lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

PLAN YOUR TRIP

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

two types of nicer rooms on upper fl oors.
Some have lifts. Some keep their generators
on 24 hours; others just for a few hours at
night and in the morning. Most cost $20 to
$40 for a double.
Have a look before taking the higher-
priced ‘deluxe’ rooms; they often cost an
extra $10 for a refrigerator and writing desk
you may not use. Others deluxe rooms off er
more space, nicer fl ooring and maybe satel-
lite TV.

Government Hotels

Very few hotels are still run by the gov-
ernment’s Ministry of Hotels & Tourism
(MHT), and they’re generally dated, empty
and poorly cared for. These hotels are usu-
ally easy to identify: they are often named
for the town they’re located in (eg Sittwe
Hotel in Sittwe) and fl y a Myanmar fl ag out
front – and the staff are often quite up front
about it if you ask!
There’s little reason for staying in a direct-
ly run government hotel. They are haphaz-
ardly run and are frequently vacant because
of it; often they are leased out to private in-
dividuals who may or may not be friendly
with the government. Throughout this book
we point out government hotels so that you
can avoid them if you choose.

Joint-Venture Hotels

A number of foreign hotel groups operate

hotels – technically via a lease with the

government. These are all top-end, electric-

ity-all-day hotels and are often the nicest

options.

Though these hotels work on the whole as

private hotels, it’s unclear how much beyond

the 10% tax, and their ‘licence’ fee, goes to

the government. Because of this murkiness,

some travellers opt to skip joint-venture ho-

tels. On the other hand, some are known to

fund community projects, such as the build-

ing of medical clinics, and are said to pay a

slightly higher-than-average salary to their

staff.

Other Private Hotels

It’s hard to be sure where your money goes

at these hotels, namely upper-midrange and

top-end hotels owned and run by various

local entrepreneurs. Some are former gov-

ernment hotels now leased to local owners.

Some owners are simply part of Myanmar’s

tiny middle class and aren’t linked with the

government. Conversely, other owners are

members of the generals’ families or cro-

nies of the government – for example, the

owners of the Aureum Palace and Myanmar

Treasure chains (p 26 ).

TRAIN, BOAT, ROAD OR TRAIN

The following places are only accessible by fl ights: Dawei, Kawthoung, Kentung (if

approaching from within Myanmar), Myeik and Putao. Sittwe is accessible by air-

plane and by boat from Taunggok. Keep the following in mind when choosing your

mode of transport:

MODE OF TRANSPORT PROS CONS

Air Fast; reasonably reliable schedules Relatively expensive; more money

goes to government or crony-

owned business

Boat Chance to interact with locals;

pleasant sightseeing

Slow; big ferries are government-

owned and infrequent; only covers

certain destinations

Bus Frequent; reliable services; gener-

ally privately owned

Some services go overnight and

have inconvenient departure/ar-

rival times; can be uncomfortable

Car Total fl exibility; see more of the

country

Can be expensive and is slower

than fl ying; can only drive to some

locations if you have a government-

approved guide and driver.

Train Chance to interact with locals; see

the countryside

Uncomfortable; very slow and often

delayed; government-owned

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