Aung Mingalar Hotel, Nyaung Shwe

For two people, our private twin room was just $7 each, and it was really spacious with its own bathroom. The place felt like a resort and was amazing value. The staff were so sweet, even though their English was limited. I'd recommend the puppet show down the road if you stay here.

The room's air conditioning wouldn't turn on. We only noticed at 4:30 AM, but it was 17 C, so we didn't mind going without it. I forgot to tell the front desk in the morning because we had to leave early for our tour, and we checked out as soon as we got back. My friend and I wanted budget accommodation in Nyaung Shwe while exploring Inle lake, and this place was a fair deal for what it charges. It's a 1-2 star hotel, so anyone after fancy rooms, food or atmosphere should book somewhere like Best Western. Here the basics were covered: clean, comfortable beds, a decent room and bathroom, and a decent breakfast of omelette, fruit, coffee and toast. The staff were wonderful. Check-in was quick, they arranged our Inle Lake day tour with a really kind boat driver whose name I forgot, booked our Yangon bus tickets with Full Moon travels, and set up a shuttle to the bus station.

Quiet and lovely, with very helpful staff and plenty of parking for cars. It's a little hard to find. I think it'd be great for a weekend getaway, though the breakfast selection is small and limited to European food.

For $7.50, it was still cheaper than some hostels, so we were okay with it. The internet was alright, perhaps because it was off-season and there were hardly any guests, but breakfast was nothing special. The AC didn't work even though we told them several times. We had hoped the gecko in our room would deal with the ants, spiders and all the mosquitoes, but maybe it was too lazy.