We stayed in a corner room, it was not big but larger than some other rooms that I saw.
Bed was rather soft, I suspect the mattress was quite old. All seemed clean enough though. Bathroom very small.
Breakfast not much good, badly cooked scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, and watery coffee or tea (there's a bar called Skybar about 5 minutes' walk east, you can get excellent coffee and breakfast there instead).
Royal was fine. Good location, staff ok but a continual stream of tourists so not really interested in going the extra mile/making recommendations/helping with directions or anything. Room was fine but nothing special. breakfast fine but the breakfast room is tiny and very hot.
Overall, does the trick if you're just after a budget place to stay in Mandalay. They charge for phone calls. Also, our hunch was that they are government affiliated - they knew where we were at all times (even when we were in a different city - slightly creepy).
Its the second time I have stayed here . It is adequate ,the staff seem stretched at times ,but have patience with the continual demands of tourists .The breakfast room is kind of tiny ,it tests ones adaptability .Standard breakfast of scrambled eggs . I forgot to ask if they did a Burmese breakfast ,which other guest houses will do
I had aircon room .
$19 pn double room, with an extra bunkbed. A strange layout but it was comfortable and we had a private bathroom, the running water wasn’t what you would describe as a hot but it was adequete. Towels were provided as was shampoo and soap. The electricity sometimes cut out but not for long..Breakfast was inclusive of the price. Breakfast was egg on toast with jam which did the job fine, didn’t stand up next to the breakfast we had at Kawaik café but was still nice. The staff were very friendly and helpful, drinks were also available to purchase in the form of water, crusher (Fanta) and star cola. No problems with this place it helps that it is where the taxi’s drop you from the airport, kind of makes life easy.
The guest house is located in the city centre surrounded by a number of restaurants and Zeigyo market is nearby. We had a room with A/C and fan with an attached bathroom. Some guests staying in fan only rooms found it rather hot, as the rooms are very small. The communal toilet facilities on the ground floor were at times rather unpleasant. There isn’t a lift and we were on the top floor so it wasn’t great for lugging luggage. The guest house is okay for a short stay or for backpackers but not for a certain group of travellers. The Breakfast is okay. However like the previous poster I felt the omelette were like pancakes. I found the bread in Myanmar in most hotels to be sweet and gluey and it wasn’t unique to the Royal.
We did frequently visit Nylon ice cream shop round the corner from the guest house. The ice creams were a distraction during my stay in Mandalay.
There have been a number of comments on the attitude of the staff at the guest house. I felt a bit uneasy with their customer care initially when I checked in, however after a few days they were fine. The reception staff were all helpful in booking a few tours for me. I understand from other guests the rates at the Royal had gone up a lot since 2011 like most hotels in Myanmar. The place is basic and this is reflected in the price. Just be mindful of the construction of a building in close proximity to the guest house which will have a huge impact on the guest house, such as daylight, inoperable windows, dust and privacy issues.
