272WESTERN MYANMAR
RAKHAING STATE
options from $35 up. The ‘Top End’ here cov-
ers rooms for $100 and over.
If there’s somewhere you particularly
want to stay, plan ahead; during high season
(November to March) some hotels can get
booked out, sometimes way in advance. A
few places hike up their rates over the peak
Christmas and New Year period, and also
drop them if open during the rainy season.
Nearly all hotels include airport transfer and
breakfast in their rates. Where there isn’t 24
hour electricity we note the times the power
kicks in.oPleasant View Resort RESORT $$$
(%42511, in Yangon 01-393 086; http://www.pvrngapali.
com; r $100; ai) Ngapali’s best balance of
price and style, the Pleasant View lives up
to its name with a brilliant location at the
far southern end of the beach, close to the
fi shing village. The 26 rooms, all sea facing,
are simply but chicly decorated with a TV,
a minibar and a hot-and-cold shower. The
power clicks on from 2pm to 7am and the re-
sort also off ers beachside massages for $12.Royal Beach Motel HOTEL $$
(%42411, in Yangon 01-544 484; http://www.royal
beachngapali.com; s/d from $35/40) More cosy
and personable than other midrange places,
the wooden-fl oored rooms at this complex
have lounge chairs on the deck, and there’s a
small bell by the door that staff chime when
they call. It also has a great restaurant.
Unlike most hotels, it’s set a bit back from
the beach, with a grove of palms providing
easy-breezy, day-round shade. Higher-priced
rooms face the water.Sandoway Resort RESORT $$$
(%42244, in Yangon 01-294 612; http://www.sandoway
resort.com; deluxe $180, garden-view/sea-view
cottages $240/300, villas $300-340; ais)
With palm-shaded walkways leading past
well-tended gardens and ponds, this Ital-
ian–Myanmar joint venture off ers lovely
two-storey bungalows with lofty ceilings and
appealing craft details. You get no TV, but
there’s a massive communal screening room
for movies, comfortably set out with padded
armchairs. There’s also a mezzanine library
with a couple of free internet terminals
above a bar, next to a giant pool. It charges
$10 for the transfer from the airport. Rates
almost double during 22 December to 15
January and dip slightly in October, April
and May.Amata Resort & Spa RESORT $$$
(%42177, in Yangon 01-665 126; http://www.amataresort.
com; r from $120, cabana cottage/sea-view villa
$195/315; ais) Owned by a Yangon sea cap-
tain, this swish complex of gorgeous two-
storey cabanas and rooms (request rooms 701
and 702 for their brilliant beach views) is Nga-
pali’s most stylish, although it loses points for
less than stellar maintenance. Still, it’s a very
appealing, friendly resort set back from the
beach in lush gardens with a handsome Mor-
ris 8 and wood-panelled Wolseley outside for
show. Ngapali’s lone tennis court ($7) is next
to the business centre, off ering wi-fi access for
$15 for the duration of your stay.Bayview Beach Resort RESORT $$$
(%42299, in Yangon 01-504 471; http://www.bayview
-myanmar.com; garden-view/sea-view bungalows
$150/160; ais) This luxurious German–
Myanmar joint venture occupies a nice strip
of beach, with a rare on-the-beach bar. The
45 swanky bungalows have an inviting, ba-
sic layout, and lounge chairs on the private
deck. Guests can rent out windsurfers, kay-
aks and catamarans ($5 to $10 per hour).Laguna Lodge HOTEL $$
(%43122, in Yangon 01-501 123; http://www.lagunalodge
-myanmar.com; r $50-60) For a ‘house on the
beach’ feel, the 12-room Laguna, run by a
German chef, goes rustic with dark-wood,
open-shuttered windows and huge balco-
nies. Mosquito nets hang over the big beds
and a giant circular window in the bath-
room provides views through the room to
the beach. There are tea- and coff ee-making
facilities in the rooms and a beachside mas-
sage service. Electricity is available 6pm to
midnight.Thande Beach Hotel HOTEL $$$
(%42788, Yangon 01-546 225; http://www.thandebeachho
telmyanmar.com; garden-view/sea-view r $110/130;
ais) The least stylish of the upmarket re-
sorts, the Thande is nevertheless a pleasant
place to bunk, off ering a spa surrounded by
gardens and a handy mid-beach location.Memento Resort HOTEL $$
(%42441, in Yangon 01-228 556; ngapalimementore
[email protected]; s/d from $20/25; a) The hand-
ful of rooms without sea views are clean and
cheap (for Ngapali), but may off er only a bed,
a cold-water shower and a fan. They're fi ne
for a short stay. There’s several more comfy
and beach-facing rooms too, and staff are
eager to please. Power available from 5.30pm
to 7am.