Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The outdoor swimming pools are remarkably spacious and guests qualify for a free
15-minute Thai massage in the appealing spa.
It's hidden away in the far eastern semi-rural suburbs, so you'll need wheels to get vir-
tually anywhere. Local travel agencies offer discounted room rates from $190.
Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar
HOTEL $$$
$$$
( 02-74402;
www.hotelshwepyithar.com
;
51st St, 31/32; r $250-300, ste $600-2500)
All the
carvings, marble, polished parquet, greenery, views and black lacquered bedsteads don't
necessarily compensate for the design flaws and isolated out-of-town location of this
91-room, six-storey complex.
Eating
There's no single area to look for restaurants; indeed many of the better choices require
cycling down seemingly endless dark roads. South of the moat, 27th St is one such road.
But if you persist for a few minutes in any direction you're likely to find at least a couple
of good street-food areas. For inexpensive barbecue snacks (notably spicy whole fish for
around K2500) washed down with K600 draft beers go to one of the countless beer sta-
tions (
Click here
)
.
TASTE SENSATIONS
Something different? Mandalay has plenty of tourist-frightening culinary curiosit-
ies:
»
seasonal fried crickets or grasshoppers (pe yit) sold from
street vendors
(86th St,
24/25)
, mostly June to October.
»
cheese-topped cream puffs: a baffling sweet-savory counterpoint at Chewy Juni-
or (
Click here
)
GOOGLE MAP
(32nd St, 73/74; veg/nonveg curry set K1500/2500;
11am-9pm)
or Pan
Cherry (
Click here
)
»
barbecued chicken anus at Mr BarBQ (
Click here
)
