Yangon Boutique Hotels Curated by Secret Retreats

Create Your Best Holiday Itinerary in Yangon Before You Arrive

Putting together your best holiday itinerary in Yangon is easy when travelling with Secret Retreats. As a cosmopolitan conurbation with a rich and long history that dates back at least to the 14th century CE and Rangoon, founded by the English in the 18th century CE, there is certainly a wealth of things to see and do in the city and its environs. A melting pot of Burmese, Chinese, English, and Indian influences. A stay at the best hotel in Yangon Myanmar could never be called complete without at least one visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda at either sunrise or sunset. Possibly the single most important Buddhist site in the world, Shwedagon, or the Golden Dagon Pagoda, is reputed to have been founded around 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, the first Buddha, was still alive. The pagoda is an impressive and moving sight, it has been a repository of the hopes and dreams of 1000s of people over the 1000s of years that people have circumambulated while seeking answers to the problems of life. The stupa is covered in tens of tons of gold and studded with as many as 7,000 diamonds, rubies, and sapphires and topped with a 72-carat ‘diamond bud’ and is truly an awesome sight when the sun goes down and the pagoda’s illuminations are lit.

Other religious sites worth visiting during your stay in one of the central Yangon boutique hotels selected for your Myanmar holiday travel itinerary would include the 2000-year-old Sule Pagoda which is said to contain a strand of the Buddha’s hair. This pagoda dominates downtown Yangon, a stunning sight, the city hall and Maha Bandula Park have been located close to it. And the Botataung Pagoda on the banks of the river that contains numerous relics including some more locks taken from the Buddha’s head. Those intending to take a stroll around Yangon’s religious sites might consider investing in a modesty-preserving longyi – a traditional wrap skirt that is worn floor length by both men and women. When venturing forth from the best boutique hotels in Yangon, it is worth keeping in mind that the country is still finding its feet when it comes to tourism since the last phase of political instability, so it is always a good idea to travel with the support of a professional team behind you – Secret Retreats have teams on the ground in all of our destinations in Asia.

No more so than in Chinatown and the Muslim Quarter where street hawkers sell all manner of wares from sweet tea to trinkets down narrow alleys and hidden passageways. Those who have a hankering for haggling for traditional Burmese handicrafts, fabrics, lacquerware, incredible wood carvings and painted art both traditional and contemporary, might like to add a morning stroll around Bogyoke Aung San Market.