Which is the BEST resort in Myanmar between these two and why?

Bayview Beach Resort  or  Sandoway Resort?

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Request for Question Clarification by efn-ga on 04 Nov 2003 23:10 PST

What kind of information should determine which is better for your
purposes?  Are you looking for a researcher's personal opinion,
accommodation class ratings (e.g., one to five stars), a review of
opinions posted on the Web, or what?  One of the resorts is clearly
more expensive and deluxe than the other, but I don't know if that
makes it better or worse for you.

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Clarification of Question by bonbonbaker-ga on 05 Nov 2003 08:40 PST

I prefer 4-5 stars; I like good wines; since they are both on the same
beach I assume the sand and water are the same -- I like a room
(preferable) on the sand near the water - $$$ is no object -- we just
want the BEST since we will only be there once -- we are stayingat The
Strand in Yangoon and are taking the Road to Mandalay cruise -- any
more questions - thanks!

Hi bonbonbaker-ga,

Based on your clarification, I would recommend Sandoway Resort, as it
seems to be a bit more luxurious.  But I suggest you review the
information below--there may be something there that would tip the
decision the other way for you.  I have listed what I consider the
more important information first.

The Hotel Comments page of Myanmar Travel Ltd. gives Sandoway four
smiling faces and Bayview three.  (The Strand gets four and a half.) 
It says Bayview "has not the 'resort' atmosphere of the Sandoway
Resort" and Sandoway is "the MOST tasteful hotel at the beach."  It
also says the wine at Sandoway is "superb," but notes "by the end of
the season there is not much variety."

http://www.myanmartravel.net/hotelcomments.htm

http://www.myanmartravel.net/storiesmyanmarbeaches.htm

The April/June 2000 newsletter of Exotissimo Travel Group notes that
Sandoway does not have telephones nor televisions in the rooms.  This
may or may not be desirable for you.  It describes Sandoway as "of a
similar standard and price" to Bayview, though it was more expensive
in most of the listings I saw.

http://www.exotissimo.com/newsletter/Issue14/page4_5.htm

An article by Carl Duncan from the Los Angeles Times describes Bayview
as "more family-oriented" and notes that Bayview has air conditioning
and Sandoway has only ceiling fans.

http://new.blackvoices.com/travel/la-000081825oct14,0,2639336.story?coll=bv-travel-headlines

The Myanmar Times & Business Review describes Sandoway in comparison
with Bayview as "more upmarket."

http://www.myanmar.com/myanmartimes/MyanmarTimes10-189/h02.htm

The Symphony Myanmar site lists Sandoway as "Deluxe Charme" and
Bayview as "First Class."  I'm not sure exactly what "Deluxe Charme"
means; Google finds only two occurrences of the phrase, both applied
to Sandoway.  "Charme" means "charm" in Dutch, German, and French. 
The description of Sandoway mentions that five of the sixteen cottages
are "facing the ocean."

http://www.symphony-myanmar.net/theresort.htm

euro-hotels.com, also known as asia-hotels.com, gives Sandoway four
stars and Bayview three.

http://www.euro-hotels.com/hl/Ngapali_Beach-Myanmar.asp

Myanmar Voyages, the Travel Mall, South East Asia Tours, and Shining
Star Tours all give both resorts four stars.

http://www.myanmarvoyages.com/wheretostay/beach.htm

http://www.myanmar.travelmall.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?Keyword=Ngapali

http://www.southtravels.com/asia/myanmar/

http://shiningstartours.com/hotel.htm

asianhotelsdirect gives Bayview three stars and Sandoway only two.

http://burmahotelsdirect.com/hotels/mmnsan.htm

Sandoway has its own web site.

http://sandowayresort.com/

Bayview's web site is fancier.

http://www.bayview-myanmar.com/home.html



Search Strategy

myanmar bayview sandoway

"myanmar travel" hotel comments

(This was to find the English version of the Myanmar Travel Ltd.
comments page after I had first found a German version.)

ngapali beach resorts reviews

I also checked Google Groups and found three people asking essentially
the same question as yours.  None got any response.


I hope this information is helpful.  Please ask for a clarification if
any of it is unclear.

--efn-ga