Hotel Rich Queen — Hotel in Mandalay District

We ended up at Rich Queen by accident because the Peacock Lodge cancelled our reservation (FYI, this seems to be a common thing for the Peacock Lodge to do according to reviews online and other people we met in Mandalay). Our driver took us to Rich Queen and I'm so glad we stayed here instead! It was in the same area, $5 cheaper per night, and it ended up being our favorite hotel during our 2 week stay in Myanmar. ||||When we arrived a staff member showed us 3 available rooms and they let us choose the one we wanted. We chose a room on the third floor because it was a little more secluded and quiet. We paid $30 a night for 3 nights in late January and early February for a very clean room with a large double bed, flat screen TV, refrigerator, air conditioning, and private bathroom with hot water. A free breakfast is also included and it was huge and delicious! Every morning they served us tea or coffee, juice, a plate of fruit, several pieces of toast, a bowl of soup, eggs, and a different dish of various noodles and vegetables depending on the day. All of this is unlimited - they continue serving you until you're full. We're big breakfast eaters and we were satisfied every morning. ||||The staff was friendly and helpful. Their English is a little limited, but they are still learning and they try very hard to understand and please their guests. They're very nice people. There's also free Wi-Fi. We had trouble getting the Wi-Fi to work in our room on the third floor but it wasn't a problem in the lobby and they also have a desktop computer you can use for free. Power outages are common in Myanmar, but Rich Queen has a back-up generator so there was always electricity. ||||It's no secret that prices for accommodations in Myanmar are inflated for what you get, but Rich Queen is worth every penny of the $30 a night we paid. I'm surprised to see it isn't rated more highly on Trip Advisor. $30 is about the average price for a room in Myanmar and this place was better than the other hotels and guesthouses we stayed in for the same price or more. It was the first stop on our Myanmar trip and we often found ourselves missing Rich Queen and comparing our other...

We ended up here because the peacock lodge was fully booked and we didn’t book in advance. Our taxi driver dropped us of here. We were skeptical at first, but negotiated down to 30 dollar and decided not to look further. There are some plusses and some down sides to the hotel, you have to decide for yourself if these are important. ||On the plus side: ||- great WIFI compared to other hotels in Myanmar (we were on the first floor) ||- they arranged a good value shared taxi for us (to Pyin U Lwin)||- there is HOT water in the shower||- the rooms are new and quiet ||On the downside: ||- it is far from downtown, you can walk up to an hour. We rented bikes in the city, so we only had to walk the distance twice (did not try a taxi) ||- the hotel is on a small street with a lot of stray dogs (even for Myanmar). If you are really scared of dogs, this can be a problem ||- The breakfast was on the small side (toast, tea, fruit and one morning an egg), and we like our breakfast big! ||- The rooms were not cleaned during stay (not really a big...

Our guide Soesoe suggested we stay at his friend's hotel. Since we rented a van to take all 8 of us all over Myanmar, transportation & location became a non-issue. ||Cons:||- Hotel Rich Queen is located at the edge of Mandalay||- the lane from the main road to HRQ is in bad shape||- hotwater issue in some rooms, ok in others||- poor lighting in room #101||Pros:||- best service ever especially by the cafeteria staff||- helpful bellboys to carry your luggage||- fast internet (relatively)||- access to a desktop computer for guests||- nice comfy lounge||- value for your bucks @ USD43 per room per day.||||We had to leave at 3am from Mandalay to Yangon. The kitchen staff prepared us sandwich & egg, the bellboy helped with the 10 suitcases, and all with a smile....