Thiri Marlar, which has been renamed the Thurizza hotel, has all elements of a great hotel. Set on a quiet corner, the hotel has a certain ambience because of several pagodas within a stone's throw. The outdoor third level, where breakfast is eaten, has views of pagodas further afield.
Nice and quiet.
Good
I stayed here December of 2012. It was very lovely. It had nice rooms, very nice and personable staff, and a wonderful patio on the roof where I ate breakfast. The ambiance and views from there were very memorable. There was also adequate wifi. I short walk behind the hotel I rented a bicycle for 2 days and explored with very little agenda. I hope to stay here again if I ever come back to Burma, what a wonderful trip and city.
I would definitely recommend seeing the area on bike, not the horse and carts, they move slowly and people who were on them never looked very happy. Just remember that if you're out, especially in Old Bagan, once the sun goes down you have to book it back to your hotel unless you bring your own lights to put on your bike. I was caught out after dark once on the road and it was pretty scary. If you can scout out a route to where the hot air balloons go up in the morning and ride there the next day for sunrise it will be a life changing spectacle to witness.
Very nice small hotel, quiet, overlooking Bagan from it's top floor and have nice breakfast. You can also visit around small town, and you might have chance to talk with locals.