Grand classic hotel; a quintessential Yangon experience
- 92 Strand Road
- Currently closed
- +95 1 243377
A legendary hotel
What Raffles is to Singapore, the Metropole to Hanoi and the Peninsula to Hong Kong, the Strand is to Yangon, simply an institution! At the end of the 19th century, Rangoon was booming and the Armenian Sarkies Brothers who had just opened Raffles, came to Yangon. They found the ideal location at Strand Road, with a full river view and proximity to the jetty, right where visitors arrived.
Restored to its former glory
During the war, the Japanese occupied the Strand and rebranded it Yamato. With horses stabled in the bar, the Japanese occupation didn’t do the prestigious hotel any favours. After the war business resumed ‘as normal’ but when it was nationalised it quickly deteriorated. “When Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler stayed here in the 1970’s it was host to more rats than guests” writes Sarah Rooney.Now restored to its former teak and marble timeless elegance Strand is once again a heaven of tranquillity for well-heeled visitors.
The Strand Bar has been a famous watering hole since 1901 and hosted many thirsty travellers, explorers and celebrities, among which Rudyard Kipling and Orson Welles.
Sarkies Bar
The Strand Bar has been a famous watering hole since 1901 and hosted many thirsty travellers, explorers and celebrities, among which Noël Coward, Rudyard Kipling and Orson Welles. Now renamed the Sarkies Bar after the hotel founders, this is the place to be for sundowner or cocktails.