take a lot of U.S. dollars - no credit cards or traveller%26#39;s check accepted anywhere, except perhaps to pay the hotel bill. 2-3 days in Yangon is plenty if you%26#39;re active and willing to move around a lot.

Rangoon Hotels %26amp; places to visit

I also strongly recommend visiting Bagan for at least two days, Bago for one day, Mandalay and surrounding area for 2-3 days, and Inle Lake for at least two days. Let me know if you want/need more specific recommendations. There are a few excellent, but hard to find, guide books for Myanmar.

Hi!

(1)Traders Hotel is fantastic location - across the market. Check out asiahotels.com - they have pictures and guests comments. I got to stay at the Thrip.... Sakura Hotel in Bagan for less than USD50 and that was the cheapest rate in the sites that I surfed...

(2) 2 full days in Yangon is more than enough. There isn%26#39;t very much to see and do.

(3) I spent 10 days in Myanmar. We spent 3 days in Bagan(stayed at Thripit... Sakura), 4 days at the Inle Lake (stayed at Inle Lake View Resort) and 3 days in Yangon (stayed at Sedona. It has nice big pool but location is not very good)

If you have time, you might want to visit Mandalay....

Bagan is beautiful - catch the sunset AND sunrise from a temple top.

Inle Lake - the fisherman row their boats with their FEET.

(4)The Inle Lake View Resort is very nice. Check out a review I wrote: http://www.epinions.com/content_138782936708

And I wrote another one on the Sakura in Bagan:

http://www.epinions.com/content_170918710916

Bring lots of USD. CASH economy. Difficult to find places that accept visa once you%26#39;re out of Yangon. You can also choose to change to Kyats(their local currency) in Yangon. But carry lots of cash.

Thanks for all your help ';newtuxedo'; and ';jade tu'; I think Im going to stay at the Traders Hotel and Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel. I have some more questions I would ideally like answering.

(1) Im travelling from Bangkok (not bought the ticket yet) Can I get an Asia Air Pass?

(2) I want to travel from Bangkok-Yangon-Mandalay-Bagan-Bangkok. Which airline is the best and cheapest to fly with?

(3) Is it best to purchase single/return/airpass tickets?

Many thanks for your help and God bless you all!

I spent 3 1/2 days in Yangon and had plenty to do. The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the most impressive sites I have seen in all of asia. It is as impressive as the Royal Palace in Bangkok, but even more so since the local folks who go there to pray outnumber the tourists. Be sure to get an official guide when you get there. It is $5 USD and worth every penny. IT is impressive both during the day and at night.

Scott Market and the Gem Museum have really good shopping and can keep you busy if you are into that. The laquerware, silver and gems are particularly inexpensive and good quality.

The food in general is not that great in Myanmar, but some of the hotels have good restaurants, (The strand and the savoy).

The Grand Plaza Parkroyal is near the market and traders and looks a bit nicer. (I am staying there next month, so I cannot speak about it personally). I have stayed at Traders and it was fine, but a bit dated. The only reason to stay there is if you want to walk to the market. Otherwise, you can stay anywhere. Cabs are just a dollar or 2 anywhere. We hired a driver and guide for about $20/day and they took us everywhere. We took a day trip down to Bago

It is a very nice country. I also recommend to bring USD. They actually prefer this to their own currency and you can bargain a better price in the market if you pay in USD. Have a great trip!

I was last there in 1998, but my hotel while in Rangoon was the

Kandawgyi Palace Hotel on Lake Kandawgyi. The rooms and grounds were beautiful, as was the view of the S. Pagoda at sunset and sunrise.

I noticed that internet rates offer this hotel at $60. I%26#39;m very picky...but found that it outshined the Strand in its peacefulness and tranquility and royal luxury!

Bagan is the %26#39;home%26#39; of the archaelogical site of 5000 stuppas. It should be a wonder of the world. Spend as much time here as you can...you won%26#39;t regret it.

If I had 11 days, I%26#39;d spend 2 in Yangoon, minimum of 4 in Bagan and take the river cruise to Mandalay.

Wish I were going back!

You may already be back by now, but my wife and I just returned from a short visit and had a great time. While in Yangon a visit to Shwe Dagon Pagoda is a must. We toured the Pagoda with a guide from the Western Gate named Hnin Le (pronounced Neelay) who was wonderful. We also toured the country with her and strongly recommend her for short or extended tours. We stayed at the Summit Parkview Hotel, which was decent, but nothing special, and walking distance to Shwe Dagon.

As mentioned by previous posters, Bagan should definitely be on your itinerary. It costs about $65 one way on Mandalay Air (non-government owned) to get there. We stayed at the Bagan Hotel and had a river view room which we loved. You%26#39;ll want to tour the temples, but it%26#39;s also worthwhile to take a boat across the river and a jeep ride to the temple on top of the opposite bank.

I found Inle Lake even more interesting. It is also fairly heavily touristed (for Burma), but you can also watch daily life on the lake. Very beautiful.

Feel free to contact me for more info.

Just in the process of planning a Yangon trip for early 2006. Has anyone stayed at or seen the Governor%26#39;s Residence? How does it stack up against the others mentioned in this thread? Thanks.

I would appreciate information on guidegooks to Myanmar as well as any information on side trips from Yangon to Twante and Bago and how interesting other travelers have found those places.

Souri - the Lonely Planet Guide for Myanmar is very good. Also, the Impact Guide for Thailand and Myanmar has a large section on Myanmar that is useful, especially if you want to do any shopping. About the only current guide books I found in the U.S.