Getting there
The easiest way to travel to Burma from the
UK is via Bangkok, from where Thai Airways International (www.thaiairways.com) flies to Rangoon
daily.
Journey time
– The flight from London to Bangkok takes about 12 hours, and to Rangoon 80
minutes. The writer and photographer’s visit was arranged by Ampersand
Travel (020 7289 6100; www.ampersandtravel.com),
tailor-made trips to Burma only after the NLD request that tourists stay away
was lifted in 2010. An 11-day trip, taking in Rangoon, Kalaw, Mandalay, Inle
Lake and Bagan, costs from $4 per person, including international flights,
accommodation on a bed-and-breakfast basis, all internal flights and private
car transport, a private guide and entrance fees.
Burma
beyond the pagodas
Red Tape
UK citizens need to obtain a visa to
visit Burma. Tourist visas, valid for stays of up to 28 days, cost $21 from The
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in London (www.myanmarembassyuk.co.uk) and
take up to 10 working days to process. Currency exchange in Burma is
unconventional. The official bank rate is about 10 times lower than that
offered at hotels, shops and other licensed outlets. You need to travel with
crisp, new US dollar bills (no torn or folded notes will be exchanged), the
higher the denomination the better. Traveler’s cheques and other currencies are
not generally exchanged. Credit cards are rarely accepted, expect in a few
hotels, which charge at least five per cent commission.
Where to stay
Many hotels in Burma are owned by the
families of powerful members of the military. The options on our list are, to
the best of our knowledge, unconnected with the regime.
Rangoon
The Governor’s Residence (www.goverorsresidence.com)
is an Orient-Express hotel set in an elegant 1920s, colonial-style mansion.
Doubles from US$210 Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon (www.chatrium.com) is a large, box-like
properly, built in 1998 and part of a Thai-run group, with views of Shwedagon
Pagoda. Doubles from US$156
A
bed room - the Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon
Where to stay Mandalay
Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel (www.mandalayhillresorthotel.com),
at the foot of the hill, is a big, corporate-style property with gardens, a
large pool and spa. Doubles from US$140
Kalaw
The Green Haven (www.greenhavenhotel.yolasite.com)
is a charming, family-run guesthouse, built in spring last year. Doubles from
US$17
Inle Lake
Hupin Hotel, Inle Khaung Daing (www.hupinhotelmyanmar.com)
is a large resort dating from the 1980s, with great lake views and over-water villas.
Doubles from US$35
Bagan
Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort (www.thiripyitsaya-resort.com)
is a Japanese-owned hotel on the banks of the Irrawaddy, where peacocks wander
around the grounds. The spa is excellent. Doubles from US$80
Where to eat
Food at the hotels listed above (with the
exception of The Green Haven, which has no formal restaurant) ranges from
adequate to exceptional (the latter at The Governor’s Residence and Bagan
Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort). Other options are as follows.
Rangoon
Le Planteur (leplanteur.net)
is a chic restaurant in a colonial-style house. It serves modern cuisine and
has an impressive wine list, which includes Burmese vintages. Dinners about
US$90 for two without wine
Le
Planteur restaurant
Mandalay
Golden Duck
(00 95 2 25623) is probably the best Chinese restaurant in the city, with great
Yunnanese cuisine. Dinner about US$30 for two without wine
Kalaw
Thirigayha Restaurant (00 95 81 50216) is a charming little place set in an old wooden
house, serving traditional Shan food. Dinner about UD$20 for two without wine.
Weather to go
Burma has a monsoon-type climate, with a
cool, dry season from November to April and hot, wet weather from May to
September. The hottest months in the big cities are from March to May, with
average daytime temperature of 29°C
