Amara Mountain Resort
Kalaw

Amara Mountain Resort is one of Ampersand's Top 10 Secret Gems. 

A quaint colonial cottage which dates from 1909, Amara Mountain Resort is the best hotel in town, and certainly the most charming. Set on a small hill surrounded by evergreen forests, amidst traditional English-style country gardens, an organic vegetable patch and fruit orchards, this is a beautiful property that feels more like an antiquated English home in the heart of Myanmar rather than a hotel.

The eleven rooms are spread over two cottages; one is the original structure, and one more recently added but identical in design and tone. All the rooms are the same and have wooden floors, open fireplaces and homely furniture. The hotel offers an onsite bakery, full board seasonal local produce, a chalet style communal restaurant and a snug spa and sauna – the perfect place to hide away after trekking the Kalaw hills. The staff are attentive and offer a level of hospitality one would expect from such a home away from home.

I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.
Bill Bryson