Is it Necessary to Book All Accommodation in Advance? (Budget)

no you do not need to pre-book it all...best is to pre-book your first nights arrival, then phone ahead 2-3 days as you go. Your current guesthouse can phone for you, or you can use their desk phone....
Walk-ins are possible, but you might have to try a few places....Inle books out fastest so best to try book at least 2-3 days ahead - while it is sometimes possible to find walk-ins there, but it might only be the more expensive options.
Bagan is also quiet popular, but has some cheaper basic budget hotels as a last resort.
I stay in 'budget' guesthouses, but rooms with bathroom (and air-con if somewhere that is needed)...I pay $20 Yangon, $20 Mandalay, $25 Mawlamyine, $18 Nyaungshwe, $18-20 Hpa'an....$13 Myitkyina....
February is still main season, and you wont get any 'discounts' by getting a place on arrival...

Hello RT

Thanks very much for your reply, that's very good to know from somebody who has had practical experience.

Sounds more like the way we like to operate if possible, usually travel elsewhere like that and have only come unstuck a couple of times.

We plan to fly Bangkok to Mandalay so will probably book a few days there to start and maybe somewhere in Bagan and then Inle from there and so on.

Also great to have a guide on prices, sounds like the sort of accommodation we would hope for as well, we know we have to budget a bit more than say Thailand for guesthouses. Are those prices for singles, is a double likely to be much more?

Also when planning a trip its too easy to try and cram too much in, we like to travel a bit slower and absorb the atmosphere a bit along the way.

Thanks again for your feedback, much appreciated.

Basil n Tracy

hey Basil n Tracy....
Are you planning to exit by land from Dawei at the end, back into Thailand, which would make sense...
Good idea to just pre-book Mandalay...maybe once you get there, phone and book for Bagan, and before going to Bagan phone somewhere in Inle and book. I have seen posts earlier this year from people who arrived Inle in busy season and found somewhere walk-in, but it is easier to pre-book and be confident. Eg. in January 2014 when I last went to Inle, I phoned ahead 3 days from Mandalay and tried 10 places (basically all the budget ones), ended up had to postpone travel to there by one more day and was able to then book a room for a couple nights.
Prices - yep, that was for one person (but for rooms with double bed)...for couples the prices are usually only a few $$ more. Eg. if I paid $25 for one person, a couple would pay around $28-30.
A few decent budget places in Mandalay worth trying - ET Hotel, Nylon Hotel, and Royal guesthouse...all are similar price and within a couple blocks of each other in the main 'downtown' area. I have a business card for ET with their email, if you want it...?

Hey RT

Thanks again for extra info, what you say on booking Mandalay and on makes sense. Sounds like its normal to just book by phone rather than using the internet.

Not really sure at this point how long to allow for Mandalay and Bagan, probably a bit longer in Bagan.

Good to know on prices for couples as well as the list of budget places in Mandalay. ET contact would be useful though they seem to be on tripadvisor and booking.com, mixed reviews but you never know what people's expectations are.

Thanks again for your help

B n T

hi...just sent you a PM with the ET email.....the rooms at ET are not overly furnished, ie. basic furnishings, but good air-con, good hot water in the shower, TV, and the rooms are clean. Wifi - is not much good upstairs but okay in the foyer, more-so at certain times of the day. The free breakfast is average, similar to most budget guesthouses.
With a full month (28 days Visa) you have plenty of time for all the places you are thinking off...

Hey RT

Thanks very much for the ET email address, have been checking a few of the others in that price range and area on tripadvisor/booking.com etc. ET come out among the best/cheapest along with Royal Yadarbon, Garden Hotel etc. Interesting to compare the official hotel photos with travellers own ones on tripadvisor which obviously give a more realistic idea of what the place is like.

Have just booked the flight 23rd Jan Bangkok to Mandalay AirAsia (via skyscanner) which is exciting. Now just need to get the e-visa sorted and we're nearly there.

Have ordered our dollars online (better rate) to pickup at our local post office, the guy on the counter said we would be able to check they are in good condition.

Have checked out the mosquito situation for Dengue Fever(daytime) and Malaria(evening/night time) and will be getting enough Malarone for the time when we'll be most at risk. Advised by the nurse at our local GP surgery to go direct to Tescos and get them to issue the prescription as it should be cheaper that way. We also always travel with plenty of repellant and a mosquito net as well. We had some jabs from previous trips so just need to get Typhoid topped up.

Found this useful map which gives quite a bit of detail see Malaria section half way down the page:

http://www.indochinatravel.com/country/myanmar/myanmar-travel-notes.html

Also got an email from another traveller friend who said:

I went south to north over 3 weeks, which was good.
I didn't book any accommodation in advance just rocked up and they
were usually good and you can always haggle a lot on price.

So overall looking good.

Thanks again for your help

Happy Trails - Basil n Tracy

Personal choice of course, but the only time I have taken Malaria tablets was for travelling in remote Chin and Naga areas....the only place I find mossies annoying is at Inle....and that is only late evening/night...I just wear long pants and spray repellent around my ankles, where you can't see what's going on under the table at a restaurant...
Don't forget...ATMs are widely available so you have option to use them to withdraw Kyat...just check with your bank that your card works there, and they don't block it....everything can be paid for with Kyat now, so $$US is mainly to change into Kyat (can also use Euro) at official changers...

Hey RT

As you say a personal choice on the mosquitos, I don't like taking anti-malarials as they all seem to have some side effects some of them are much worse than others. On the other hand if you do catch Malaria I imagine it would be very unpleasant and tricky to get rid of if you don't get it treated it straight away.

It does seem to be difficult to get definitive info on the distribution of the disease, (maybe because the data isn't collected) but the map I linked to does seem to suggest it does occur in parts of the south where we may end up travelling, so we're going to take some with us and probably make the final decision once we're there. Our first line of defence is certainly covering up, repellant and a net at night.

I'm aware that there are ATM's and we plan to use them, but we're taking cash dollars as a "belt and braces" backup, I don't want to be worrying about where to get our next cash from if the ATMs are out of order. Plan to use our Nationwide Debit Card as they have lower ATM charges than our Co-op current account which we will have as a backup.

As usual, thanks muchly :-)

[It does seem to be difficult to get definitive info on the distribution of the disease,]

This is the NHS advice for Myanmar including maps
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/asia-%28east%29/myanmar.aspx

SS