Mr. Charles Guest House - Hostel

Breakfast was really good, and all the staff were nice and spoke good English. The tour was amazing and great value, and our room was nice, with mosquito nets over the windows. A few things didn't go well. We found a note saying the room wouldn't be cleaned unless we asked, since some guests don't like cleaning. But it was cleaned without us asking anyway, which rather defeats the point of the sign. Dinner was pretty naff. We also bought tickets to our next destination through them, sold as "door to door". When the van came, they asked which hotel we were going to. After we told them, they said we'd be dropped at the market, though they couldn't find the market on the map or say how far it was from our actual hotel. The staff member from Mr Charles spent more effort telling us we wouldn't be taken to our hotel than persuading the driver to make the two minute trip, as it turned out, to finish the journey. Taxi drivers were waiting when we arrived, so I can only assume there's some arrangement for the driver to leave people there instead of at their hotels. I know Mr Charles doesn't run the bus, but they shouldn't sell it as door to door unless they'll try to get the driver to drop passengers at their hotels.

After our 2d 1n trekking tour, it was great to come back to a clean, comfortable room. The place is very neat, though fairly busy, and they clearly know how to handle tourists. The trek itself was phenomenal, through jungle and some lovely authentic villages. We stayed with a nice family, and their cat curled up beside me at night. Our guide was good and told us about the area and what growing up in Myanmar was like.

The daily cleaning service wasn't something we used, but after six months of travel it was the first time cleaning staff left fresh toilet paper and water outside our door without us asking. They usually didn't do that when you declined cleaning. The staff were very friendly and spoke English very well, and the daily trekking tour had a good guide. Our room was bright, with a balcony, a very comfortable bed and soft pillows. The windows had mosquito nets, and the breakfast buffet was good. The bathroom had a bathtub, but the toilet hose dripped and kept the floor wet. There are signs asking for quiet after 10 pm, but not all guests followed them and the hotel staff unfortunately didn't step in. Our room was beside the public terrace, so it could get noisy at night. Dinner at the Restaurant wasn't anything special and cost more than at other restaurants.

We stayed in the guest house, not the Hotel, so I can't speak to that. The place was simple but nice, with a good deck for having drinks. Front desk staff were very helpful, and there was a hot shower and a fantastic breakfast before heading out trekking in Hsipaw.