Indulge on the Irrawaddy with the Strand Cruise

By Gabrielle Lipton - February 4, 2016
  • The pool on the boat's sundeck.

    The pool on the boat's sundeck.

  • Sarkies Bar serves the Strand's signature cocktails and fine wines.

    Sarkies Bar serves the Strand's signature cocktails and fine wines.

  • Teak wood floors and colorful textiles adorn the spacious cabin rooms.

    Teak wood floors and colorful textiles adorn the spacious cabin rooms.

  • The Strand Cruise vessel plies between Mandalay and Bagan.

    The Strand Cruise vessel plies between Mandalay and Bagan.

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After standing solid as one of Myanmar’s most luxurious lodgings for 114 years, Yangon’s Strand Hotel has recently begun floating a version of itself down the calm waters of the Irrawaddy River. A 27-cabin, teak bedecked river vessel, the Strand Cruise plies three-night journeys from Mandalay to Bagan—or four nights in the reverse direction—stopping along the way for passengers to visit the Buddhist sanctuaries of Bingun, take a horse-cart ride into the onetime Burmese capital of Ava, and cross U-Bein, the world’s longest teak footbridge. For on-board downtime, there’s a top-deck pool, informative lectures, reflexology in the spa, a wine cellar, and Sarkies Bar, where sunsets are paired with the hotel’s signature Strand Sour—once George Orwell’s cocktail of choice (from US$1,782). —Ariko Ahmad

For more information, visit the Strand Cruise.

This article originally appeared in the February/March print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Irrawaddy Indulgence”).

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