The most important thing when choosing a guesthouse in Mandalay is that they have a 24hr generator so that the fan will still run when the somewhat frequent power-cuts occur…
Mandalay is a big city and like Yangon this means a large selection of Guest Houses of varying prices. We found it tricky to find a double ensuite room under $20, but the rooms we saw at about that price point seemed pretty similar, there was no stand out winner, so Nylon Hotel does the job.
We looked at a couple of places initially, but having arrived at 5.30am we decided to just take the first room that was a decent price and up to a similar standard to other rooms around Burma.
As it turned out, when we did go out to look at the other local hotels, Nylon was reasonably priced for what we got, so happy enough with our choice. The Bed was hard with a thin mattress, though not uncommon we’ve certainly had better or worse! so a pretty standard $20 room.
The generator keeps the fan running when frequent blackouts occur… it won’t run the air con but at least you get a fan – which wasn’t standard in Bagan, so Mandalay is a step up.
The sheets were clean, the air con was cold, when it worked, and the shower was far enough from the toilet that it didn’t fully soak it.
Thats about as much as you can expect in Mandalay for $20 circa May 2013.
Nylon hotel Mandalay Contact Details
Corner of 83rd & 25th St, Mandalay
+95 (0) 2 33460 / 66550 / 60757
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Alternatives to the Nylon Hotel Mandalay:
ET Hotel
This would be our top choice, very friendly manager, superior room to everywhere else we looked at in the $20 – $25 bracket. For $25 the Double room was big, wifi in the room and even a TV. Like everywhere else, air con and a fan for when they are running on generator power. Breakfast inc.
$25 Double, ensuite. – the one we saw at the back of the hotel was quiet too.
129(A) 83rd st (between 23rd & 24th), Mandalay.
+95 (0) 2 65006
email: [email protected]
We liked Myanmar so much we even wrote a book about it!!! The Best up-to-date alternative to Lonely Planet.
Royal Guesthouse
This is the popular one in all the guidebooks, so expect to drown in a sea of white faces… The quality is good, similar to ET & Nylon. The $22 Double we saw had a nice little inside balcony area, tiny ensuite bathroom and fan/aircon.
41, 25th st, (between 82nd and 83rd st) Mandalay
+95 (0) 2 65697 / 31400
Garden Hotel
Didn’t get to see the room as they were fully booked, but includes all the regular stuff: wifi, breakfast, aircon/fan etc.
$20 Double ensuite
174 83rd st (between 24th & 25th st) – Next door to Nylon Hotel.
+95 (0) 2 31884 / 66584 / 65707 / 22733
AD-1 Hotel
Didn’t get time to visit this one, its a little further from the main backpacker area. Let us know if you have stayed there recently!
$15USD Single $25SD Double rate as of February 2013
+95 (0) 2-34505 / +95 (0)9-6502430
Classic Hotel.
Rundown and overpriced… If you want a horrible room for $35, rather than a better room for $20 then be my guest…
Flash Packer
Unity Hotel.
Spending a little extra normally gets you some bonuses like Satellite TV and a fridge… It doesn’t necessarily mean you get a significantly cleaner room. Unity is better than the $20 equivalent rooms, but whether its worth it for an extra $15 we aren’t sure.
Corner of 27th and 82nd St. Mandalay
+95 2 66583 / 35142 / 32479 / 24188 / 24235
Email: [email protected]