| H Su |
18 November 2004 |
Stayed at Ta Prohm - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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No need to exchange currency at the airport. Local shops prefer US$ and they will give you small amount of US$ for changes. You can see all the important temples within 2 days.
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| S Nair |
10 November 2004 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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An ideal base to visit the palace and other sites. In most instances a taxi is required which costs $5 one way or $7/hour. Be prepared to deal in cash as there are no ATMs in Cambodia and US dollar is the preferred currency even with respect to their own!
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| R Benson |
03 October 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is a town not "city" with limited tourist attractions. We hired car & driver for $20 per day. Tuk-tuk is $2 for any destination in the town. Easy to get around, bring small demoniations of US$. Prepare to pay $65 per person over 12 to go in and out of Cambodia in taxes and visa fees. Credit card transactions only at major hotels and often unreliable - bring cash! Pre-read a must, little information provided on site about history of city and tombs.
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| L Boyd |
28 July 2004 |
Stayed at Bopha Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and others. We wished we had allowed more time for Ta Prohm! We were very thankful that we had arranged online for a guide and a van before we arrived ($110 for 2 days' worth of van, driver, and guide). One tip: American CASH is all that works. It has to be in pristine condition, too--we had a $100 bill with a very small cut on one corner and no one would accept it.
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| F Gallo |
05 May 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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There are no ATMs in Cambodia and credit cards are rarely used. Although everything is very cheap, you need cash. US dollars or Cambodian currency are fine.
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| N Munt |
16 April 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Be ready to spend lots of USD. Especially if you are coming from Singapore, HK, Australia or NZ where the dollar is not that strong (usually) against the USD. $20 for VISA $25 for Airport Exit, $40 for 3 day Angkor pass, $20 for guide p/d, $20 for driver p/d and everything else is in USD, so for a 3 day stay you have spent over $200USD (eg $360 SG/NZ) without accommodation, food or drinks or buying any local knick knacks (which are all in USD).
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| J Dahlheimer |
28 February 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is the destination center for the Angkor temples and gets a heavy concentration of visitors. But it's not overcrowded (yet) and it still retains a small town flavor. Except at rush hour when traffic miraculously seems to flow despite the chaotic nature of the driving. Only real negative is that Cambodia uses US dollars as the de facto currency. A consequence is that prices denominated in dollars, especially for restaurants, seem unreasonably high. As one example, every restaurant we tried charged $1 for a can of Coke that is sold on the streets in Cambodian currency for the equivalent of 25 cents. Another example is that the starting point for moto taxi (back of a motorbike) and tuk tuk drivers seems to be either $1, $2 or $3 regardless of distance.
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| W Burnett |
27 March 2003 |
Stayed at Regent Park Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Take your own US dollars into the country, they are expensive to buy once you get there. Have some local currency to give to the children but beware as soon as one gets some cash from you, dozens more suddenly appear, a better idea is to give some money to a children's hospital to clear your conscience.
If you are travelling to Angkor Wat go there by boat it is a major experience in itself, you will no doubt fly back.
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| A Wright |
25 March 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is building a new hotel at every single block. And it was surpringly expensive. The local explanation points to U.N. influence - that the town is used to serving foreigners and adopted foreign pricing on many things.
But we were there for the temples, and they can't be beat. Absolutely stunning beyond words. Although in some temples, I felt like a wall could collapse at any time on top of me. Get a car and guide to help you tour Angkor. It's not very expensive and you can set your itinerary much more flexibly.
Note that there is no dry cleaning in Siem Reap (bizarre). But internet access is easily obtained at local cafes and hotels.
Cambodians do not bargain like the Thais when shopping (in fact, they seem to resent it). Also, don't seem as outgoing or friendly (except those who work in hotels). Not much of Siem Reap other than proximity to the temples.
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| C Bushnell |
24 March 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We were traveling with children and spent the mornings visiting the temples and then back to the hotel for swimming and lunch. We went back out the the pm for a few hours to shop and more templing visits.
Had a great meal at the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club). Looks empty from the front, they seat most people in back on the balcony. We also enjoyed the Red Piano restaurant. Make sure to get receipts for items purchased, we had a couple issues at customs in Vietnam.
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Traveller's Tales: Doing business in Cambodia
