I stayed at Malika Lodge last year and it was truly an unforgettable experience. I took a short flight to Putao from Rangoon and arrived at the lodge and was pleasantly surprised to see the two working elephants from the lodge with their keeper, chilling in the sunshine before heading down to the river. The staff are extremely welcoming and have magnetic smiles - we felt very well looked after and language was no problem.

The main lodge itself is stunning, dark woods, giant bamboo - and the architecture of the massive rooms feels discreetly luxurious. Each individual room is a mini lodge with beautiful Jim Thompson silk furnishings and huge beds. My husband especially loved stoking up the fireplace - each lodge has a free standing fireplace and they provide firewood...you can't beat a fireplace like this in such fantastic surroundings.

Bathing at the lodge took me to another dimension - bathtime was in a huge 6 ft round teak bath (like a giant teacup), or if I... more