In a nutshell
Currently, travel to Myanmar is not recommended. The German Foreign Office has issued a travel warning, as the security situation in the country is still considered critical. It is currently unclear when the situation will improve.
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Price Levels & What to Expect
Myanmar has a reputation for being one of the pricier destinations in Southeast Asia — and that reputation is mostly down to accommodation costs.
Honestly, we didn’t find it all that bad. Sure, Thailand is cheaper, but Myanmar hotels are definitely not out of reach.
For a full breakdown, check out our article on travel costs in Myanmar.
In the main tourist hubs — Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake, and Mandalay — you’ll find places to stay across every budget, from basic backpacker rooms at $20 a night to full-on luxury hotels.
The cheapest rooms generally start around $20. For that, you get a more or less comfortable bed in a small room without much in the way of extras.
Air conditioning isn’t always included at the budget end. If that matters to you, double-check when booking.
For $35 to $60 per night, you’re in solid mid-range territory — comfortable bed, AC, and a minibar. Rooms are functional, and you shouldn’t expect a lot of luxury at this price point.
Luxury hotels can run several hundred dollars per night, but at that level, you truly won’t be missing a thing.
Hotel rooms in Myanmar are billed in US dollars. That said, paying in the local currency, kyat, is no problem at all — the conversion was always done at a fair, current exchange rate for us.
Almost all the hotels we stayed at now accept credit card payments, and we never had to pay any extra fees for that.
Breakfast is included as standard at virtually every hotel in Myanmar. Just don’t expect too much at the budget and mid-range places.
Typically you’ll find toast with butter and jam, fried eggs, and some fruit. There are almost always local dishes too — soup, noodle dishes, or rice.
Tips for Booking Your Myanmar Accommodation
New hotels keep opening across Myanmar’s tourist areas, but things can still get tight during peak season from November to February. Without a booking in advance, it can genuinely be hard to find a bed — the best-value places tend to sell out first.
Even when we traveled in October, just before high season, some places were already fully booked. We’d strongly recommend booking ahead.
We booked all our accommodation through booking.com, and all our hotel recommendations in this article link through to the relevant booking.com pages where you can check availability and pricing for your dates.
Many hotels are also listed on Agoda, which is especially popular in Asia. We find Agoda less user-friendly, and the way prices are displayed isn’t very transparent.
Where to Stay in Yangon
Best Pick for a Multi-Day Stay
The Wai Wai Place was our base in Yangon. Hotels here are noticeably more expensive than elsewhere in Myanmar — at the Wai Wai Place, you’ll pay between $40 and $60 depending on the season. The rooms are fairly small, but clean and equipped with comfortable mattresses and cozy duvets.
One downside: the AC would sometimes cut out during the day. That didn’t bother us since we were out exploring anyway, and it always ran perfectly in the mornings, evenings, and overnight.
The Wai Wai Place is about a 15-minute walk from the Shwedagon Pagoda, in a really pleasant, non-touristy neighborhood — much quieter than hectic downtown Yangon.
There are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby, and a taxi to downtown will only set you back 2,000–3,000 kyat.
The manager is incredibly helpful and can arrange bus and flight tickets too. We’d definitely recommend the Wai Wai Place for Yangon.
Price: 47 euros
To the Wai Wai Place in Yangon
More Good Options for an Overnight Stay in Yangon
- Good and Budget-Friendly: Hood Hostel
- Better: Hotel G Yangon
- Luxury: Pan Pacific Hotel
Staying Near the Airport or Bus Station
A few days later, we were back in Yangon for one more night — arriving in the afternoon with an early flight the next morning.
For this short stopover, we stayed at the Holly Hotel. It’s very close to the Aung Mingalar bus station and only about 15 minutes by taxi from the airport. For a quick layover, it’s perfect.
It’s new, modern, and clean, with genuinely fast WiFi. And get this: the breakfast buffet had Nutella! Nutella!! In Myanmar!
There’s not much going on around the hotel, but the in-house restaurant serves really good Thai food.
Price: 52 euros
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Our Hotel in Bago
The Kanbawza Hinthar Hotel
The Kanbawza Hinthar Hotel was our place to stay in Bago. It’s located a bit outside the city center, but that’s really no issue — guests get a free pickup from the train station or bus stop, and a free drop-off too.
In return, it’s nice and quiet, which suits Bago well since there isn’t all that much going on downtown anyway. The bungalows are new and fairly spacious, and breakfast is decent.
We were almost the only guests and had roughly 20 staff all to ourselves — including four young women at a front desk that was maybe six feet wide.
One downside: our first room smelled like smoke. The hotel employee noticed it immediately, said “Oh. Smoky. Wait a minute,” and came back with a different key. The next room was fine. Lesson learned: explicitly request a non-smoking room when booking.
We did a tour of Bago’s main sights with the hotel’s tuk-tuk driver for 15,000 kyat — great value.
For a day in Bago to see everything, this hotel is perfect. We’d definitely recommend it.
Price per night: 37 euros
To the Kanbawza Hinthar Hotel Bago
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Where to Stay at Golden Rock
The Eternity Resort
At Golden Rock, we stayed in the base camp of Kinpun at the foot of the mountain.
The Eternity Resort sits a little outside the main village, along the road up toward Golden Rock.
In return, there’s a free transfer to the bus or trucks for the ride up the mountain — and if you call ahead, they’ll likely pick you up on arrival too. We walked, which takes about ten minutes.
There’s a large main building with very spacious rooms, plus smaller bungalows with slightly smaller rooms — both at the same price.
One thing to watch: make sure you get a room with a decent mattress. Our first one (in the main building) was terrible, but the second (in a bungalow) was great.
Breakfast is good. The restaurant overall is just average, but we ate there anyway since we didn’t feel like walking into the village — and Kinpun isn’t exactly known for its culinary highlights.
The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. We’d definitely recommend the Eternity Resort as your base for Golden Rock.
Price per night: 41 euros
Our Tip: Spend the Night on the Mountain
If you’re willing to spend a little more, we really recommend staying overnight up on the mountain. The last truck down to the valley leaves at six o’clock, which means you’ll miss the sunset if you head back down.
We talked to several travelers who stayed up top, and every single one said it was worth the money.
Most tourists and many local pilgrims take the last truck down, so it gets much quieter and more peaceful after that. The sunset — and especially the sunrise — up on the mountain is said to be absolutely fantastic.
Book your overnight stay early, though. The hotel fills up well in advance.
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Where to Stay in Mawlamyine
Cinderella Hotel
The name really does say it all — we genuinely felt a little like royalty here. The hotel is wonderfully cozy and feels like a museum at first glance. The staff at the front desk wear white gloves, and everything here is just a little bit special.
The furnishings are high quality, and the minibar is an enormous fridge stocked with drinks. Breakfast is also very good and plentiful. At 45 euros a night, the Cinderella Hotel was by far the best value for money we found in Myanmar.
Price per night: 45 euros
To the Cinderella Hotel Mawlamyine
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Our Hotel in Mrauk U
The Prince Hotel
We spent a full six nights at the Prince Hotel and almost felt at home. The owner, Htun Shwe, is incredibly friendly and speaks excellent English — if you want to ask anything about Myanmar, he’s your guy.
The Prince Hotel also has quite possibly the best cook in Mrauk U on its team, so we ate dinner there every single evening. Whatever’s fresh and available ends up on the table, and it was delicious every night — as was the homemade mango jam at breakfast.
“Banana Flower Salad” and “Young Papaya Salad” have been among our all-time favorite dishes ever since.
The rooms are bungalows in four different categories. We had the top category for 45 euros and got a very spacious bungalow with a lovely terrace. Everything is a bit dated, but we felt extremely comfortable there.
Price per night: 45 euros
The Alternative
If you want to treat yourself to something really special, book a room at the Mrauk U Princess Resort. This boutique resort is genuinely the best hotel Mrauk U has to offer — though at $200–$300 per night, it’s not exactly budget-friendly.
To the Mrauk U Princess Resort
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Our Hotel in Bagan
Motel ZEIN
Along with the Cinderella Hotel in Mawlamyine, Motel ZEIN is one of the standout hotels from our entire Myanmar trip.
The hotel is run by two incredibly warm Burmese women who studied in London and are now pouring their passion into this place.
It was genuinely fun talking with them about Myanmar, the challenges facing hotel owners here, and the pressures of growing tourism. Their fluent English made the conversations all the more enjoyable.
The rooms are simple, cozy, very clean, and tidied every day. The hotel is also set back from the road, so it stays nice and quiet.
Breakfast covers the usual toast, fried eggs, and jam alongside local dishes, plus tasty pancakes. You can also rent e-bikes (1 person: 6,000 kyat; 2 people: 8,000 kyat).
Seriously, there isn’t much more to say. Highly recommended!
Price per night: 33 euros
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Where to Stay in Mandalay
Hotel 8
Mandalay was the last stop on our journey through Myanmar. We spent seven nights there across two different hotels.
One of them we can wholeheartedly recommend: Hotel 8. It has basically everything a good mid-range hotel needs.
The rooms are relatively new, spacious, and clean. Breakfast is solid by Myanmar standards and is served on the rooftop terrace — the top floor, open-air but with a roof.
The one downside: the AC in our room blew directly onto the bed. Not a dealbreaker for us — a large scarf and some tape sorted it out — but worth knowing.
For more packing tricks like that, check out our Southeast Asia packing list.
Bottom line: Hotel 8 is a great pick in Mandalay.
Price per night: 23 euros
Unfortunately, Hotel 8 was fully booked for our remaining days, so we spent the other six nights at the Night Sweet Hotel. The reviews on booking.com were strong, with the staff in particular getting a lot of praise.
It’s certainly not a bad hotel, but it doesn’t hold up when compared directly to Hotel 8. The rooms at the Night Sweet Hotel were very small, the bed wasn’t especially comfortable, and every morning at exactly six o’clock, the AC would blow breakfast smells from the kitchen straight into our room.
Breakfast itself wasn’t particularly good either.
On top of that, the staff seemed unbothered when guests ignored the “No Smoking” signs in the lobby and breakfast room. One morning, cigarette smoke hit us the moment we stepped out of the elevator — a hotel guest was happily puffing away in the lobby, and again at breakfast. Completely baffling.
The staff were otherwise very friendly and helpful, as is almost always the case in Myanmar.
All that said, the Night Sweet Hotel isn’t a bad choice. But having spent our first night at Hotel 8, we knew there were better options in Mandalay at the same price. The location of the Night Sweet Hotel also leaves something to be desired.
Price per night: 24 euros.
The Alternative
If a simple mid-range hotel isn’t quite your thing, or you’re in the mood for something a step up, we’d suggest the Home Hotel.
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Where to Stay in Pyin Oo Lwin
The Royal Parkview
Between our first night at Hotel 8 and the six nights at the Night Sweet Hotel, we spent a few days in Pyin Oo Lwin.
We stayed at the Royal Parkview — simple but absolutely fine. The highlight of the room was actually the bathroom, which made a nice change.
Price: 32 euros
Best Hotels at Inle Lake
We unfortunately didn’t make it to Inle Lake on this trip, but we still want to share a few places that came highly recommended by other travelers.
There are some seriously special hotels around Inle Lake — the kind of places where you could easily linger for more than just a few days.
Top of the list are the five-star Sanctum Inle Resort from around 160 euros per night, and the Thahara Inle Heritage Boutique Hotel, where you can spend the night in a very stylish stilt house for around 240 euros per night.
To the Thahara Inle Heritage Boutique Hotel
If both of those are over budget, we’d point you toward Motel Album — we’ve only heard great things about it. It’s actually the place we would have chosen for our own stay at Inle Lake, had we made it there.
For around 32 euros, you get a relatively new, clean bungalow run by a very friendly owner.
To Motel Album
Do you have hotel tips for Myanmar too?
Have you traveled through Myanmar and want to share your experiences? Which hotel did you love most — and which one would you skip next time? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
