| P Hall |
21 September 2003 |
Stayed at Borann L'Auberge Des Temples - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Enjoyed the Angkor Temple complexes. Really liked the 2-hour Tonle Sap floating village boat trip--fascinating! Most of all, I loved seeing the rural countryside, rice fields, water buffalo, villages, and asking lots of questions of our guide, re: culture, education, health care, marriage traditions, agriculture, etc. Wonderful opportunity!
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| J Zee |
20 September 2003 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We visited all the "must see" temples including Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. We would recommend studying a bit about Indian mythology to enjoy the relief in Angkor Wat. Be prepare to climb and walk a lot.
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| A Hogarth |
14 September 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Our three days visit to Siem Reap was about the right amount of time needed. Quite surprised that there were not many tourists around while we were there (not that we complained!). Most bars and restaurant at the Old Market area were a bit quiet. The hotel's service and staff atittude were excellent! We were well taken care of by our driver Mr Soum from Angkor Village hotel - reliable and honest! Unlike what we had expected, none tried to rip us off. Friendly smilling Cambodian people really made our visit a lot of fun and memorable - we fell in love with the people. Try to take a boat ride around Tonle Sap and see a glimpse of the real life of poverty stricken Cambodians and Vietnamese illegal immigrants. If you like gemstones, they are comparatively cheaper to buy here, but you'd have to bargain! The quality is vary, so ask and check before buying. We got a very good deal for some good quality ones. Although this destination is expensive for a small town in South-East Asia, the magnificent Temples are worth visiting to!
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| K Hoeing |
02 September 2003 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We had a fantastic time in Siem Reap/Angkor Wat. Three full days were exactly the right amount of time to be able to see all the temples, the floating village, the silk farm and have time to scroll through the city of Siem Reap.
We had a driver for the entire time ($20 per day), who turned out to be a very reliable and knowledgable guide as well.
After having seen a few bad examples of guides, other people had booked for the day, we decided not to take one. Instead, we bought one of the guide books the children sell at every temple. The book is very detailed and even explains the bas-reliefs in Angkor Wat better than some of the tour guides.
The food in Siem Reap was excellent. We did not have a single bad experience with the local meals we ordered. Fully recommended are the Soup Dragon as well as the Bopha Angkor.
Business seemed to be going very poorly this year due to SARS and the war in Iraq. Since it was wet season as well, there were not many tourists at all.
We felt sorry for the people who try to get their business running and are depending on the tourists.
Everyone was very friendly and lots of smiling faces were making the stay worthwile.
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| A Richter |
21 August 2003 |
Stayed at Tai Seng Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Phnom Penh is a charming city which is less hectic than other Asian cities. Nice atmosphere along the river with a good selection of western and Asian restaurants and pubs. Most interesting sights are the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
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| T Nightingill |
17 August 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We really liked the Madame Butterfly restuarant just out of town on the N6 highway.
We got around the temples with a hired driver. A bit pricey but very useful, if for no other reason than the cooling aircon in between the temple visits. A guide is useful if you want to get more detail about the temples. Also visited the Silk farm south of Siem Reap. Very interesting.
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| Z Gooderidge |
03 August 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Saphir Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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It was well worth paying a little extra to get an air condtioned car and driver for a mere $20 US. We stayed at the Angkor Saphir hotel in Siem Reap which had an excellent location, close to town but situated in the nice part by the river. Service was second to none and a bargain at twice the price. We visited virtually all the temples in the Angkor area and they were all fantastic. We were however ripped off by the drivers of the boat we went on to see the lake area. They said it cost $5 each to see a fish farm which was in fact free. Apart from that the people of Cambodia were incredibly accommodating and made our holiday a once in a lifetime experience.
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| K Yeow |
25 July 2003 |
Stayed at Tai Seng Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Took a 15 minute walk down town one afternoon to the Riverside and then to the Central market. Bought an excellent quality mandolin (paid $100) from one of the guitar shops near the Central market.
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| E Brodal |
17 July 2003 |
Stayed at Tai Seng Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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I first visited Phnom Penh for 2 ½ days. No more time is needed to se the main attractions as Nation Museum, Royal Palace, Toul Sleng Museum, Killing Fields and the markets. I hired a moto driver for two days to get around.
To get to Siam Reap from Phnom Penh I took a bus (price $4). The bus departed conveniently just across the road from my hotel (Tai Seng hotel). The trip took about 8 hours. The road was partly really bad, but there was contruction work going on, so hopefully it will get better. I stayed in Siem Reap for 5 ½ days. That gave me sufficient time to explore all the temples around Ankor without just rushing through. I also made a trip to the more 'remote' Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean and the Rolus group. As in Phnom Penh I hired a moto driver to get around the temple area (I paid $7 a day). If you choose not to go with a guide, a good guidebook is essential.
I usually stayed out for lunch in the temple area. The food was good and cheap. Otherwise be prepared for some hassle to buy different kinds of souvenirs, water etc.
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| M Underwood |
15 July 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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I called about a week prior to arriving and asked the price of a guide and a driver for the 5 of us. They quoted the same price as what others are quoting on this site $20 for the guide and $30 for a driver with a van. So I went for it. They asked when we would be arriving, picked us up at the airport then spent two full days with us and the driver took us to the airport on the third day - no additional charges (although I did give a nice tip).
If staying at the Angkor Diamond, I would recommend just having them set you up with a guide and driver for your visit. While we had done a lot of good preparation for the trip, the guide made everything come alive and provided other interesting commentary on the country and general situation.
Our Guide's information - Khoun Vuthy (855) 012-630785 khounvuthy@everyday.com.kh In case you would like to contact directly.
When touring the temples, be prepared for some of the cutest little kids selling all sorts of stuff, bring plenty of small US bills. You really have to purchase some of there items and make certain you engage in some conversation, some of them have learned excellent English. They will surprise you with their knowledge of US State capitals! While sad and sometimes annoying they have to make a living - just be prepared.
The visit to the floating village was amazing. In fact our guide grew up in the floating village and provided many insights. Never seen anything like it, this impacted our family as much or more than anything we did on the entire trip.
Lots of new hotels going up. Glad we went before Angkor gets any busier.
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Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Cambodia
