MYANMAR HIGH SEASON 2015 

Dear Myriam

We are now back to Singapore and I wanted to let you know that we enjoyed our holiday very much. The organization was great. Everything went smoothly. Drivers were on time and safe.  The guides were very knowledgeable, very helpful and very nice. We liked Lin and Htwe Htwe very much. The program of visits was very interesting and judicious.
The hotels were great.!!!
Have you heard about our little adventure on the Irrawady river? We were on the boat and all of a sudden, the sky became dark grey, wind blowing transforming into a sand storm, big waves of muddy and sandy water getting over board. We had to head towards the shore, got out of the boat, soaking wet. I was kneeling on the ground trying not to get blown away by the sand storm and violent rain, while my husband and my son were helping the "captain" and the guide to hold on to the boat which was filling up with water! We were near a tiny village and the peasants gave us some tea while we were waiting for the driver to take us back to the hotel ( he got a pick up car as he didn't want us to dirty his beautiful car ...): most welcome I must say but we avoided the reception desk as we were not "presentable" as you can imagine. I had to wash our clothes in the tub and I won't describe the colour of the water.... Lin was very caring, had it all under control and everything ended well. We had a good laugh afterwards!!
Anyway, just to let you know that we would highly recommend your agency !!
Kind regards Catherine L. (Singapore)

P.S. This little adventure we had, made the trip even more interesting! Now I am telling all my friends about our trip and guess what ? They say they want to go to Myanmar!!

 

MYANMAR 'RAINING SEASON' 2014

Yangon
Hotel was very good, well managed, clean. Our room was at the basement, hence very dark, also during day. Maybe a room further up would be better. Mr. Pyae Sone, the guide, was very good, gave us a good start into Myanmar. The food was great.
Kalaw
Absolutely fantastic experience with our guide Ronald, an elderly and true gentleman. An ex government employee who knows all the villages and has the respect of their inhabitants. We did two fairly long hikes and received a lot of insight into the villagers' live, thoughts and economic situation. We saw how the palaungs grow and produce tea, vegetables and mandarins. The bnb in kalaw was comfortable and very clean. The owner, of our guest house - very friendly and accommodating - , he lent me his hiking sticks that helped me get through the long hike on day two in some shape of dignity, as it was very slippery after the big rain. Wifi was rather unstable though, but is probably a problem of Kalaw infrastructure.
The restaurants chosen by our guide were very good. We enjoyed the tasty and savoury local shan cuisine
Lake Inlay
Ronald stayed with us on our next stay at lake inley. Fantastic hotel with good services and spa. The tours on the lake, the monasteries and temples and the local markets - an unforgettable experience. Again, great restaurants and food experience. Saw silk weaving and boat production.
Ronald was a great guide for us, he is unassuming and has a lot of experience to share. His seniority draws a lot of respect from local people.
We could not have had a better choice for a guide.
Mandalay

Again a very good guide who provided us with an interesting program. We had a good mix of visiting temples, monasteries and other places of interest. We had the one day of rain there, stumbling through throngs of people on muddy paths, getting pelted on from above, during the nat festival in one of the villages. Wouldnt have missed it!
Experienced wood carving and gold leaf production We had the best Myanmar noodle soup for one of our lunches. The Red Canal hotel was true boutique, great location, good services. Room was a bit on the small side - we had two suitcases which were difficult to accommodate
Bagan
A truly great destination. Reminded us of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but not in the jungle. Lin, the guide, came through with his passion for his culture and the history of this place. Great experiences with many temples, libraries and beautiful landscapes. Saw laquerware production.
Our hotel was fantastic. Well managed, very friendly, great services.
Bagan is a true must for any Myanmar trip.

Thanks to Myanmar Travel for a great holiday! The choice of hotels was very good. The guides were all very professional and took good care of our wishes and needs. The airlines used were all in good shape and reliable. The itinerary was scheduled in a way to give us maximum use of our time, i.e. All travel days gave us room for sight seeing too.

Monika H. and Stephan V. (9.8.2014)

 

MYANMAR 'RAINING SEASON' 2014

Hi Myriam,
you were right: we really loved it! the country, the people, it was an amazing experience.
Even our guide: "el señor Sábado", he was so nice, everything was so easy, funny, interesting with him. Also the drivers were very good!
The way you organised the trip was so good that we , only, want to tell you thank-you.
And, if you don't mind, we're going to keep your mail safe because the next time we want to travel with you.
Very best regards from Barcelona!
Thank-you! Francisca S. (22.8.2014)

 

MYANMAR

Traveling in Myanmar with the Fujifilm X100S

by Daniel Haller Photography (January 2014)

http://blog.light-phenomenon.com/wordpress/traveling-in-myanmar-with-the-fujifilm-x100s/#more-1277

 

MYANMAR

Various tour companies seemed to have cookie-cutter-type tours to Myanmar, and the dates didn’t work out for my wife and me. However, Myriam Grest at Myanmar Travel, (info@myanmartravel.net) offered customized tours, and we found her experience plus years of living in Yangon to be invaluable in fashioning a trip for us.

She arranged a 12-day/11-night custom tour, Dec. 11-23, 2011, for which the two of us paid $1,870 per person. We had a guide, drivers, food and three in-country flights to avoid awful roads. Everything was well done, including modifications to the itinerary to suit our desires.

The itinerary included the typical tourist spots, and the timing of events was great, even emphasizing our desire to wander through villages in lesser-known areas. Surprising to us was the relatively high quality of the hotels she found for us.

 

Our guide was outstanding. It was particularly great spending an evening with him and his wife, mother-in-law and two friends at his Yangon home. Be aware that the increasing number of tours to Myanmar is placing a strain on the supply of hotel rooms. Try to make Rreservations months in advance and expect somewhat higher rates. We made ours four months in advance, but Myriam says that starting six months early is now best, if possible, during the high season between October and March.

I am extremely enthusiastic about Myanmar Travel’s performance in planning and executing our tour.

Kurt Pany/Tempe, Arizona

 

MYANMAR, LAOS, BHUTAN AND SOUTH AFRICA

we have now traveled with Myriam Grest twice, and find her to be exacting, competitive, conscientious and knowledgeable. I discovered her through an ad she placed in International Travel News (ITN).  We first used her company to explore Laos, Myanmar and Bhutan. Excellent and outstanding is our comment on her itineraries, guides, drivers and choices of places to stay/dine and over-all value for money spent.  She and her wonderful staff were well organized, prompt and really on top of my program that started from Bangkok to northeastern Thailand across the Mekong to Vientiane, Laos ending in the lovely mountain city of Luang Prabang staying at the magical Le Residence Phou Vao. Then back to Bangkok and the following day to Yangon, Myanmar for a delightful guided tour of the country for 7 days. Then it was back to Bangkok for an overnight. We flew to Bhutan for a delightful tour of that country. Ms. Grest organized all of our flights, hotels, transportation and guides. Rather complex when you think about crossing borders, getting visas and coordinating flights, etc.

 

We also used her for our trip to southern Africa  and feel the exact same. When we go to Mongolia and the Korea's next year, we will certainly utilize her services again. Additionally, her integrity is beyond reproach. Our hats are off to her for the smooth operation.                           

Larry & Rita Kritcher/Florida

 

MYANMAR, LAOS, CAMBODIA AND THAILAND
Having traveled to far off lands most of my life has always been a great pleasure. Since I have discovered Ms. Thein (Swiss Miss), none of the other companies can compare. 

She finds the most unique Lodgings, restaurants, museums, shops and places of interest. She also has contacts with people of influence in all the countries she takes you to!

Her guides all speak fluent English, Spanish, German, Italian - you name it. They are all so knowledgeable and very helpful. I always feel so pampered and safe with them. They are flexible! If you want to stop and shop or want to stay longer they always attempt to accommodate you. I have traveled to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Vietnam under her wing. The trips have always been beyond my greatest expectations! My next trip with her will be to Taiwan and Bhutan.
Florence Kenner/California