Where to stay in Inle Lake?? And other questions.....

I will be spending one night in the Inle Lake area. Will fly into Heho from Mandalay and then travel to Inle Lake.

Where should I stay? In a hotel in the middle of the Lake or one on the banks of the Lake? I would like to stay in a nice hotel. Quiet, internet access, nice clean room, good service. Would staying in a hotel in the middle of the Lake make it easier to hire a boat for sight-seeing? Or is that in fact a disadvantage in that one has to hire a boat to get to anywhere at all?

When arriving in Heho, are there taxis to take one to Inle Lake? I read there is a pier at NyaungShwe. Is that where one would ask the taxi driver to go to? What would the taxi fare be for such a journey, and how long will it take?

How does one go about hiring a boat (that is, if my accommodation is in the middle of the Lake)?

What are the costs of hiring a boat to the hotel in the middle of the Lake? And the costs for boat-hire for a day%26#39;s sightseeing?

What is a better option: a motorboat or a canoe? The Lonely Planet guidebook states ';Canoes aren%26#39;t subject to the lake entrance fee';. Where and when do visitors pay this fee and how much is it now?

Would I need to hire the services of an English speaking guide for the lake tour? If not, what are the must-see villages or places in Inle Lake?

I apologise for the many questions in this message. I do hope you can help me with some (if not all) of my questions!

Thank you very much.

Where to stay in Inle Lake?? And other questions.....

1. If you want quiet , you better stay on the bank . Most of the Lake hotel have noisy form boats.

I%26#39;m not sure about internet access in these hotel but Inle Princess Resort, Inle Resort, Treasure Resort, Lake View, those are up market hotel and Hupin -Kaung Daing is consider middle . Hotel Amazing Nyaung Shwe is nice but in the middle of town and no internet access.

2.For the boat , you have to hire in Nyaung Shwe jetty. For sightseen, you have to go by motorboat only. Most of the hotel in the lake have there own boat and you can hire too.

3. A taxi can get at Heho Airport . It take about 45 minutes to reach to Nyaung Shwe town , the gate way of Inle Lake. If you want to stay in the middle of the lake hotel, you have to ask them to send to the Nyaung Shwe pier to hire a boat.

Where to stay in Inle Lake?? And other questions.....

Thanks mgzaymin. I have done quite a bit of research and having taken into consideration all factors (noise, newness of property, facilities, reviews, price etc), I am inclined to go for the Treasure Resort.

Thanks once again for your help!

Treasure Resort is gorgeous - I was there 2 weeks ago. Some advice, however - whichever boat drops you off at the hotel on your first day, ask them to take you sightseeing the next day. If you hire a boat to take you out through the hotel, then you will be paying US$35 for the day. If you negotiate with a local boat driver, you will be paying at least $20 less. I was surprised that there aren%26#39;t boats that sit outside the hotel, so if you don%26#39;t make a reservation with a local driver, you%26#39;ll have to go with the hotel.

Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!

Thanks Nik2222. We are now in Yangon, having spent two days and one nite in Inle Lake. We only saw your post today cos we have not had access to the internet since Thursday.. As you probably know, internet access in Myanmar is difficult (except in Yangon). Even the Treasure Resort in Inle Lake said ';the cold weather'; caused them to lose internet access in their business centre...

Anyway, we arrived at the jetty and arranged a boat to take us to the Treasure Resort for 10,000. Then the rental for the rest of the day (12 noon to 7pm) was 15000 K. To go to Indein there is an additional 5000 K charge. Indein is worth going to.

Then the next day we paid 15000 K to have the boat ferry us to Than Taung (DEFINITELY worth going to, there were NO TOURISTS AT ALL, and it was a colourful, busy bustling totally local market). After disembarking from the boat, the boat boy guided us to the market (almost 30 minutes on foot). Along the way, we saw people from the nearby villages all congregating from various directions going towards the market. It was really a wonderful experience!!

There%26#39;s loads of resorts on the lake as you probably know, some on the outskirts of the lake which are extremely quiet %26amp; some in the middle which are a little noisey. Good advice from the other poster, if you get a boat through the resort you%26#39;ll be paying way over the odds for it, at least $30. The only problem with staying on the lake is that once you are there, you%26#39;re pretty much stuck there, which means you have to eat there. If you stay in NyaungShwe, which has loads of good restaurants %26amp; tea shops things will be alot more intersting %26amp; cheaper, if you%26#39;re on a budget that is, plus you%26#39;ll meet more people too with some interesting stories.

You get all the boats from the pier which is on the canel, you can%26#39;t miss it, NyaungShwe is very small. You can get a boat for yourself for 15000K or if you see or meet other people, ask them if you want to share the cost, you can pay as little as 3000K in a large boat for the day. If you take the boat the driver will pretty much automatically take you to all the tourist sites, weaving, silversmith, goldleaf making, ask the driver to include Indein, it%26#39;s very beautiful %26amp; one of the highlights of Inle. As you get off the boat at Indein you%26#39;ll see tourist stalls, keep walking past them %26amp; up the hill %26amp; you can miss the old run down ruins.

Everyone who gets off at Heho will more than likey be going to NyaungShwe, so try to get a share taxi with someone or one yourself should cost no more than $15-20. The taxi driver usually stops at a small kiosk just at the entrance to NyaungShwe, this is where you pay your $3 entrance fee.

You won%26#39;t need an English speaking guide, but it will make your trip on the lake a whole lot more interesting if you can find one. You can pick up sunset canoe rides in NyaungShwe, you%26#39;ll see the signs everywhere, they cost about roughly 4000 a boat %26amp; they are well worth it. Very relaxing have someone take you round the quiet canels where no motorboats are allowed, you%26#39;ll see some intersting fauna %26amp; birds. You%26#39;ll have time to do both the motorboat trip %26amp; the canoe if you plan your day right. Bike rental is a 1000k a day also %26amp; very beautiful just cycling round the canels.

Have fun %26amp; enjoy.