Yangon Excelsior

Review: Yangon Excelsior, Myanmar - SilverKris

"Housed in a 19th-century, Yangon Heritage Trust–protected building that once belonged to trading firm Steel Brothers, this downtown hotel (a five-minute walk from Sule Pagoda) blends preserved architectural features—original glass entrance, sky-high ceilings and a vintage steel-cage lift retrofitted with modern mechanisms—with Art Deco–inspired interiors. The 74-room property offers six room categories (Superior, Superior Executive, Deluxe, Deluxe Executive, Junior Suite and the Loft), with executive lounge access included for Loft, Junior Suite and Executive rooms; rooms are furnished in striking teal and brown and decorated with period pieces like vintage telephones, typewriters and “handwritten” postcard-style room number cards. Dining options include a café-deli-bar serving sandwiches, salads, pastas, pastries and classic British tea all day (with evening tapas and wine), and a Wine & Grill restaurant featuring premium wines and dishes such as Black Angus striploin and Josper-grilled rock lobster, plus inventive starters like creamy pea garden soup with popcorn and blue‑cheese gnocchi topped with chorizo. The on-site spa offers globally inspired treatments and local touches: the Splendors Ritual is aimed at improving circulation and easing aches, the Wellness Ritual uses thanaka, sugarcane and aloe vera to exfoliate and moisturize, and the Touch For Body massage menu (Myanmar, Sweden, China and Inle Shan) includes a Touch of Sweden full-body treatment focused on stretching ligaments and tendons to relieve tension." - Yun Jin Loh