Page 321 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Pyin OO Lwin and arOund NortherN MyaNMar 319
6am until they run out of passengers. Shared taxis to By train Pyin Oo Lwin’s small railway station is north of
Kyaukme, Hsipaw and Lashio leave from near the Shan the town centre, 600m north of Mandalay–Lashio Road.
Market from 8am onwards – regardless of your destination, There’s one train a day each way, nominally departing for
you’ll need to pay the full fare to Lashio (K14,000, or Mandalay just after 5pm and for destinations east of Pwin
K15,000 in the front seat). It’s easiest to book shared taxis Oo Lwin before 8.30am. A blackboard in the station is
through your accommodation the day before; the car will updated each day with the actual expected times.
pick you up from there in the morning, and the price should Destinations Hsipaw (daily; 6hr 30min); Kyaukme (daily;
be the same. 5hr); Lashio (daily; 11hr); Mandalay (daily; 5hr).
GettING aroUND aND toUrS
By motorbike taxi A short journey around town ought By motorbike Crown Bicycle Rental have motorbikes for
to cost K1000. Andrew (T 09 4316 7181), based at the K8000/day. Some guesthouses and hotels also have
Pin Se Teahouse near the Bravo hotel, speaks excellent motorbikes, though they tend to be more expensive.
English and charges K25,000 per day for guided tours. If By horse-drawn carriage Pyin Oo Lwin’s iconic
he’s busy, he can find you another guide, or arrange a car, horse-drawn carriages (gharries) cost around
tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi for shorter trips. Alternatively, K8000/hr, or K15,000 for a trip to the Kandawgyi
motorbike riders congregate near Liqueur Corner by the Gardens including waiting time. If you’re tall, they can
Central Market. feel cramped inside.
By bicycle Bikes are available to rent from most hotels as Tours Trekking Kyaw Kyaw Oo (T09 797 781 778,
well as Crown Bicycle Rental (daily 7.30am–6pm) on Ekyawkyawoo123pol@gmail.com) leads treks in the Pyin
Mandalay–Lashio Road near the Purcell Tower – they cost Oo Lwin area. All-inclusive fees range from $25 to $40 per
K2000 to rent until 6pm, or K2500 for a full 24 hours. person per day.
aCCoMMoDatIoN 8
Bravo Mandalay–Lashio Rd T085 21223, Ebravo – though the large pool is unheated. Prices fall sharply out
hotel.pol@gmail.com. Although some of the rooms are a of season. $150
little shabby around the edges at this centrally located Kandawgyi Hill Resort Nanda Rd T085 21839,
hotel, all of them are clean and neat, and the staff are Wmyanmartreasureresorts.com. Housed in a historic
friendly. Singles from $20. $30 brick mansion and five newer bungalows, just above
Golden Dream Hotel 64 Mandalay–Lashio Rd T085 sweeping lawns overlooking Kandawgyi Lake, this is one of
21302, Egoldendreamhotel@gmail.com. This is still the few genuine colonial-house hotels in operation. The
the cheapest place in Pyin Oo Lwin, with single rooms with reception area is unimpressive, but the rooms are well
fans and shared bathrooms from $5, and $24 doubles appointed, especially in the main house. $75
with a/c, bathtubs and TVs. Breakfast is only included Royal Green Hotel 17 Ziwaka St T085 28411,
for the better rooms; if you stay in the cheapest ones, Eroyalgreenhotel.pol@gmail.com. The comfortable
you’ll need to pay $1 extra. Not much English is spoken, but standard rooms with satellite TVs are good value in
the receptionist is friendly. Single guests pay half in the expensive Pyin Oo Lwin. For $45, you can have a room with
double rooms. $14 a balcony and bathtub, while the $55 corner rooms are
Grace Hotel I 114 Nan Myaing Rd T085 21230. beautiful and airy. Try to get a room upstairs. $35
The only budget hotel in the leafy suburbs, Grace I is set in Royal Parkview 107 Lanthaya St T085 22641,
spacious grounds and offers basic, fan-cooled two- to four- Eroyalparkview107@gmail.com. In a quiet spot 2km
bed en suites for $10 per person, or $15 for single guests. southeast of the centre, this hotel’s rooms are tastefully
There’s plenty of outdoor space for lounging in the sun. Bike decorated with parquet floors. The cheapest, based in
rental is K3000/day, motorbike rental K10,000. $20 bungalows in front of the main building, are a little dark,
Hotel Pyin Oo Lwin 9 Nanda Rd T085 21226, but the $50 rooms behind reception are spacious,
Whotelpyinoolwin.com. Not far from the Kandawgyi comfortable and pleasant. Some are set alongside the path
Gardens, this luxurious hotel opened in 2011. The 36 rooms with their own semi-private gardens (though staff
and suites, spread between 18 bungalows on a gentle sometimes walk along the fence in the mornings), and
slope, are beautiful and spacious, with dark wood panelling others are in a block with views over the parkland behind
and private verandas, and the service is impeccable the hotel. All rooms have a/c. $35
eatING
Club Terrace 25 Club Rd T085 23311. In a red-brick restaurant has a pretty patio and polished service.
building set back from the road near the golf club, this There’s Thai and Chinese food (most dishes around

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