THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 260

Mother's House Hotel 501 Yangon-Mandalay Rd, 3km south of town 054 24240,
[e-mail] . A passable fallback if the nearby Myanmar Beauty is full, al-
though slightly too close to the main road for complete comfort. Cheaper rooms (with hot
water,a/c,TVandfridge)arepleasantenough,althoughit'sworthpayinganextra$5forone
of the larger and more attractive wood-panelled bunga low s around the back. There's also a
small restaurant attached, though it's right on the road. $30
Myanmar Beauty Guesthouse II, III & IV 3km south of town, just off the east side of
the Yangon-Mandalay Rd 054 25073 or 25074. Overlooking fields south of town, this
lovely guesthouse justifies a stopover in Taungoo all by itself. Rooms are spread over three
separate wooden buildings. Those in building II (en-suite, cold water only) are simplest and
cheapest but perfectly adequate; those in III ($30; with hot water) are more attractively fur-
nished; while those in IV ($50) have a/c and balconies with fine countryside views (but no
TVs to spoil the peace). All rates include a spectacular breakfast featuring a huge spread of
localfruits,samosasandallsort sof wonderfulsticky-riceconcoctions.Theyalsohavecreaky
old bikes for rent (K2000/day). $20
Royal Kaytumadi Hotel Taw Win Kaytumadi Rd 054 24761, kmahotels.com . Taun-
goo's fanciest hotel (although owned by a company with strong government links) occupies
astringofquaint pagoda-style bungalowsdotted aroundextensive gardensinabeautiful loc-
ation right next to the lake. Rooms (try to get one facing the water) are nicely decorated with
wooden floors and chintzy furniture, and facilities include a big pool, plus gym and spa. $134
EATING
YangonFoodVilla BoHmuPoKunRd 05423707. Withitslow-slungredandorangeso-
fasand(sortof)booths,thisplacebearsanunlikelybutcompellingresemblancetoaBurmese
diner. Food comprises a biggish selection of Asian (mainly Thai- and Chinese-style) dishes,
and they can also produce sandwiches, burgers and a decent plate of fish and chips. Mains
mostly K2000-2500. Daily 8.30am-9.30pm.
DIRECTORY
Amusementpark The Kyet Minn Nyi Naung Amusement Park (daily 2-10pm), next to the
Royal Kaytumadi Hotel onthewestsideofthelake,hasbumpercars,aplayground,acouple
of tennis courts and pedalos.
Banks There are ATMs at the AGD Bank and Ayeyarwady Bank on the main Yan-
gon-Mandalay road just east of town, and at the AGD Bank and CB Bank close to one an-
other on the same road just south of the market.
Internet There are internet cafés all over town - try the well-set-up Arena or T.com, con-
veniently situated on Bo Hmu Po Kun Rd just inside the east gate (daily 9am-10pm; both
K300/hr).