The luxurious Aman brand is yet to make its way to Myanmar, until that happens, we can confidently confirm that Sofitel Myat Min is about as close as you can get (and best of all, it’ll only set you back a tenth of the price!).
Suites overlooking Sofitel Myat Min’s very own floating gardens.
Perched on the eastern bank of Inle Lake, and flanked by the low-lying mountain range behind, this 101 suite property is testament to the AccorHotels group’s growing influence and success in Myanmar. Granted, the style’s very contemporary and won’t appeal to everyone’s taste, but that’s not to say it feels out of place. If Indonesia can have its Alila Uluwatu, Thailand can have its COMO Point Yamu and Vietnam can have its Banyan Tree Lang Co, why shouldn’t Myanmar have its Sofitel Myat Min? For us, this property is an embodiment of up-and-coming Myanmar, a Myanmar in which modernity and one of the world’s richest traditional cultures combine.
Rather than bombard you with long reams of text, here’s a selection of images giving you a tiny taste of what’s in store.
NOTE: With the rainy season well and truly upon us, conditions on the day of inspection were not exactly ideal, so please bear this in mind whilst looking through the images. Professional images can be found on the property’s official website.
A contemporary piece of art? No, that’s just the marble stairways leading up to the welcome lobby.
Once at the top of the stairs, your eyes are greeted with a far reaching view of Inle Lake with the resort’s suites in the foreground. Even on an overcast day, it certainly made for a remarkable welcome.
Below the welcome lobby on the ground floor, you’ll find L’Epicerie all day dining restaurant. This is where breakfast is served in the mornings and buffet and a à la carte options for lunch and dinner.
Fancy a quick dip immediately after finishing breakfast? A pool and ample shaded seating are waiting immediately outside L’Epicerie.
The Luxury Room, Sofitel Myat Min’s lead in, is a whopping 60 m2 in size! Surrounded by green and equipped with all the mod cons you’d need, this is an ideal option for those looking for five star stay at a four star price.
The Luxury Room’s bathroom; bright, spacious and pleasing to the eye. At this price range (bearing in mind this is an entry level room), it’s hard to beat.
With an extra 15 m2 space, coupled with unobscured views of Inle Lake, upgrading to the Junior Suite makes perfect sense.
Sofitel Myat Min’s Junior Suite also boasts a spacious lounge area making it the perfect home away from home.
If money’s not an issue then you may wish to consider opting for a Prestige or Opera Suite. The Prestige Suite is 90m2 with garden / partial lake views, and the Opera Suite is 95m2 with lake views.
The interior designer’s done a great job at combing traditional and contemporary design.
The balcony of the Prestige Suite looking out over Sofitel Myat Min’s very own floating garden.
The Opera Suites have a slightly more spacious balcony and a glorious lake view. It’s a shame it was overcast as the view from this side of the lake is amazing regardless of the time of year. Believe us when we say, sunset from here would be very special.
The bathroom of the Prestige Suite, with a mountain and floating garden view in the background. You can of course put blinds down when you require privacy.
The resorts rooms and facilities are connected with a long, plant pot lined walkway. Should they wish, guests can use buggies to ferry themselves back and forwards.
Sunsets from the lake view infinity pool will go down even better when accompanied with a cocktail (there’s a bar just behind).
Alternatively, you could always take your cocktail inside the spa and enjoy whilst having your feet massaged.
Not keen on cocktails? Perhaps an Inle Lake sunset from the comfort of a massage bed would appeal.
The Backyard restaurant specialises in organic fine dining fusion dishes. The quality and style of the interior is simply marvellous. If the food’s as good as this looks, you’re in for a treat!
They’ve even managed to successfully incorporate a traditional fishing net into the design.
Well, that concludes our sneak peek tour of Sofitel Myat Min. Unfortunately, we were unable to take images of the lake view bar, gym, library and lobby bar; should you wish, you can view these by visiting Sofitel Myat Min’s official website.
We hope you’ll agree that, even in spite of taking these images in overcast weather, this is an extremely eye-catching contemporary development. Yes, it’s a large resort managed by an equally large international brand, but with that comes many benefits such as comprehensive staff training programs, excellent health and safety measures, ergonomically superior guest rooms and a well-structured management team. As per the introduction, that might not appeal to everyone but it certainly makes Sofitel Myat Min a very safe, luxurious and reasonably priced bet.
On paper, it’s probably the most impressive hotel outside of Yangon.
