Governors Residence, A Belmond Hotel

Even a century ago, when it was built for the governors of the British Crown Colony of what was then Burma, this property turned heads, thanks to its soaring ceilings and ornately curved gables. But now that Belmond is running the show? It’s unforgettable. Guest rooms are spacious (starting at 420 square feet) and ready to wow any visiting dignitary, with mosquito net canopies over the beds, gleaming wood floors, terrazzo bathrooms and all the little luxuries that make a stay extraordinary, including welcome fruit baskets and gratis bottled water. Our favorites: the Deluxe Garden View Rooms, which peep out on lotus ponds, and the Governor’s Rooms, where silk wall panels and a hand-carved bed canopy add to the hotel’s storied splendor.

A storied 1920s teak mansion in the Embassy District, with 49 traditionally appointed rooms, a fan-shaped pool, lotus pond-stocked gardens and a fiercely organic spa.

Dull. The hotel offers bucket list experiences including sunrise guided tours of Shwedagon Pagoda, built some 2,600 years ago and coated in some 8,000 solid gold slabs.

You live to make an entrance, and here, getting to the lobby involves strolling a teak walkway over lotus ponds—and a resounding gong when you get there.

Honestly, most of your hotel breakfasts lately have been forgettable. Which is what makes this morning in the fresh open air at Mandalay Restaurant so transcendent. You sip a lahpet yay cho, a tea with leaves from the mountains of the Shan state and served with sweetened milk, and wait for your corn fritters with truffled hollandaise and pancetta to arrive. Memorable, indeed.

Mandalay Restaurant - menu mixes local produce with traditional Burmese and classic European dishes Mindon Lounge - authentic dishes served in a spacious lounge, overlooking the flower-filled gardens