“This is a beautiful resort located directly on Inle Lake. The “rooms” are actually separate thatch roofed bungalows. Some are on a private pond, and the others (slightly more expensive) are on the lake. We had one on the lake and the view was spectacular. Our bungalow had a large room for the beds, a separate room for the sinks and toilet, another separate room for the tub, and then a private outside area with a shower. It also had a private balcony overlooking the lake.
There are resorts that are closer to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. The Inle Princess is about 45 minutes away by motor boat. But this can be seen as an advantage since guests of other resorts are not commuting past it. When we took the boat to visit the lake and the pagoda, we motored past several other resorts, making noise as we went. There were no boats racing past the Inle Princess.
Being right on the lake, they have a boat dock, and the area of the lake right around the resort is a “no motor” zone which keeps it quiet. To take a boat out a local “leg rower” will get on the boat with you and row you out for about 7-10 minutes, at which point he gets off the boat and your pilot engages the engine for the rest of your trip. It was nice to enjoy the leg rowing experience and the peaceful quiet before starting up the engine, but it would have been nicer if the leg rower wore just native dress instead of the western style sweatshirt ours wore.
We were there during the Inle Lake Festival in 2015, which is a great time to visit. In addition to the wonderful scenery and local culture, you can watch the procession of boats carrying the Buddha images from town to town.
Meals are served in the dining room or on the large porch surrounding it overlooking the lake. Food was nice; not the best or worst we enjoyed while on this trip; but the view from the porch overlooking the lake made for a very nice experience.
I rated the cleanliness a four out of five, but only because you are staying in a bungalow among the trees, and you can expect a few critters (both the flying kind and the crawling variety) in the room, and you probably will drag your own leaves and debris in as you wander in and out. They do provide bed tents.
They offer a wheelchair to use at the resort and when you visit the villages of the lake, if you could benefit from one.”
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