GBP
Amara Hill Resort
PRICE: Painless
Set high in the cool hills above the town of Kalaw, Myanmar, the Amara Hill Resort is a charming hotel and the number one overnight spot in town. The original mock-Tudor building (Yep, shades of Surbiton high in the hills of Burma!) dates back to 1908 but has been refurbished to a good standard to provide spacious rooms liberally endowed with Burmese teak and a huge four-poster bed along with a decent modern ensuite.
A second building, a replica of the original, has been added to provide more rooms. Most have the added benefit of a working fireplace but it is rare for temperatures to drop so low that you’ll need it lit at night. For those moments when you do want to be cosy, each house has a communal sitting room with sofas and an open fireplace habitually lit by staff on cooler evenings.
The hotel buildings are surrounded by beautifully tended gardens with colourful flowerbeds and neatly trimmed box hedging. The vegetables used in the hotel’s kitchen come straight from the garden and the chef will proudly walk guests round the raised beds. Dining takes place in a glass sided pavilion or out on a deck overlooking the pine forest. Whilst there is no pool, afternoons can be wiled away relaxing on sunloungers or on a bench in the gardens.
Amara Hill Resort: The Gallery
Yonder Insight
It’s a 15-minute gentle downhill ramble into the hustle and bustle of town. If you can’t face the walk back up, your driver will come to collect you.
On your doorstep
Bike hire can be arranged ( the cost is negligible) if you’d like to venture along some of the mountain gravel roads on two wheels.
