Hello and thanks for reading my review. If you like it, pls leave a remark, thank you. as usual, I took some pictures too, please check them as they often say more than words.
After my first choice (Royal City Hotel) was full when I called them early in the morning after arriving from Yangon by Yangon Air (please do not use Air Bagan as the owner of that airline is the son-in-law of the General Shwe, the dictator of this country who gives his 55 Million people a miserable life), I opted for the Silver Star, as the location as well as the price seemed to be good. Well, location-wise it is not bad, quite in the middle of downtown, though surprisingly sandwiched between no less than 4 mosques (as a frequent traveller to Malaysia and Indonesia, I have quite some experience in distinguishing the different Muezzins in the area), in a country where just 4% are actually Muslim. unfortunately, when entering the room, I could not believe what I saw when I looked at the floor. this must have been the DIRTIEST carpet I have ever seen in my life (see pics!). maybe the conditions in Myanmar are so bad that the management can not afford to buy a vacuum-cleaner (or it's broken), or the staff doesn't know how to use one. and that place gets a review in that notorious travel-guide as "everything's sit-on-the-floor spotless". HO HO HO ! small rubbish spread over the floor, sand, dust, whatever else u may fancy. actually the room would have been quite okay, the bathroom was big, clean and had a tub, the (old) AC worked properly, there was a fridge plus TV incl. several international channels (French, English, Italian, German). I inquired about a flight to Bagan, and the reception would have been able to book one at a very reasonable rate (in fact the cheapest rate I was offered in Mandalay). Beds were narrow and relatively hard (Chinese influence maybe?), but ok. In the morning I was able to avoid the annoying Egg-and Toast breakfast that u r being offered almost everywhere at the cheaper places in Myanmar, and I could have some Burmese-style noodles. nevertheless, I was not unhappy to check out after one night, after my first-choice-Hotel "Royal City HOTEL" had become available (what a find! - read my review about that one in a couple of days pls) and say "farewell" to the dirty carpet. pity, because apart from that, the hotel would be quite okay and value for money (20$ single-occupancy). but even I am not overly fussy, that was a bit too much. therefore: AVOID the place, unless u have a "good-doer"-attitude like those NGO's working everywhere, and feel like buying a vacuum-cleaner to donate it to the management upon check-in.