MANDALAY
Updated: Mar2013
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There’s a big choice of accommodation and dining in Mandalay and with the Mandalay Palace and Fort in the middle, it can be an effort to walk around. That said the pathway at the side of the moat is oddly uncluttered and clear. We have listed accommodation on the west of the palace area.
Mandalay City Map
Accommodation
ED1 Hotel
Address: 87th & 27th Street
Prices from: Single $15, Double $24
Includes: breakfast, Wi-Fi, en-suite
Tel: 02 34505 Email: Web:
A relaxing breakfast on the roof is an excellent way to start the day and a great place to relax (or write in my case) in the daytime. The reception area has lots of white-boards with useful information and when you can’t find what you are looking for the staff will know the answer. The bathrooms, as with most of the long-standing hotels, could do with some TLC but not a bad location and plenty of rooms. Look out for the signs on the lamp posts.

ET Hotel
Address: 82/3 25th St
Prices from: Dorm $, Single $25, Double $30
Includes: breakfast, Wi-Fi, AC, TV
Tel: 02 66 547 /02 65 006 Email:  tmchomdy@mandalay.net.mm Web:
Another hotel that is milking the tourist trade with a 50% increase in prices in the last 3 months. Though they have attentive staff and reasonable rooms, you get more for your money in Yangon, which really doesn’t make sense. They do have a lot of tourist information in the lobby area which is quite useful. Breakfast is served in a nice room with international news feed.

Garden Hotel
Address: 82nd & 25th St
Prices from: Single $25-30, Double $28-35
Includes: En-suite, breakfast, TV, Wi-Fi
Tel: 02 31884 Email: GardenHotelMdy@gmail.com
A large block of varying sized rooms. The bigger the room the more you’ll pay. Very friendly reception staff that aim to please.

Nylon Hotel
Address: 82nd & 25th St
Prices from: Single $30, Double $40
Includes: breakfast
Tel: 02 33 460 Email: NylonHotel25@gmail.com
We found these to be one of the hardest hotels to get information out of. Very unfriendly and unhelpful even though we told him that we were planning on returning in a few weeks in a bid to get to see the rooms and hear his prices. Much better options in the area for the price.

Peacock Lodge
Address: 5, 61st Street
Prices from: Single $27, Double $30
Includes: En-suite, AC, breakfast, fridge
Tel: 02 61429 Email: PeacockLodge@gmail.com Web: peacocklodge.com
A good breakfast and comfortable enough rooms in comparison to the standard set by the rest of Myanmar!

Rich Queen NEW
Address: 87th Street
Prices from: Single $20, Double $25, Triple $35
Includes: breakfast, Wi-Fi, en-suite
Tel: 02 60172 Email: Web:
Only opened back in August 2012 this modern and clean looking guest house has started learning lessons quickly. One of the friendliest staff that we’ve met when enquiring about rooms.

Royal Guest house
Address: 82/3 25th St
Prices from: Dorm $, Single $15, Double $36, Triple $
Includes: breakfast
Tel: 02 314 00/ 02 656 978 Email: Web:
Although the rooms are nice, our traveller said that this was the most unfriendly place that she’d stayed in Myanmar. Overall, fine, but not phenomenal, but a hot shower and a clean bed do make it an option.

Unity Hotel
Address: 27th & 82nd Street
Prices from: Double $30
Includes: breakfast, Wi-Fi, TV, en-suite, kettle
Tel: 02 66583 Email: unity@mandalay.net.mm Web:
Well, it’s called a hotel, it looks like a hotel (reception staff, security guard, bell hop) and the rooms are of a much higher standard than local guest houses. And yes, they do charge $30 for a double. Much closer to the standard that one would expect but still a long way off in comparison to $30 in another SE Asian country. 

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Eating and Drinking
Eating and drinking is quite spread out in this town, though there are a few options around. The closest gaggle of places is around the junction of 84th and 23rd Street.

Golden Shan
Address: 84th and 23rd Street
Prices from: Buffett 3,000Ks
All you can eat and sometimes that’s a lots! A good selection of Burmese Shan styled food with a touch of “softening” for the tourist.

Lasholay
Address: 84th and 23rd Street
Prices from: Selections 500Ks
If you’ve been to Asia before, then you’ll be used to this self-serve style place. Sometimes if you’ve been struggling with the stomach then it helps to see what you’re having first! Nice selection of food.

Mann
Address: 83rd Street
Prices from: Starters/ Sides 1,200Ks, Mains 2,000Ks, Water 400Ks, Myanmar Beer 1,500Ks
Packed with tourist on group tours, you’ll see more foreigners in this place than any other. The food is little to write about; rather bland Chinese food. And another example of the Lonely Planet not visiting somewhere; the beer is 1,500Ks, though stated at 1,600ks in the good book – unless they’ve dropped their prices?

Pan Cherry
Address: 81st & 27th Street
Prices from: Sides 500Ks, Mains 2000Ks
Nice Indian food. In fact, nice-nice Indian food! You’ll spot the street sign as you head up 81st.

Rainbow
Address: 84th and 23rd Street
Prices from: Sides 500Ks, Mains 1,500Ks, Beer 600Ks
Three floors offering fast service of draught beer and reasonable food. If you like sweet-corn, then try the corn salad for 500Ks. You’ll love it! Worth walking to and walking back to again and again.

Smile All
Address: 81st Street
Prices from: BBQ food from 400Ks, Water 300Ks, Draught Beer 600Ks
A mixture of locals and tourists, the food is good as is the service. You get to pick your own items and hand them over for the BBQ. And good cold beer!
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Travel – local travel, arriving and leaving
Arriving into Mandalay will most likely bring you to one of the three outer bus stations. Depending on which you arrive in and at what time, will ultimately decide the cost of your shared taxi into town. Expect to pay from 1,500Ks p/p to 2,500Ks p/p

    Shared Taxi Options
Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin
If you organise a shared taxi from Mandalay, then you can expect to pay around 5-6,000Ks per person to get to Pyin Oo Lwin (2 hours).  They depart from 27th and 83rd St. If arrive at one of the Mandalay bus stations and are heading straight to Pyin Oo Lwin then the price jumps up to around 10,000Ks per person, though this does save travelling into town at 4am in the morning.

    Train
To buy train tickets you need to go to 1st floor of the railway station. Alternatively there is a ticketing centre on the corner of 30th street and 78th street. You will need your passport to purchase tickets.

Mandalay -> Yangon

Depart

Arrive

Ord

Upper

Sleeper

30

Special Express

2145

1300

15

35

40

6

Express

0500

2000

11

30

33

4

Express

0530

2130

11

30

33

12

Express

0600

2200

11

30

33

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandalay -> Bagan

Depart

Arrive

Ord

 

 

120

Express

2100

0405

10

 

 

118

Local

0700

1845

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandalay -> Myit Kyi Nar

Depart

Arrive

Ord

Upper

Sleeper

27

Express

0430

2030

11

28

33

55

Express

1200

0800

10

27

32

41

Express

1830

????

10

24

26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandalay -> Hsipaw

Depart

Arrive

Ord

 

 

131

Local

0400

1630

9

 

 



    Boat
Bagan
Slow boat 
The boat leaves every Sunday and Wednesday. Leaving at 0530 the fare is $15 and it takes around 15 hours, depending on the water level.
Fast Boat
The schedule and price varies monthly. Ask at your hotel for this months’ fare.

Bamaw
The boat leaves every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 0600 from 35th Street/ Mandalay Gaw Wein Jetty. The trip is two nights on board with a deck fare of $12 and cabin of $54.

Mingun Ferry
Departs at 0900 (local boat) from 26th Street/ Mayanchuan Jetty. Return ferry at 1300. Duration is 45-50 minutes and a return fare is 5,000Ks per person.

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Sites
Although there is a $10 ticket for tourists, some of the sites that require the ticket just have nobody there to check on them. 

    Mandalay Hill 
Free Entry
There’s a little desk at the foot telling you that you’re not allowed to carry your shoes into the temple; quite right, but the temple is right at the top and if you’re not intending on going that far you can carry them. That said, 200Ks to look after your shoes whilst you climb for 45 minutes is hardly going to break the bank.

The views are nice but you really don’t have to go right to the top for a good view of Mandalay. If you take your first rest-stop at San Dha Mukhi Statue then you’ll get a good view from the west and will have already seen most of what the site has to offer. It’s about another 20 minutes to the top from here, so if you are pushed for time….. 

    Paya’s North-East of Palace
There’s a real mix here at the foot of the Mandalay hill. Some require the $10 ticket, but as already mentioned, there’s not normally anyone there to check. Walking in and around these temples is amazing and great to do after 3pm when the market stalls are in full swing. Sandamuni Paya is particularly interesting.

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