If you don’t need all the details, we can make this review short and sweet. We loved just about everything about our stay at the Viewpoint Lodge & Fine Cuisines and would go back for a return stay there at the drop of a hat.

First off, we liked the location.  It’s right at the Talk Nan Bridge over the Canal in Nyaung Shwe, the northern entry point to Inle Lake and about as close as you can get to the Heho airport and the train station in Shwenyaung, which both serve the Inle Lake area.

From the Viewpoint lobby and upstairs restaurants, there is an excellent view to the east of the Nyaung Shwe Temple, which appears to be covered in jewels and jade colored ceramic tiles and of verdant green farmland and the Shan Mountains to the west.

As you pass through the lobby you enter a small beautifully maintained garden area and head out over a wooden boardwalk which connects to the rooms, which are actually duplex cottages on stilts set on what appears to be a man-made pond. The canal does run nearby down the east side of the property. Despite reading some other reviews complaining about early morning boat noise off the canal, it didn’t bothered us at all.

Each room has a private balcony with table and seating looking out over the pond. We were booked into one of the suites that included a unique wooden ice chest, a flat screen TV with DVR player and lovely décor. A seating and desk area was separated from the bedroom by sliding wooden panels and the bathroom was modern, clean and functional. We also liked the locally produced all natural hygiene and beauty products provided.

One other complaint we had read in other reviews involved the efficiency of the in room “air conditioning”. The system used by the Viewpoint is based on a different technology than conventional A/C we have in the West. It does not produce an ice cold breeze and goes along with the eco-theme of the hotel. Used with other cooling techniques like fans and opening the windows at night, we found the room “comfortable”.

The service at every hotel station from the door to check-in, to housekeeping to the bar and the restaurant was cheerful and efficient. I would say that the laundry service was a bit more expensive than we experienced in other Myanmar hotels and the in-room massage was way too passive for this writers personal taste but have to admit that those complaints fall in the category of nit picking.

And there is the “cuisines” part of the Viewpoint Lodge & Fine Cuisines. What’s not to love about that. We go into great detail about our meals at the hotel on our Inle Lake Restaurants page but have to say that even if you don’t stay at the hotel, it is worth having meals there. And breakfast would be a good place to start.

Viewpoint Lodge & Fine Cuisines Near Talk Nan Bridge and Canal Nyaung Shwe, Inle Lake Shan State, Myanmar [Burma] Email: info@inleviewpoint.com Telephone: +95 81 209 062 / (0) 81 209 147