The first upscale hotel in one of Myanmar's most compelling destinations is set to open on October 1. Set on the shores of Inle Lake, the 94-room Sanctum Inle Resort features an olympic-sized swimming pool overlooking the lake, a 150 square meter presidential Sanctuary Suite and a Shan and international cuisine restaurant, The Refectory.
“In a region long closed off to the wider world, we’re opening the doors on an experience of accommodation that celebrates removal and contemplation,” said Philippe Arnaud, the resort’s general manager. “Our location invites this sort of mind-set, and our design does, as well.”
Inle Lake is renowned for its stilted wooden homes, floating vegetable gardens and fishermen, who propel their boats across the water with a singular, one-legged rowing style. The rooms by design are monastic yet sophisticated, with inlaid mahogany furnishings and stone-tiled bathrooms. Spend your days in Myanmar visiting temples, seeing the area’s magnificent stupas, and shopping at Inle’s over-water markets. When all is said and done, retreat to the Sanctuary Spa, home to five treatment rooms that offer a multitude of therapies including a signature Tamarind Scrub with tamarind harvested from the property, as well as hot stone massages and facials.
By night, the 107-seat Refectory offers a full complement of Chan and Western dishes, and Cloister Bar, an elegant hangout, boasts a selection of Myanmar-brewed beers, international wines and Cuban and Dominican cigars. The resort’s Chapter House is a quiet venue with books and board games that can be transformed into a meeting space. Traditional dancers and musicians from the Shan, Intha and Pao tribes will gather on the property to mark the grand opening and celebrate a sunset barbecue buffet dinner with cocktails and candles floating around the resort’s jetty.
