Should I go to Myanmar? Is Ngapali Beach a nice beach? Is it going to be expensive? My wife wants to visit the temples. I just want to be near a nice beach. I hear taxis are very expensive, is that true?

Hmmm...let's try this over in the Myanmar travel sub forum and see what kind of responses you get there. Ok?

Topic moved.

Local taxis are cheap, but cross country car hire, indeed any non-city car rental is amongst the most expensive in the world. Expect to be quoted outrageous rates of US$80-200 per day, depending on the amount of driving involved for any driving outside the city (all car hire still comes with a driver, but this is expected to change within the next 2 years). Bargain hard and remember that US$200 is an absolutely inflated rate - bargain down to US$100 and then take it from there.

Hotels tend to be quite expensive by SE Asian standards and especially in Yangon, some hotel prices may even be higher than comparable places in such first world cities as Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and San Francisco, to name just a few and then you may not even get reliable internet, more than a few cable TV channels or other modern conveniences you would expect as a bare minimum anywhere else. However, even in Yangon cheaper places can be found, but the quality varies.

Ngapali Beach has some fine hotels, as well as some cheaper ones. The better ones are bookable on Agoda.com. You can search their website for deals, so I'm not going to search for you, but I think you can expect to find rooms for anywhere between US$50 and 200 a night.