| H Koenig |
01 June 2004 |
Stayed at Mysteres d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Khmer Kitchen - great place for Khmer food: cheap and good. Also, ask your tuk-tuk driver for a place that serves beef soup in a hot pot. We found it only after we asked our tuk-tuk driver where he usually eats. But overall, Cambodia is an expensive place to visit. Sunk costs include visa (USD20), airport departure tax (USD25), temples entrance fee (USD40 for 3-day pass), English-speaking guide (USD22 p.day) and tuk-tuk driver (USD12-20 p.day).
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| J Njoo |
16 May 2004 |
Stayed at Ta Prohm - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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I feel that the temple of Angkor wat itself is quite over rated but the other temples of Bayon and Ta Phrom are truly magnificent. We watched the sunset on the hill overlooking Angkor Wat and again, it wasnt as magnificent as I would have expected. Watching the sunrise was much better even though we had to get up at 4.30am! Check out the 'Red Piano' restaurant for really good local and international food and a nice atmosphere, which is located very near the hotel.
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| D Fralix |
05 May 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We had read about The Red Piano - and it proved to be a terrific place for dinner. Our guide Prom Chomrong was extremely knowledgeable and tailored his typical tour to our schedule - which involved having some pool time in the afternoon. This time we went up "to watch the sunset" - but we did it around 4pm to avoid the crowd on top at sunset. The pictures we took this time of Angkor Wat from the top were better and we didn't have to jockey around crowds of people to get the pictures.
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| G Atkinson |
29 April 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Like we did I recommend a tour guide and a car if you wish to learn a lot about the temples and the people of Cambodia. The guide can take you to places you would never find on your own. Our guide was Mr. Laptek and would recommend him.
We had a near death experience when a baloon ride went wrong and crashed. The baloon ride company and the locals did well to rescue us. Make sure some added safety precautions are there before you dare go on. But hey what a ride it was!
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| K Newcombe |
20 April 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We hired an English speaking driver at US$20 per day. The weather in April is VERY hot so having the airconditioned car to travel around was well worth the money.
A Tuk Tuk into town is only US$1. They will wait around with you for a couple of hours if you want to do shopping or dinner and will only charge $4-$5.
Highly recommend the FCC for good quality cheap food & drinks.
The early morning 5am rise to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat is well worth it. It was peaceful and quiet - much better than later in the afternoon when the crowds are out.
The weather in April is very hot, so make sure you have hats & lots of sunscreen and plan to have early starts & a big break out of the sun in the middle of the day.
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| C Murray |
18 April 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Cambodia was my favorite destination on this trip (that included Bangkok, Phuket and Hong Kong). The people were the nicest, which is saying a lot compared to Thailand, and the sites, obviously, are incomparable. We hired a guide and a car and driver, which, in the 110 degree April heat, really made a difference. A lot of guides/books recommend Angkor Wat at dawn, but the best part about that is that it's not as hot or crowded - the lighting is not particularly good. My favorite temple was Ta Prohm - left in its more original state - very romantic and exotic.
The Aspara dinner & dance and Angkor Village was well worth the experience - I actually wish I'd stayed at that hotel. Overall, it's becoming savvy to the travel business quickly, if you're considering going, sooner is better.
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| H Keller |
03 April 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The hotel is close to the temple complex and not too far from the town center. It was easy and convenient to rent a car/driver for $20 per day, including visit to the temples and town during the day. I do not recommend the boat trip ($25) from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap during the dry season, because of the low water level one has to change boats regularly (to more uncomfortable ones) and travelling time will be almost 6 hours. A better alternative is the plane ($65/one way).
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| P Carlson |
25 March 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Our guide was fabulous - Mr. Lap Tek. You can reach him at garden@camintel.com; his English is excellent and he makes the place come alive! Sofitel has a good show/buffet dinner.
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| T North |
20 March 2004 |
Stayed at Princess Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Many big and expensive looking hotels are going up all along the airport road. Massive change is about to happen to Siem Reap, and the number of tourists will increase dramatically if the number of hotels is anything to go by. I fear for the ancient sites themselves. Hopefully there will be some sustainable control of tourism, and the ordinary people of Cambodia can benefit more from it. Wishful thinking?
Enjoyed good and reasonable meals with good service at Blue Pumpkin, the Indochine Cafe/Restaurant, and the Red Piano - all in the centre of Siem Reap.
I followed a suggestion from previous asiahotels.com traveller and took pens to give to the children hounding tourists outside the historic sites - with a (usually) appreciative response.
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| I Hafen |
12 March 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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After the adventure trip with the old Antonow planes from Siem Reap to Stung Treng, from there to the Laotian border visiting the Mekong Water falls and heading by car from Stung Treng to Battambang where several Jungle trips were staying on the dailys list, we headed back to Siem Riep enjoying some quiet days at the Passagio Boutique hotel before we bordered to Thailand. Very nice trip for adventure lovers, just ask the Manager of Lolei Travel!!!!!
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Traveller's Tales: Things to do in Cambodia
