AT-A-GLANCE REVIEW

THE STRAND CRUISE: BAGAN TO MANDALAY ON THE IRRAWADDY

This was a four-night inaugural cruise for a new ship belonging to the iconic Strand Hotel in Yangon. The ship also runs three-night cruises from Mandalay to Bagan. The season runs from July to April. It’s possible to cover the same distance in a day but the cruise is a leisurely way to see the main sights in Bagan and, especially, around Mandalay without having to do battle with that city’s traffic.

Ship 9/10

Simple but effective design touches – huge windows, black-and-gold lacquer beakers on the walls, an arrangement of rolled-up blankets for chilly evenings – make this an extremely tasteful environment. The ship is full of lovely corners to sit and read. Perhaps the greatest asset is the truly charming staff.

Cabins 8/10

There are 27 suites, all with butler service and televisions. Some international passengers at this price level may baulk at putting used loo paper in bins but the beds are exceptionally comfortable (with excellent reading lights) and every cabin has a spacious shower. Only the two Strand suites have proper outside balconies. A few passengers had engine-noise issues.

Food and drink 9/10

Both international and local dishes and beverages (including Burmese wine) are to a high standard. I started every day with mohinga, the Burmese fish and noodle soup, and on the last night there was a delicious Shan dinner.

of the cosy ship close by, with its obliging staff awaiting our return, was very pleasant.

In the evening, there were drinks on a sandbank and the following day, we sailed up and down the river, nipping in and out of the best nooks at the best time of day. Just as you were thinking, “I’d like to go there” – there we pulled in and tuk-tuks or horsedrawn carts or cars appeared. The U-Bein teak bridge in the morning, the sunlit Buddhist spires of Sagaing’s monasteries in early afternoon, the long-abandoned capital of Ava (or Inn Wa, it’s like The Strand’s famous afternoon tea, which includes tea-leaf salad, was also available.

Facilities and entertainment 7/10

There’s a pleasant sundeck around a small swimming pool, a two-room spa and a little gym. On my trip the charming, low-key entertainment was being tested out: a few interesting lectures, a puppet show, a magician.

Activities and excursions 8/10

I found the well-chosen excursions a delight. As well as a curated itinerary of shore trips that includes the pagodas at Mingun and Sagaing, the temple of Maha Aungmye Bonzan in Ava and the U-Bein bridge, passengers can choose from an additional menu of à la carte shore excursions – a particular pagoda in Bagan that is not on the standard tour menu, for example. A car and driver/guide is offered at no extra cost. Getting on and off the ship via sandbanks was a little haphazard and some found the guides hard to understand.

Value for money 8/10

There is complimentary pressing and Wi-Fi is free. Three-day cruises start at $1,782 (£1,375) per person.

Getting there

There are no direct flights from the UK to Myanmar. It’s worth going via Bangkok, which has good flight connections to both Yangon and Mandalay.

saw meandered past. But when I re-read the poem later, I understood Kipling was writing about yearning, the tug at the heart as we sail on while looking back at the marvel of the places we’ve left; and only a few weeks after this trip, I saw how at least he’d got that right.

The Ultimate Travel Company (020 73051 8098; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) offers a week in Myanmar combining a four-night The Strand Cruise with three nights’ bed and breakfast (one night at the end of the cruise) at The Strand Yangon, from £3,295 per person. The price includes Thai Airways flights from Heathrow via Bangkok, private transfers, house drinks on board and cruise excursions.