181INLE LAKESLEEPINGEASTERN MYANMARSLEEPINGEASTERN MYANMARNYAUNGSHWEget place with a variety of room types. It’s
worth considering the larger, more expen-
sive rooms, which have cleverly been fi tted
out with bamboo.
Gypsy Inn GUESTHOUSE $
(Map p 178 ; %209 084; 82 Kann Nar Rd; s/d $12/15,
without bathroom $5/10) Handy for accessing
the canal leading to the lake, this place has
an old block containing budget rooms with
shared bathrooms. There’s also a much more
appealing new block of rooms with private
baths.
Joy Hotel HOTEL $
(Map p 178 ; %209 083; Jetty Rd; s/d $7/14, with-
out bathroom $5/10) Set on the canal used by
market traders delivering goods to Mingala
Market, Joy has more of a local feel than
the other budget guesthouses. The cheaper
rooms with shared bathrooms are small and
boxy but there are better rooms with private
bathrooms and hot showers.
Four Sisters Inn GUESTHOUSE $
(Map p 178 ; %209 190; s/d $7/12) Away from the
other guesthouses on the way to Yan Aung
Nan Aung Hsu Taung Pyi Pagoda, this bright
blue compound consists of small rooms
around an old village house with a cosy res-
taurant. Communicating in English can be
problematic.
Bright Hotel HOTEL $
(Map p 178 ; %209 137; 53 Phaung Daw Seiq Rd; r
$7-25) The price is the drawcard rather than
the atmosphere at this big white place near
the boat jetty. The standard rooms are fairly
typical for this kind of hotel but the more
inviting superior rooms have a tub, a TV and
a minibar.
The following places straddle budget and
midrange and take the very Nyaungshwe
form of a main hotel structure and sur-
rounding duplex bungalow-like buildings:Nandawunn Hotel HOTEL $$
(Map p 178 ; %209 211; [email protected]; 80
Yone Gyi Rd; r $15-25; ai) In a residential part
of town, east of the market, this tidy com-
pound is probably the best of the lot for this
style of hotel in Nyaungshwe.Paradise Hotel & Restaurant HOTEL $$
(Map p 178 ; %209 321; http://www.inleparadise.com; 40
Museum Rd (Haw St); r $30-36, ste $65; ai)
Paradise is probably overstating it, but this
large chalet-style hotel near the museum
is still a good choice. All rooms have a hot
shower, a fridge, a TV and air-con.Remember Inn Hotel HOTEL $
(Map p 178 ; %209 257; http://www.rememberinn.jimdo.
com; Museum Rd (Haw St); r $8-15; a) Across
from museum in a quiet and leafy part of
town, the interior design won’t draw you
here, but the clean rooms, friendly service
and cheap prices will.Gold Star Hotel HOTEL $
(Map p 178 ; %209 200; [email protected].
mm; cnr Kyauktein Rd & Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; r
$8-25; a) A mish-mash of divergent rooms –
some tiny and with a fan, some huge and
with air-con – in diff erent buildings, so look
at a few.TOFU & HOT SPRINGSLocated on the northwestern shore of the lake, 5 miles from Nyaungshwe, Kaung Da-
ing (ex:='tui=') is a quiet Intha village. It’s known for its tofu, prepared using split yellow
peas instead of soybeans, and its hot springs (Map p 185 ; swimming pool K3000, private
bathhouse K5000, mixed hot pool K5000; h6am-6pm), where hot water from the natural
springs has been channelled into a swimming pool and a series of private bathhouses for
men and women. The springs are also the start or end point of several trekking routes
between Kalaw and Inle Lake – see p 172 for details.
The attractions are admittedly low-key, and the real reason to come here is the bike
ride through some beautiful Myanmar countryside. After renting a bicycle in Nyaung-
shwe, cross the bridge over the channel leading to the lake and follow the bone-shaking
dirt track through the marshes until you reach the sealed road, then turn left. The trip to
the springs will take around 40 minutes.
If you’d rather not expend so much energy, boat operators charge K3000 each way
for the 30-minute trip across the lake, and motorcycle taxis at Mingala Market will ferry
you to the springs and back for K5000, including a couple of hours waiting time while
you bathe.