Under the Sarkies brothers,
hoteliers who also founded the
Raffles in Singapore, the 60-room,
three-storey Strand hotel officially
opens its doors and becomes known
as ‘the finest hostelry east of Suez’,
with lofty verandas to keep guests
cool and Strand Sours to keep them
well lubricated.The hotel becomes the epicentre
of social life in colonial Yangon.
Notable guests include Orson
Welles and Noel Coward, who went
on to pen the famous lyrics, ‘Mad
dogs and Englishmen go out in the
midday sun. The toughest Burmese
bandit can never understand it.’Yangon (then called Rangoon) is
developed as the capital of British
Burma. Work begins on the structures
of the Empire: Government House,
the law courts and the building that
would become The Strand, offering
somewhere for officers, adventurers
and traders to meet and unwind.A hotel
in history
One of Asia’s longest-running
hotels and a Burmese institution
since the early days of Empire,
The Strand has reopened in
Yangon after major renovations.
Here we chart its riches to rags
and back to riches story.
To mark the occasion, guests
booking two nights in a Superior
Suite will be upgraded to a Deluxe
Suite, with airport transfers, high
tea and dinner for two (from
US$335; until 30 April 2017;
hotelthestrand.com).18 8 0 s 1900s 1920-30s