Traffic is a problem in Yangon so location is important. Hotel Esta offers a fairly good location relatively close to Scott Market, Strand Hotel as well as Swhedegon Pagoda and several very good restaurants. Service at the hotel on all accounts was excellent. The room was slightly small but very clean. WiFi in the room was decent but not so good in the lobby.

We were pleasantly surprised by the very good quality sheets. Breakfast was good and service there was good as well. The power went down one night but the hotel backup kicked on in less than 1 minute. Laundry was expensive but returned folded and packed very smartly in cellophane bags.

Hotel Yadanarbon Mandalay is an attractive building with a comfortable lobby. Service was very friendly and responsive. WiFi was a little complicated to hook into but actually worked pretty well in the room. Beds were a little inconsistent…one bed in our twin room was significantly more comfortable than the other. The roof top restaurant is attractive and offers a free cultural show every evening. The hotel is in a good location near the train station.

Tai House Resort – Wow Wow Wow! We had read good reviews but this little hotel in Hsipaw exceeded our expectations. Beautiful open air lobby/restaurant and lovely bamboo cabana rooms set in very nice garden. The rooms were large with quiet a/c, comfortable beds and a nicely appointed bathroom.

There were Limited TV stations but one of the few available channels in English was BBC.  Internet service was spotty but it really was not a problem.

Most rooms are set as a duplex surrounded by well tended gardens.  The walls between the two rooms are a bit thin so sounds carried but we experienced very little in terms of outside noises.

Due to circumstances of our tight itinerary we took all our meals at the absolutely terrific hotel restaurant serving a mix of Shan, Myanmar and Western dishes. It wasn’t needed during our short visit but there was a very impressive back up power plant at the ready in times of downed power. Hsipaw is not easy to get to but once here, Tai House is an excellent and very economical accommodation choice.  We would stay there again in heart beat.

In Bagan, we once again stayed at the Kumudara Hotel in New Bagan. Our experience was similar to our stay in 2013 and while still a bit worn, the hotel was more than satisfactory. Given the hot dry climate, we especially enjoyed the views of temples and stupas on the horizon from the hotel pool.

Our final stop in Myanmar for our 2016 trip was Inle Lake and as before we stayed at the Viewpoint Lodge & Fine Cuisines and as before we loved this hotel. The service (especially the head waiter) was terrific and everything was well thought out and executed. Basically the same as we reported in our previous visit to the hotel.