It’s become pretty well known among travelers going to Myanmar that accommodation isn’t very affordable, especially compared to it’s sister countries of Laos + Thailand. There are some pretty heavy government regulations on accommodations in Myanmar at the moment, which makes it difficult to find budget places to stay that are still nice.
After spending 16 days on a fairly typical backpacker loop, we wanted to share where we stayed + how much we spent during high season. For us, it is important to stay somewhere with good ratings + that looks nice. We won’t compromise our comfort for cost unless absolutely necessary. In saying that, we always travel on a budget, and finding a good deal is also important to us.
So, here is where we stayed, how much we spent + where we booked:
Yangon
While in Yangon, we stayed at Chan Myaye Guesthouse. Our stay included a double bed room with A/C + fan, en suite bathroom, and breakfast (solid breakfast at that!).
This was a great guesthouse located near the Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon, and near to the river and many of the beautiful colonial buildings. The staff was really helpful, booking us a bus to the Golden Rock, as well as our overnight bus to Inle Lake.
$33 USD/ night + stayed 3 nights, booked on Hostelworld.
Golden Rock
Our Christmas gift to each other was our one night splurge at the Golden Rock Hotel. This is NOT a budget hotel, as during high season it cost us $110 USD for our 1 night stay (booked directly through the hotel + paid via PayPal).
It is a beautiful hotel located near to the Golden Rock. The staff are helpful and they served up an amazing breakfast (included), and one of the best dinners we had in all of Myanmar (not included). By staying closer to the rock, we were able to stay past the last truck leaving at 6pm, but if this doesn’t matter to you, save your money and book some where more affordable in Kinpun at the base of the rock.
Honestly, this was probably our best night of our trip though, and looking back, spending this money for this experience was worth it for us!
The Golden Rock at sunset
The Golden Rock
Inle Lake (Nyaung Shwe)
We decided to stay in the tourist town of Nyaung Shwe, just up the canal from Inle Lake. We had heard great things about Ostello Bello from friends who had traveled Myanmar, so we decided to give it a try.
The hostel chain has done a great job making a name for themselves throughout Myanmar, but unfortunately it’s too expensive for what it is as a duo. If you’re a solo traveler, Ostello Bello is probably a much more affordable + comfortable option than if you are traveling as a couple.
We paid $32 USD/night for both of us to stay in a 6 bed dorm in Nyaung Shwe, and this is the most affordable Ostello Bello location.
We stayed 2 nights + booked through Hostelworld.
Fisherman on Inle Lake
Mandalay
We passed through Mandalay twice (on our way to and from Bagan), and stayed at 2 different places.
The first time we stayed at 79 Living in downtown Mandalay near a mall, a few restaurants, and the palace walls. We stayed in a spacious double room with A/C and some of the best wifi we had in all of Myanmar.
As a bonus, this hotel had a nice breakfast buffet (included in the cost of our stay), and a roof top with a great view of the city.
We stayed for 2 nights, paid $49USD ($24.50/night) + booked on Agoda.
The second time we stayed in Mandalay, we stayed at The New Tiger Hotel. This hotel was centrally located, near to a great coffee shop, and close to the palace walls (slightly more south than 79 Living).
We had a double room with an en suite bathroom, A/C, a nice breakfast buffet + free bike rentals.
We stayed for 3 nights, paid $30 USD/night + booked using Booking.com.
U Bein Bridge in Mandalay
Bagan
While in Bagan, there is the option to stay in New Bagan, Old Bagan or Nyuang U. We found affordable accommodation in New Bagan, and it turned out to be the perfect location for us.
We stayed in a twin room (2 single beds) at Bagan Nova Guesthouse. We had an en suite bathroom, A/C (which we didn’t need), and a nice breakfast included. The guesthouse was also able to rent us e-bikes to explore Bagan, book us a bus back to Mandalay, and helped us out when Amanda got food poisoning.
We stayed for 3 nights, paid $38 USD/night + booked using Agoda.
Temples of Bagan at sunset
In total, we spent $526 USD ($263/person) on accommodation for 14 nights in Myanmar. If you take out our splurge on The Golden Rock Hotel, we spent $416 USD ($218/person). For 2 weeks in a country that has expensive accommodation, that’s not so bad! We also spent one night on an overnight bus, which is always helpful to save on accommodation costs.
Friend + fellow travel blogger, Jen from Two Can Travel, visited Myanmar in 2014 in low season and stayed at a few other affordable guesthouses, spending less on accommodation than we did. Check out her post here.
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