Popa Mountain Resort

Mount Popa has drawn pilgrims for centuries as the home of Myanmar's nat spirits, its extinct volcanic cone crowned by the gilded monastery of Taung Kalatt. Popa Mountain Resort is built into the slope below, roughly an hour's drive from Bagan and its temple plains. The 35 chalets are set into the hillside above a ravine, timber and stone structures that face the monastery rock directly across the gorge. Rooms keep things simple: mosquito nets, a fan alongside the air conditioning, a private balcony, and in some cases a fireplace against the mountain's cooler nights. You can watch the light shift over Taung Kalatt from the infinity pool as the sun drops behind it. The kitchen draws on the resort's own organic farm, and the terrace restaurant looks straight down the ravine toward the plains and distant hills beyond. Despite the dry country surrounding it, volcanic soil and hillside streams keep the grounds green, closer to a garden than the parched lowlands nearby. A spa, gym, and bar round out the property, along with guided walks and horse riding into the surrounding national park. It is a quiet base for a place that has meant something to travellers long before anyone built a resort here. Check-in is from 2pm.