The physical location of these cottages (GIC 2) over Inle Lake is stunning. The cottages are a bit rickety, but contain all you would need and are fairly clean. The staff offer a complimentary drink on arrival and turn down service, and are generally friendly and thoughtful. One of my criticisms is that once you get there, you are pretty... More

There are 2 Golden Island hotels. We stayed in the Thale-U hotel (or GIC 2) which is just below the middle of the lake by a bird sanctuary. Whilst other reviewers mention being woken by fishermen we didn't have that problem and I suspect the reviews related to the Nampan resort which is close to a large village. We booked... More

Stayed for four nights at Thale U (GIC II). I paid for the full experience of being collected at the airport for transfer to Nyaungshwe, and then a boat ride on a narrow GIC boat where people sit behind each other. The motors on these boats are very noisy, so try to sit as far forward as possible. I loved... More

If you want to experience living on a lake, then this hotel is worth thinking about. It is at the southern end of Lake Inle so near all the interesting things to see. The Lake takes over an hour to get from north to south so location is important. The staff are friendly and welcoming. Rooms are basic, no aircon... More

The setting is lovely , sitting on the veranda to watch the sunset is fantastic. Best of all is the staff, they were all so nice,helpful and informative. They made our visit to inle lake special.

I stayed 2 nights in GIC at Thale U. The hotel is pretty nice but basic. Good restaurant and beautiful sunset. People working in the hotel amazing and helpfull, of course. In my opinion it was a quiet and relaxing place and not noisy at all. I rated 4 because of an amazing walk I did late afternoon through Thale... More

The most remarkable aspect about our stay in this lovely place was the price. At $60 for a double - only $10 more than a noisy room at the Teakwood Inn in Nyaung Shwe - we were happy to spend our last night on the lake here. There are disadvantages (early morning wake up by lake traffic, and distance -... More

What an amazing place - a hotel smack in the middle of stunning Inle Lake. Yes it has some shortcomings - old bathrooms, small rooms, noisy boats at 5AM (bring foam earplugs!) - but they are more than compensated by the aura of the place and the sunset views. The staff is courteous, the restaurant more than adequate. WiFi worked... More

Our first stop for 3 nights @ the GIC II (the new one). While our room was moderate large and a little bit on the dark-side, the friendliness of the staff was outstanding. Whenever you came to the reception with a question, to the restaurant with good appetite or just walked into someone by coincidence, you always had the feeling... More