Golden Dream Hotel

We arrived at 2 a.m. after booking online, and the staff were ready to take us straight to our room. We effectively paid for one night but got two nights of sleep and two breakfasts. Before spending a week at a monastery, we left our large bags there; when we returned, we collected them and headed straight to another city. The staff made calls and carried our bags, going out of their way to help even though we hadn't spent much there. The room was clean, roomy, and comfortable. It felt like a proper hotel at the price of some run-down guesthouses in town.

Breakfast on the rooftop was okay, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is in a poor location. Our room and bathroom were generally clean and cozy, but the linen had blood marks and other dirt on it. It smelled as if it had been washed, yet the stains remained, and housekeeping left it unchanged through our three-night stay. They could plainly see the marks on the freshly made bed from two meters away.

There aren't many places to eat near the hotel. The manager can set up day trips, and the driver he arranged charged a reasonable rate. Staff service was great, and the basic rooms were comfortable. It's in a corner of Mandalay, but still walkable from the train station for check-in.

I wouldn't recommend staying here. The manager seemed focused on money, and the workers appeared afraid of him. He should pay for English lessons for them. We were told to pay right away, but said we'd settle up when leaving, as usual; even so, they asked us every day. The manager quoted one taxi price on the first day for a ride we really needed, then raised it on our last day when there was no time to sort it out. I called to ask for a solution because he wouldn't speak face to face. He shouted, said "let me sleep" and other bad words, then hung up. There are no restaurants or even street food nearby, and it's a 45-minute walk from the center. The rooms are noisy, and breakfast was just okay. Mandalay has many good, kind people, so spend your money with them instead.