24 Best Hotels in Myanmar

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.

This eco-friendly, Swiss-managed property on one of Myanmar's largest lakes lives up to its name: from your over-water bungalow, prepare to be entranced by longboats putting by, barefoot monks walking onshore, and water buffalo being driven over an ancient bridge. Though the hotel's main buildings are all on land, its guest cottages stand right above the lake thanks to their sturdy bamboo stilts—the region's traditional construction from limestone, mud, and rice straw is so supportive and that no concrete was used. Cottages offer a tranquil retreat, but guests who want to do a little mingling will have no problem at the hotel's in-house restaurants—one serving local Shan fare, and another offering French cuisine—where each morning a dynamite breakfast is served.

It's a trip back in time at this 1920s colonial-style mansion located on a quiet backstreet in the Embassy Quarter. The hotel offers some excellent complimentary walking tours for guests, taking in everything from art galleries to architecture and street food.

Set right along the river, this hotel offers a nice alternative to the luxury behemoths and boxy city hotels. Separating the hotel from a river is a large, busy road, so the views are best appreciated from the hotel's rooftop, where you can take in the sunset with a complimentary cocktail in hand (free drinks for happy hour is the best deal in Mandalay). Rooms are simple but tastefully decorated in local style, well-proportioned, and have comfortable beds. City facing rooms can be noisy and earplugs are recommended. From the hotel, it's a straight shot along 22nd Street to Mandalay Palace.

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.

This boutique hotel offers an especially good value and is well located for those wishing to sample a bevy of local street snacks. The location is central, rooms are clean, a/c is ice-cold (but adjustable), and staff are friendly and helpful. Be sure to request a room with a window, and know that you may have to see a couple of rooms to find one you like, as some are laid out a bit oddly. The à la carte breakfast is decent, but the hotel is also .

Though it looks a bit tired, this budget hotel (by Myanmar standards) with its neatly tended gardens and swimming pool offers respite from downtown Mandalay. Bungalow-style rooms are decorated with old-fashioned but good quality, sturdy wooden furniture; bathrooms are functional, with hot water, but leave something to be desired. Short power outages are the norm not just here but at hotels across the city, so you'd do well to pack a flashlight. Staff are friendly and work hard to meet guests' needs, organizing cabs or trishaws (tricycle rickshaws), one of which you'll need to reach the palace and downtown restaurants.

This immersive hotel experience on one of Myanmar's largest lakes will have you living like a local in a simple over-water cottage built on stilts—even the welcoming public spaces and on-site restaurant serving local cuisine are suspended over the water. Run by the Pa-O minority group as a cooperative project, there are two outposts of cottages: the 25-room Thale-U branch, at the southern tip of the lake about an hour ride from the jetty; and the 52-room Nampan outpost, which is 10 miles from the jetty. Both locations have simple, charming, thatched-roofed, wicker-walled bungalows, and comfortable public spaces. Cabins are a bit rustic, but there's ample electricity, on-site dining, and even (very slow) Wi-Fi, and amenities like earplugs (to block out the boat motors) and bottled water are thoughtfully provided.

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.

In the village of Nyaung Shwe, a 15-minute walk to the Inle Lake jetty, this hotel is ideally positioned for those who want to stretch their sea and land legs. Rooms are clean and spacious, decorated with simple, tasteful wooden furniture in line with the Shan State's decor style. The hotel's outdoor restaurant, which overlooks a little canal—don't be fooled, it's not a pool—is lovely and a quite decent breakfast spread is served here. Book an upper level room if you're a light sleeper.

Long been the place to stay in Bagan because it's a stone's throw from Ananda Temple and plenty of restaurants, this hotel demonstrates a common trend in Bagan---when demand for accommodations far outweighs supply. Visitors don't get great value for money. Rooms are large and clean but a little run down and the air-conditioning a bit weak. However, well-manicured verdant lawns and trees provides guests with a much-needed break from the dust and dirt of the temples. As is de rigueur, the spacious rooms here are an homage to, and of, wood, with lovely teak floors and traditional Burmese furniture. At night, stroll the lantern-lighted hotel grounds or take in dinner alfresco..

The quaint bungalows that make up this hotel are removed from the main lake to give you a quieter, more peaceful experience; rather than using noisy outboard motors to dock, boat drivers row. Like all hotels on the lake itself, this one's far from restaurants, but the in-house food is excellent, especially the breakfast spread. Rooms are large, airy, and furnished in traditional Shan style. They're enormously comfortable and welcoming after a long day on the lake.

Swimming pools at budget hotels are far and few between, and Mandalay City delivers on that front. It's a basic hotel where there are often brownouts, no elevators, and where rooms facing the nearby mosque are quite loud during the morning prayers. Some rooms, while clean, are quite small, and a couple with a lot of luggage will find themselves knocking about. On the plus side, the breakfast buffet is excellent and for lunch and dinner travelers are within walking distance of a handful of small Indian and Chinese restaurants. Mandalay Palace is also within walking distance, though visitors may prefer to hop a cab to the palace and then walk further up to Mandalay Hill.

Though by no means budget, this is one of the less expensive hotels on the lake proper. All buildings here are on stilts, and the charming bungalows are teak with thatched roofs. The hotel is surrounded by floating greenery, which breaks up the otherwise infinite expanse of water. As with the other hotels far from the jetty, what you lose in nighttime activities and eating options you make up for in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. The food at the restaurant is fine—nothing mind-blowing, but plenty to choose from, all of it pleasant. Lake-facing rooms offer the best view but are noisy because of boats motoring up at 6 am. If you're a light sleeper, get a garden view room, take in sunset at the restaurant, and pop in ear plugs.

Idyllic and full of local flavor, this resort is a ways from downtown but is a real oasis. Rooms are all rich, gleaming teak which lends visitors the feeling of bunking down inside an upscale tree house. Though rooms are well-proportioned, some bathrooms are teeny. Rooms on the main road are noisy, and some rooms' walls are on the thin side. The expansive grounds are lush and lovingly manicured, and the pool, after a hot day at Mandalay Hill and the Royal Palace, is a dream come true. The breakfast spread is served outside under the trees; around dinner time, there's a marionette show and dance performance.