In a word, Bagan was “awesome”.
We loved exploring the ancient city, seeing Bagan by hot-air balloon, and our amazing hotel along the Irrawaddy River.
Would we find a similar overall experience at the Paramount Inle Resort at the famed Inle Lake?
Review: Paramount Inle Resort (Inle Lake, Myanmar)
About The Paramount Inle Resort
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
Location
Paramount Inle Resort is centrally located on Inle Lake. And when I say “on Inle Lake”, I mean “ON Inle Lake”.
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
Translation? You cannot walk, bike, or drive here.
Getting There
There is only one way to get to Paramount Inle Resort, and that is by “water-taxi” (a boat).
Most people will come to Inle Lake by flying into the town of Heho.
You’ll have to take a 45-minute taxi ride from HEH Airport to the town of Nyaungshwe, the gateway to Inle Lake.
Once in Nyaungshwe, you’ll have to book a water-taxi transfer with an independent boat company.
FHOP Tip: Don’t worry about choosing a water-taxi company, the taxi-driver will almost certainly already be working with an “affiliated” company.Â
A one-way trip by water-taxi from Nyaungshwe to Paramount Inle Resort will take you between 45 minutes to 1 hour (in good weather conditions).
FHOP Tip: Once you book a water-taxi, you can also inquire about tours on the lake. We ended up booking our 2 single-day tours and hotel transfers all at once for an extremely reasonable price, no negotiation needed.Â
Be aware that water-taxis usually stop running at sundown, or about 5:30 pm. If you miss the last boat, you might not make it to the hotel that night. Likewise, if you plan to leave the hotel, you must leave before sundown.
Also, the water-taxi ride can be downright freezing cold – even on a hot and sunny day. You’ll notice people wearing full coats on the lake. Most water-taxis provide blankets on the chairs for this reason, but I found they smelled pretty bad and probably haven’t been washed in quite some time.
My recommendation? Wear long-pants and bring a jacket when transferring to/from Nyaungshwe (especially in the morning).
First Impressions
When we first arrived at the hotel, I was instantly hit with two conflicting feelings – a feeling of “WOW, we’re staying here!” and also a feeling of “wow…we’re staying…here?”.
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
One one hand, this is the isolated and peaceful experience many people come to Inle Lake to find, and Paramaount Inle Resort is the way to find it in Burmese luxury.
This hotel is unique in that it is entirely over water and is cut-off from the rest of the world. I have to admit, I had never stayed at a place like this before and I was genuinely excited to be here, as this was a true “once in a lifetime” experience.
The boat landing
One the other hand, you realize this peace and isolation comes at an expense. You are cut-off from the rest of the world – at least for a night – and getting here and leaving here requires a great trek.
There is also no pool, no nightlife, and no gym to occupy your time. Because of the isolation, there is a doctor on-call on the property.
The Lobby
The lobby was decked-out in charming wood and wicker; but the most surprising thing was you that could literally see through some of the cracks in the floor to the lake below.
The Lobby
You’re definitely not in Kansas anymore!
Is it weird that I find these statues sexy?
Map of the Inle Lake area – you’re in the middle of the lake!
The Check-In
Check-in fast fast and smooth. The front desk staff were very friendly and welcoming (and fluent in English). The did warn the wi-fi was “acting a little spotty”.
I was handed my room key (which was chained to a little wooden bar) and we were escorted to our room.
The hallway to the room
The Twin Room
The room was standard size and clean with a rustic feel. The wood-paneled room had been heated by the sun so it was nice and cozy.
Large mosquito nets hung over the beds.
Television, refrigerator, and coffee, tea, and snack set
Make-up vanity
Nightstand with room and remote controls
Closet with extra blankets
The room safe
A Word On Mosquitoes And The Mosquito Nets
Thus far, we hadn’t had to contend with mosquito at all during our trip to Myanmar. I’m not sure if this was because we were there in the dry season or because the mosquito mitigation methods (mosquito-bombs) were so effective – maybe a combination of both.
Either way, the front desk staff told us to make sure we use the nets and that they would also provide a mosquito “spray-down” of the room while we were at dinner.
The bed, fully-loaded with the mosquito net
Ever wonder what the inside of a mosquito net looks like? Wonder no more!
This is the guy that holds the nets over the bed
Although we were prepared for an onslaught of mosquitoes after sundown, a strange thing happened. We didn’t see any mosquitoes at all. Not-a-one.
In fact, we headed outside to the observation tower both nights to watch the sunset and didn’t see any.
One night, we met some Brits (who worked on the set of Game of Thrones) that were hanging out and joined them outside on the boat landing deck (for hours drinking and smoking the night away) and still didn’t see any mosquitoes.
The lesson? Come prepared for the worst, but don’t worry too much, the mosquito situation may likely be that there are none at all.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was actually very nice.
The shower was covered in copper mosaic and the room was covered in gray marble. The room was well-lit. Heavy [shower] flip-flops were provided.
The toiletries
Oops, wrong bottle
Awesome copper mosaic
The one issue we did have from the bathroom was a little bit of that septic tank “plumbing creep” smell.
We found that it could easily be mitigated by keeping the toilet lid closed and then keeping the bathroom door closed on top of that.
View From The Room
Walking The Property
The Paramount Inle Resort is beautiful, and not just because it is a novelty, but because of its location and the construction of the hotel.
The entrance to the hotel under a full-moon
The front deck at sunset
The Observation Tower
The key feature and landmark of the Paramount Inle Resort is its magnificent observation tower – perfect for watching sunsets (just make sure you grab a beer or some wine from the restaurant before you head up).
The crown of Paramount Inle Resort
Check out that sunset!
The bridge to the pricey rooms
The last water-taxi for the night
Dinner At The Sky Lounge Restaurant
There is only one restaurant at Parmount Inle Resort called Sky Lounge Restaurant. But don’t let that worry you – the food is delicious.
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
The restaurant serves both Asian and Western cuisines and has a full bar.
We were there for two nights so we took that as an opportunity to try as much Burmese cuisine as possible.
A tasty pork stir-fry dish
Fresh green beans – Burmese style [amazing]
Shan-style rice with pork and shrimp (in the Shan state no less!)
Chicken and cheese bites
Spicy egg-roll goodness
Our favorite dish, Shan Noodles! So good, we ordered two!
Mushroom soup – awesome
Wait, how’d this pic get in here?
Breakfast At The Sky Lounge Restaurant
Breakfast is also served buffet-style at the Sky Lounge Restaurant.
I’d say the breakfast spread was a perfectly standard offering, with fruits, breads, eggs, meats and juices. The coffee was great too.
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com
Fresh fruit
Bread baskets
The breakfast of champions! If you were wondering, yes, those crepes were delicious with Nutella
The Bottom-Line Review: Paramount Inle Resort (Inle Lake, Myanmar)
Although we initially had “first-impression jitters” due to the isolation of the resort, those feelings quickly wore away once we decided to stop worrying about mosquitoes or what we were “going to do for the rest of the night” and just relax and savor Inle Lake.
Being so isolated forced us to enjoy the silent beauty of the location as well as step out and meet other guests who were also feeling a bit of “island fever”. As it turned out, we met some really cool drinking buddies, I mean “people”, that we may not have otherwise talked to if we stayed in Nyaungshwe.
One of my best memories was staying out on the front deck all night drinking Myanmar Beers and smoking the local star-anise and banana varieties of cigarettes with some awesome Brits.
The location on the lake also had its advantages in terms of shaving an hour off the front and back end of the tours as you were already on the lake and could easily access the shopping, monasteries, and Inn Dien Pagoda via water-taxi.
It was also a mid-point on our trip and a great place to do inexpensive laundry. The staff was wonderful and the Burmese dinners at Sky Lounge were great on both nights.
I’m happy and grateful that I was able to stay here and experience Inle in this way and I would highly recommend it to my friends. I’d just make sure they understood they are going to be in true isolation on the lake.
But then again, isn’t that the whole point of Inle Lake?
Highly Recommended!
Cheers!
