MattEvan

Looking at hotel options in Bagan for early December, does anyone have experience in the higher-end (we know that that's a relative term in Bagan) there?

The three we're mainly looking at are Bagan Lodge, Aureum Palace Hotel (although there are some ethical questions our travel agent has raised RE: ownership and the regime), and Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.

Thanks!

vhrum

I stayed last December at the Hotel @ Tharabar Gate (yes, that is how it is stylized) and found it to be quite comfortable. You're right, from my experience high-end is very much a relative term, although I was very happy at this property.

Also, if you don't have plans fully set out, I (very) highly recommend William Myatwunna of Good News Travels. Myanmar can be a difficult country to navigate and he knows the whole scene very well... We had a fantastic trip thanks to him. PM me if you'd like some more suggestions.

KI-NRT

We also stayed at Tharabar Gate while in Bagan. We chose it for its location (it literally is right next to the main entry into the Bagan everyone comes to see, and also is next to a nice row of restaurants, shops and horse carts. Very convenient location and good service.

The suite rooms are spacious; you won't be disappointed.

We chose it over Aureum Palace Hotel, partly due to the ownership's connection (or the latter) with the military junta.

SAT Lawyer

I also stayed at The Hotel @ Tharabar Gate on one of my two visits to Bagan and would echo the recommendations of it. The location is great, the rooms are comfortable and spacious, and it's across the street from the best restaurant in Bagan, Star Beam.

Buaires

Hi,

I went to the Aye Yar River View Resort, in Old Bagan last August. I would definitely recommend this hotel. Rooms were spacious and comfortable, great swimming pool and a gorgeous view on the river, with a deck to enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset. We opted for the "Grand Deluxe" room, a great option.

Great food options at the restaurant (Burmese and Western) as well. Electric bikes can be rented from the hotel for a small amount (10,000K a day, approx. $7 a day).

FatnLoud

At risk of coming across a bit less right-on, I stayed at the Aureum palace. (I wasn't aware of any alleged 'connections').
I found it to be really good, rooms were spacious and spotless. The staff were friendly and efficient and the food both in the hotel and in a local restaurant (whose name I've forgotten but was, I believe, linked to the hotel) were excellent and really good value.

I didn't go to the Spa myself but fellow guests were raving about it.

bhrubin

We stayed 4 nights at the Aureum Palace Bagan in Jan 2014. We were aware of the issues staying in a property owned by someone in the regime, but almost all of the luxury hotels in Myanmar are at some level owned by the regime, anyway. So we decided to stay there. Everyone needs to make their own choice as to what is most comfortable in that regard. We went with the most obvious luxury choice in a country not known for much luxury.

Overall, we were very pleased. We stayed in their top Island Villa, and it was beautiful. I was terribly concerned with air con and power outages, so the island villa private pool was my refuge in case it was too hot and there might be any air con/power issues--but it turned out to be unseasonably cool and we had not a single power issue. The air con worked great, too! The villa was spacious and well designed. The views onto the temples were extraordinary, especially at sunset and in the morning with the hot air balloons. (You can also get great views with any of the front row villas of other category, and I recommend those if you want that view!)

Food and beverage was average to solid in our experience. Fortunately, we weren't expecting much more. Breakfasts at the resort were good, and dinners were average. We did eat dinner once in town at a restaurant billed by our private guide (through Andrew Harper) as one of the best...and it was tragically bad. So we decided to simply eat the rest of our dinners at the resort. We did eat most lunches at local places our guide knew in/around town, and those were our favorites. Keep in mind that we're big foodies, so we might expect more than others!

Service was both amazingly good and tragically bad. We overall had a very good service experience...until your final morning. We received a 5 am wake up call...despite never having ordered one. I was pretty pissed, since it was the first morning I'd been able to sleep well since arriving in the country. My husband tried to get them to take some of our F&B off our bill to assuage us for the egregious error, especially considering our room rate, but they gave one excuse after another, telling us the manager wasn't present, even though we ended up seeing him--and then he fled for an "emergency" almost immediately. It was laughable. So we chalked it up to a luxury property with great hard product but not much experience in international luxury service standards...which we knew going in.

We also did see some maintenance guys just outside our "very private" villa, which was a bit of a surprise. But we were in Burma. We get it.

The infamous tower at Aureum Palace is a definite eyesore, but it does offer great views onto the temples and entire plain. I'm not one for waking up early for a balloon ride, too touristy and too early for me, so the free tower access was a delight for me (sacrilege!).

I definitely believe that Aureum is by far the nicest luxury lodging in Bagan, based on hearing stories from fellow travelers there and since our return who stayed at the other properties the OP mentions--not to mention passing them in our rides around and in/out of town. They are decent but more basic, from what I could tell--which may be fine for Bagan for many, regardless. I'd still call Aureum luxury, certainly, but with a service standard which isn't surprising for an emerging market on the world stage. It is pricey, but the villas and location (and air con!) for us made it totally worthwhile. We'd probably return if our travels ever allowed us to visit Bagan again.

One thing is for sure: Bagan is AMAZING. I loved it...and was glad that I gave us 4 full days to explore it at our pace. We had considered one of the river cruises, but they stop in Bagan for a day or day and a half at most...and Bagan was the biggest reason for our visit to Burma. It didn't disappoint. One of the ancient world wonders for certain.

MattEvan

Thanks, all. Super helpful insights here. We're going to try to book the island suite at the Aureum Palace.

Pausanias

We did a river cruise (on a Pandaw boat) and our only regret was not having more than a day in Bagan. We did, though, get to see some truly out-of-the-way villages along the river. Perhaps one day Bagan will have its own Amansara or Park Hyatt!

bhrubin

^

I doubt the junta ownership of Aureum Palace Bagan would look too kindly on an Aman property as competition, but I agree that Bagan is precisely the type of location that would perfectly suit Aman.

Pausanias

bhrubin - don't forget that Aman was into Burma many years ago when it restored and managed the Strand in Rangoon. That was one of our great hotel experiences - lobster thermidor and no one else in the dining room. Of course, going to Burma in those days wasn't exactly pc - so the regime then did look sympathetically to Zechaworld.

bhrubin

Aman didn't manage the Strand; GHM managed it. We actually stayed at the Strand (in the fabulous Strand Suite) in Jan 2014, just a few months after GHM's management contract ended. We had an amazing stay, nonetheless, and the Strand Suite was so much more appealing and more spacious than the junior suites at the Governor's Residence--for just about the same price at the time!

FlyerEC

It was Aman before GHM , really . " No / not " GHM back then .
Think you were still too young ?
Pausanias has been around as with some others here

Procrastinating stay years ago ( due to frequent black / brown outs ) wasn't a good move , as till now , I have yet to set foot in Burma .

Kagehitokiri

reopened 1993 (november?) under aman

https://www.google.com/search?q=site...rg+amanresorts
http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/94-03.txt
vuittonsofstyle - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post14951481
bearbrick - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ml#post9364853

was colony (zecha out) in 1999 and 2000
strand became GHM in september 1999

http://www.famoushotels.org/hotels/234
first 3 GMs were aman
funny, when Sally Baughen opened amanbagh, sue reitz was at oberoi rajvilas

two GHM bali in 1994 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post24877316

bhrubin

If so, I stand corrected! I'm not too young at 45, but young enough that I didn't discover Aman until around 2000.

Regardless, I must say that we VERY much enjoyed our Strand Hotel stay in Jan 2014--despite its "independent" management.

We did also visit the Governor's Residence for lunch and checked out the rooms and junior suites for comparison purposes. Both properties are wonderful, with great service, F&B, and nice locations--urban "downtown" setting for the Strand, and removed urban "suburban" setting for the GR. But the Strand Suite was by far the nicest accommodation at either, and at the time we got it for about the same price as a GR junior suite. Did I mention that the air con worked great, too?