Macleod Island: Heaven or Hell on Earth?

I heard about the Macleod island located in the Mergui Archipelago in southern Burma (Myanmar) for the first time a few years ago. Similar like in the case of Song Saa Private Island about which I wrote last week , there is only one hotel - Myanmar Andaman Resort on Khayingwa island how it’s called by the local sea gypsies. This is where the similarities end…

Photo: Burma Boating

My happiness has known no borders since I’ve found out that my new boss back then is a co-owner of the island/hotel. I knew that the inspection trip paid by the company is just a matter of time. I landed on the island for the first time in 2012 about two months after moving to Myanmar.

Getting to the island is not for the faint-hearted. You can fly from Yangon to Kawthaung (2-3h depending on the amount of stopovers in various cities - seriously…) or from Bangkok to Ranong (1h), where you’ll have to cross the sea border with Burma. You can also drive from Phuket (4-5h) and also take a boat in Ranong to Kawthaung. In whatever way you arrive to Kawthaung the last step is a private speedboat, which would take you to the island in about 1,5h.

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory

The speedboat trip is nothing less than spectacular. The Mergui Archipelago consists of more than 800 uninhabited islands, some of which you’ll pass on the way. The best comparison would be to Maldives with a more dramatic scenery. Huge amount of the islands are tall rocky outcrops coming out of the crystal-clear Andaman Sea.

Photo: Burma Boating

The island is a miracle of nature and one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen on the planet. A pretty big bay is protected from both sides by rocky shores, a 300-meters long, empty white-sanded beach, tropical forest beginning just after the beach and turning into a thick jungle growing over the mountain… I have no words to reflect the natural beauty of this place. Macleod island is a paradise on earth. Or at least that’s the first impression…

Photo: Myanmar Andaman Resort

The problems begin in the hotel. My first visit has already disclosed that the wooden bungalows are not in the best shape. The managers back then didn’t give a damn about it. The next 3 visits over two years showed that the hotel is decaying in tremendous speed. The biggest problem for the clients paying pretty significant money were… rats, which found a new home on the island in pretty huge numbers. There is nothing more relaxing than lying your head to sleep to the rhythm of squeaking rodents or the sound of their claws scratching something in the bathroom…

Photo: Myanmar Andaman Resort

My final visit to the island was towards the end of 2016. By then the general manager has been changed quite a few times, but no one was able to improve anything. In Myanmar the owner has a final say on all major issues involving money with disinfestation and renovation being no exceptions. Even the change of ownership hasn’t changed anything since the new owner was from Myanmar too. The state in which I’ve found the hotel in October was scandalous. The photos here show how the resort presented itself about a week prior to the beginning of high season and the arrival of first clients.


Photo: Radek

A moment later the locals did a quick and cheap renovation which was nothing more than showing a middle finger towards the clients who paid premium money for their holidays of the lifetime in a tropical paradise. Obviously it was not enough. I believe that the below few reviews prove my point:

The sickest idea of the new owner was the agreement with Genting Cruisies. Hundreds of Chinese day-trippers visiting the secluded paradise almost every day? Check! Macleod island is a typical case study how to turn a tropical paradise into a hell on earth. For quite a few years I’ve been saying that the only hope for the island is a total demolition of Myanmar Andaman Resort and building something solid under a good management. I’m afraid, however, that it’s not a direction we can expect from someone who planned to build two lighthouses and a casino on the island…

Photo:. Burma Boating

In order not to end my entry on the depressing note, it’s worth mentioning that the Mergui Archipelago is a beautiful spot which is just beginning to open itself up to the world. Nyaung Oo Phee Resort, Boulder Eco Resort or Wa Ale Resort are just the beginning of the changes which started to be visible in recent months in this amazing corner of the world.

As to the Macleod island - you can skip it until someone with a properly functioning brain builds something reasonable there and the shiploads of Chinese won’t come back to their home…