Brief Review

- $19 per night for double room en-suite with A/C

- Clean well decorated rooms, en-suite, fridge, AC and fan, generator back up power. Towel and toiletries provided.

- Very helpful staff that speak good English and have cheaper than average prices for tours/taxi’s so you do well to book through them.

- Cheap at $14-$20 per night depending on which room you want and good location, near backpacker area and city centre market.

- Basic but adequate breakfast of eggs, toast, jam/butter, banana and tea/coffee

- NO wifi or internet which is a shame. Probably the only negative and the main reason I’m not giving it 5 stars.

Verdict: We will definitely stay here again when we come back to Mandalay!

Detailed review

My g/f and I stayed here, having moved from a more expensive hotel nearby. We were happy to find our room was not only cheaper but also nicer than most we’d seen or stayed in!

We had attached bathroom with mirror, toilet, sink, shower and all necessary toiletries (soap, shampoo, toilet paper) and a towel. In our room we had dressing table and chair, places to hang clothes and a fridge.

The reception desk books taxi’s/buses/etc at rates that are cheaper than most other places offer, and we found them very helpful when asked a question. Their English is also good.

Located in between the backpacker area (10 min walk) and the main centre (5 min walk) I would say its location is ideal. It’s just down a quiet side street away from the traffic.

There are 2 main downsides.. 1) No internet or WiFi. 2) Usually fully booked so ring at least a few days ahead and cross your fingers!

We will certainly stay here again (if it’s not booked up!).

We stayed in a corner room, it was not big but larger than some other rooms that I saw.

Bed was rather soft, I suspect the mattress was quite old. All seemed clean enough though. Bathroom very small.

Breakfast not much good, badly cooked scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, and watery coffee or tea (there's a bar called Skybar about 5 minutes' walk east, you can get excellent coffee and breakfast there instead).

Royal was fine. Good location, staff ok but a continual stream of tourists so not really interested in going the extra mile/making recommendations/helping with directions or anything. Room was fine but nothing special. breakfast fine but the breakfast room is tiny and very hot.

Overall, does the trick if you're just after a budget place to stay in Mandalay. They charge for phone calls. Also, our hunch was that they are government affiliated - they knew where we were at all times (even when we were in a different city - slightly creepy).