Thiri Mingalar Hotel

I told the owner eventually I'd give her hotel the top rating it deserves, and here it is. There's really only 1 or 2 places in Yangon to see, and they are both pretty close to this hotel. They are of course Shwedagon, & the floating restaurant structure on the lake. The cheap-o guest houses occupied by the budget backpackers- which I am usually one of- are at least 45 minutes away from Shwedagon by taxi. Taxis are cheap, but why bother sitting in a taxi for at least 90 minutes to get there & back when you can do it a little cheaper and spend 20 minutes r/t in a taxi and come back to a great little pearl of an unknown hotel? Even the bellmen at the $125/night hotels who sincerely tried to help me find an affordable hotel nearby all had absolutely no idea this hotel even existed. Anywhere near Shwedagon, you're gonna pay at least $60 for a crappy hotel, and easily well above $100 per night. But hiding right amidst them is this lifesaver of an affordable, clean, very large-roomed, clean, exceptionally well-serviced gem. The staff are exceptionally & genuinely kind in the manner that made me love the Myanmar people right away. $35 a night for a room as good as other hotels that are charging triple, in an area very near to the only reason you came to Yangon...????? Yeah, no-brainer. Stay here.