Month: March 2018

SANCTUM INLE RESORT, MYANMAR (BURMA)

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Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar and offers some of Asia’s most fascinating markets, pagodas and a remarkable collection of 1,000 ruined stupas at Inhein Village that date back to the 13th century. Fresh fruit and vegetables and are grown near and on the lake and some local garment manufacturers can be visited.

I arrived at the Sanctum Inle Lake Resort from Taunguyi by boat to the hotel’s own boat jetty which made it quite a unique experience. I stayed in a cloister deluxe room which had a wonderful view over the hotel gardens and Inle Lake.

At Sanctum Inle Resort arches and cloisters reference the monastic life. The hotel has integrated all of the modern comforts, from plush beds and air-conditioning, cable-televisons, minibars and Wifi. The bathrooms are large and feature a separate bathtub and a rain shower. (However the water pressure was very low and the hot/cold water regulation was a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately, this could not be fixed during our stay.

The hotel’s Cloister Bar is partly a bar, partly a lounge and offers everything from cocktails to wines and beer as well as the entire menu of The Refectory restaurant. The Refectory Restaurant offers Shan State culinary delights such as noodles, soups and salads from the hotel’s own gardens. There are international dishes available as well.

The hotel has a beautiful infinity pool which offers a stunning view of the sunset over Inle Lake. The hotel has a gym and bicycles are available to explore the surrounding area.

I tried a massage at the hotel’s Sanctuary Spa. The massage  was aromatherapy style and my request to do it on the softer side was very much adhered to by the therapist. (She did however not let me choose the oil as offered in their Spa-menu).

The hotel caters to individual guests as well as smaller and larger groups of travellers. The hotel promises a place of inner peace and calm and serenity in their brochure. This is kind of conflicting with selling their rooms to larger groups. While seeking peace and relaxation one could be disturbed by the arrival of forty to fifty people in a group invading the pool area or the breakfast room at the same time.

I had a pleasant stay at this new hotel in Inle Lake and all staff members I met were friendly and helpful. The food that I tasted was delicious and nicely presented.

If staying at Inle Lake, I would most certainly stay at the Sanctum Inle Lake Resort again and would add two or three days more to the stay for relaxation and unwinding.

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http://sanctum-inle-resort.com/

AIR KBZ, MYANMAR (BURMA)

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YANGON-HEHO-YANGON

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Air KBZ is a privately owned airline based in Yangon. Air Kanbawza, known as Air KBZ, was established in June 2010. The airline is owned by Myanmar’s Kanbawza Bank and operates 4 ATR 72-500 and 5 ATR 72-600 aircraft, seating is 74-78 seats.

I checked in at Yangon’s new domestic airport terminal for an early morning departure to Heho. Baggage check-in and security check were fast and efficient and there was still plenty of time for a coffee at the terminal before boarding 15 min before departure. The flight departed on time and a small snack was served. The cabin was clean and tidy and I enjoyed having a good view from a window seat. Baggage was delivered quickly once all passengers walked to the small terminal building. The return flight went smoothly and departed on time. I enjoyed both flights and I think Air KBZ is a good choice for domestic travel in Myanmar. I have used Myanma Airlines (not existing anymore) and Yangon Airways previously. My preference would clearly be for Air KBZ.

 

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http://www.airkbz.com

PAN PACIFIC HOTEL, YANGON, MYANMAR (BURMA)

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PP Hotel Yangon

On a recent stay in Yangon, I took the opportunity to look at the newly opened Pan Pacific Hotel which had its grand opening in December 2017. The hotel is part of the new Junction City shopping complex which is a totally new experience in Yangon. The mall is a large, western-style shopping mall with brand names which have never been available in Myanmar before. There is also a western-style supermarket with many brand-name items from Thailand and around the world.

The Pan Pacific hotel is a tall building and offers a number of different room categories and several food and beverage outlets. The hotel has an executive floor with lounge. There is a gym and a swimming pool available. Room rates are still competitively  priced and will probably not increase significantly as a Kempinski Hotel will open its doors soon. A Peninsula Hotel is also due to open on the same street in the future. The hotel occupancy was only 25 % on the day I visited. Pictures show different room types and the executive lounge which was deserted that night and there was also no food on display due to lack of guests.

I found the rooms pleasantly decorated, all of them with nice bathrooms. The rooms are bigger in size than the average hotel room in Yangon and some rooms/suites offer wonderful river or city views.

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Update:

I recently stayed at the Pan Pacific Yangon Hotel in a Pacific Club room. It was a short stay of only one night. The room was spacious with the usual amenities including electric window blinds, a large flat screen TV and a large wonderful bed. The bathroom was a generous size, including a rain shower, separate bathtub, toilet and again electric roller blinds to provide extra privacy if needed. A nice little extra feature was a separate mirror light.

I would like to highlight the diligent housekeeper who checked twice a day if I needed anything. He promptly replenished the likes of towels and coffee capsules; and was always eager to help.

The Club Lounge at the Pan Pacific was of a generous size with fantastic views over Yangon, including the Shwedagon Pagoda on one side, the city and the river on the other as well as a nice view of the Sule Pagoda.

The staff at the Club Lounge were friendly and helpful; and the happy hour included wines, cocktails, soft drinks and a nice choice of snacks including a small salad bar for a healthier option.

I also had breakfast at the Club Lounge. There was a small selection of fruits, cold cuts and cheese, cereals and hot items such as potatoes and sausages. I ordered eggs which were delivered from the main restaurant downstairs. There was also a selection of toast bread, but no electric toaster, and there was butter but no jam.  I found these things a bit ill-considered. Next time, I would probably have breakfast at the main restaurant to get a more extensive choice.

I had a pleasant stay at the Pan Pacific Yangon and would return to his hotel without hesitation.

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https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-resorts/myanmar/yangon.html