Aureum Palace Hotels & Resorts, Bagan: An oasis to endorse your stay

This post contains sponsored contents and all the pictures were taken by the writer.

With a total of 114 rooms, Aureum Palace is well-established as one of the largest luxury hotels & resorts in Myanmar. First opened in 2003, the hotel has achieved regular titles of international hospitality awards, including the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Award, the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, Travellers’ Choice Awards, and the ASEAN Green Hotel Award. Pros: With an outdoor swimming pool, the hotel is modern with spacious rooms, splendid food and many scenic views. Cons: It was crowded for its own good and far from most attractions. 

As our bus stopped at the Bus Station, we were forced to take off by the bus attendant and met the crazy taxi drivers, waiting for us to send to our hotel in Bagan. My colleague told me to wait for the ferry that the bus station provides is cheaper, but I couldn’t wait being hungry for my breakfast so we took a taxi with 6,000 kyats to our destination. 

A few minutes passed, through temples and some traffic point, we were delivered to Aureum Palace Hotels & Resorts, under Htoo Hospitality. Although this is not our first time to Bagan, yet our very first time at Aureum, the luxury boutique collection of Htoo Hospitality. 

In this review, Booking, Location, Check-in, Room, Food and Beverage, Amenities, Service and Overall Impression will be included.

Booking

Rates at Aureum Palace start from US$ 75 a night at Deluxe Double for Myanmar citizens and FRC card holders and it can really, really high up to US$ 799 at Island Villa. 

We chose a Jasmine Lake View Villa Double which cost us US$ 113 per night. Although there isn’t points reward to cover your stay, you can put the promo code if you have one and you can check your room details here and book your selection at www.htoohospitality.com.

Our booking included the following extras: daily breakfast for two people, access to the swimming pool and gym, complimentary Wi-Fi, buggy transportation inside the hotel, welcome fruits inside the room and a complimentary ticket each to Nan Myint Tower known as the Bagan Viewing Tower.

Location

As I mentioned, Aureum Palace is located at a far distance from most attractions like famous temples, lacquerwares, museums and eateries. But it’s a prime location for those who would love to spend the quality time, means exclusive and luxurious, with family and loved ones.

But if you’re a budget traveler and expected to spend at lowest cost, this isn’t your place. Despite its distance from the attractions, which I meant was only if you take an E-bike for transportation, you could rent a car or I recommend you to take your own from the start if you are considering to stay here.

As part of the hotel area, Nan Myint Tower is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. My favorite part was the amazing view from the pool where you can see the ancient temples across the lake. 

Check-in

After a few minutes drive from the bus station, we were ready to experience the scenic views of Aureum Palace and enjoy our trip. And when we pulled off, we were amazed by the large-scaled structure of the hotel and its huge and beautiful entrance. With small pounds set step by step as the stairs took us to the lobby area, the open-air was just as nice featuring colossal teak poles as high as its roof. Inside the lobby, we were offered to sit in the waiting area where you can scout traditional sculptures, instruments and jewelry and souvenirs for sale. 

Since we arrived a bit earlier than the check-in time, the staff profusely apologized for being unable and another friendly staff approached with fresh lemonades and scented cold towels to make us relax while our room is being prepared. We strolled around the pool area and hence we prepared the transportation for the rest of the day to turn on our VACAY MODE.

Room

Our room 504, a Jasmine Lake View Villa, was really nice. Once we stepped in, the black teak door with Burmese relief sculptures – Nats/Spirits holding some flowers – on it, caught my eye at first sight. It was a huge room once you went inside — two single beds on the right and a small settee table on the left with a big TV and teak finished acacia wood double Sofa and club chair set — and waiting on the table was a plate of welcome fruits.

What surprised me was the bathroom which is the same size as the bedroom and drawing room with a jacuzzi bathtub and shower area separately and of course, the toilet. Though there wasn’t much drawer space in the bedroom, there was a large dresser in the bathroom with plenty of drawers and counter space. In the morning, I’d love to sit at the small balcony outside with a cup of coffee and a book with to enjoy the scenic lake view and temples across us. And with a bottle of red wine at night – why not? Oh.. one more. I’d see the stars through the transparent glass window above our bathtub, of course, with a glass of red wine again.

Food & Beverage

Everything I tried at the hotel was fresh and good. We started our morning with the complimentary breakfast buffet served at the grandeur Xanadu restaurant. The buffet features a range of international classics and Burmeses — Mohinga, salads, pancakes, croissants, bacon and sausages, Chinese fried rice and vermicelli — paired with juices, hot beverages and a wide options of dairy products. There were multiple buffet counters featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, parfaits, juices and smoothies, donut-and-bread bar, cooked dishes like bacon and sausages and a few Asian selections. I primarily enjoyed the create-your-own omelet bar with plenty of ingredients to add on. 

For dinner, we ate outside while visiting the temples.

Amenities

Pools: Upon your arrival to the hotel, from where the check-in counter, you can see the huge pool area on the edge of hotel facing towards to ancient temples across the lake. It was beautiful and truly an instagrammable spot! There is another pool on the other side where the rest of the rooms are, with the relaxing chairs and small palm trees covering up the shades. 

Gym: The gym is located next to the pool at the basement. You can start your day at the gym first, then refill your tummy at Xanadu restaurant just opposite to it.

Spa: The Aureum Nature Spa, inside the replica of an eleventh century temple, is a combination of natural light, earthy colors and textures – a deeply soothing oasis. 

Bagan Viewing Tower: Upon your arrival, the reception will give you free one time access to this Viewing Tower, which is the only place in Bagan that you can watch the sunset and sunrise now. Most of the temples’ top grounds are closed because of the massive earthquake in 2016. 

Service

All the staff members I’ve met here are friendly and everyone has worn a pleasant smile, especially the gardeners. The hotel’s supervisor on duty was also incredibly friendly and apologetic when we were waiting for the room at the reception on arrival. Mostly I remembered, the guy at the omelet bar while we were having breakfast was super nice and cooked everything we’ve asked him to. And the hotel offers its own tour packages for those who have not planned any activities. The electric bikes can be grabbed from the hotel at $5 for 4 hrs or $10 for 8 hrs.

Overall

To be condensed, Aureum Palace is a beautiful place with friendly staff, scenic views, good food and service. Expect being a far distance from most attractions, I would return to Aureum Palace for one more relaxing vacation! And yes, luxurious.

Aureum Palace Hotels & Resorts: Near Bagan Viewing Tower, Min Nanthu Village, Nyaung Oo, Mandalay Division, Myanmar.
Tel: 09 896502 964
Email: [email protected]
Web: aureumpalacehotelandresortbagan.com