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 Siem Reap, Cambodia travel tales
Our customers share their travelling experiences in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Read about first hand stories on travel tips and guides, events, entertainment,shopping, food, business and transportation.
Also, you might want to read our
Angkor / Siem Reap city guide,
and Phnom Penh city guide.
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| N Bremner |
16 September 2004 |
Stayed at Mysteres d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The top class hotels in Siem Reap are very overpriced for the region. We visited the Grand Hotel D'Ankor and the Victoria Hotel, and looked at rooms in both, as well as the common areas. Both hotels were almost empty, though it was low season. Whilst very nice, they really did not merit the exorbitant rates being quoted of around $350-400 per room per night. Half that would still have been steep. A Sofitel and a Meridian are also opening soon, which will lead to a real glut of 5 star hotels in the town. If value for money is important, be warned that you will be disappointed with some of the top hotels in Siem Reap.
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| C Vavro |
13 September 2004 |
Stayed at FCC Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We rented motorbikes with a guide for like $10 a day...great way to see the temples. Angkor Wat was the most amazing place I`ve ever been. Bring a big suitcase for tons of cool souvenirs!
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| L Ramirez |
11 September 2004 |
Stayed at Princess Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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TukTuk is a cheap way to get around Cambodia. A travel around the whole town only costs $6. They can take you to the temples also.
Don't miss out on a dinner and cultural show. I forgot the name of the restaurant but it was close to the hotel. They had a buffet which was excellent and the cultural show was fascinating as well.
When shopping, always bargain. Try to bring the price down to half and usually the sellers will sell them to you. I bought an Angkor book for $5 eventhough it was listed for $24. I bought it at the street vendors next to the temple. When I tried buying it inside the hotel, the lowest they would sell me was at $10. It is always cheaper to buy at the market or street vendors.
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| K Woodhall |
08 September 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Definitely try the Khmer Kitchen restaurant in the old market. Authentic Khmer food, great service and even better value!!
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| C Usher-clark |
29 August 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Tourism in Siem Reap is growing exponentially with new large hotels being built in multiple locations. Go now before the town is enveloped! A 3 day pass to the temples was about right. We paid $6 for a tuk tuk at our disposal on the first day and $20 for a guide/$20 for a car on the second. A good guide brings the temples to life and is well worth the extra cost as it stopped us getting "temple syndrome" which so many talk about. See Angkor Wat at sunrise - 5.30a.m. Costs more to get to Banteay Srei as it is farther out hence more petrol. Went to the Kulen restaurant for an Apsara dance show - $12 per person with unlimited food buffet (excl. drinks) and well worth the money. By comparison we costed the Angkor Village/Apsara Theatre show at $22 per person! FCC good for lunch but more expensive - Red Piano does a good Cambodian curry; Khymer Kitchen was amazing and very cheap - worth hunting down that side alley for. The Blue Pumpkin inside the Artisans D'Angkor/Angkor Cafe is exceptional and very good value (cheaper than the other more "local" looking restaurants surrounding it!). Would recommend rainy season - so much quieter with about one sixth the number of tourists and it rained no more than an hour a day about 4pm so didn't distrupt our days at all.
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| W Susanto |
20 August 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Life in Siem Reap was utterly simple...temple trekking in the morning, return to downtown for lunch, swim and take a nap in the hotel, temple trekking again in late afternoon for sunset, dinner in downtown, and finish the day with bar hopping. Repeat this for the next 2 days. In addition to the temple trekking, you can also add a bit of fun by doing the elephant riding ($10 from South Gate of Angkor Thom to Bayon) and Hot-Air Ballooning ($11 for 10mins). All prices in Siem Reap are in US$ and always rounded to the nearest dollar. For Khmer food, Bayon Restaurant was my favourite. For pubbing, try the Deadfish Tower where you can use the internet for free and feed live crocodiles. For evening drinks, go to the Red Piano and Temple Bar. For massage, you can go to Chai ($25 for 90mins). Have fun!
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| A Morrell |
19 August 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The temples are more than impressive, and Angkor is much more than 'just a group of temples'. The variety in design, condition and setting means you should allow 3 days to take it all in comfortably. I was greatly impressed with the jungle that surrounds many of the temples, especially the huge teak trees. Our kids (ages 8 and 9) weren't bored either.
But if you're anything like us, you'll be looking for ways to avoid being caught in amongst the hordes descending from tour buses. With a bit of planning and a willingness to forego some of the 'standard' photo shots, you can end up having quality time at most places with only a few people around you (in low and shoulder season at least). For example, we arrived at Angkor Wat at 7:30am - the big tour groups hit it from 6 - 7am, We had the fantastic experience of having the temple pretty much to ourselves. The light for pictures may not have been as good, but I still got some great shots and what a wonderful experience. Also, don't let tropical downpours put you off. We toured Preah Kahn in the midst of a storm and our kids felt like they were in an Indiana Jones movie!
Lots of food choices. We found the Khmer food at the Borey Sovann great value and very friendly. Everything's in USD so you need plenty of that. The 3 day pass at US40 is good value (kids under 12 are free) but a pity the money primarily goes to an oil company rather than the upkeep of these magnificent structures. But the biggest sting in Siem Reap is the 'passenger service charge' at the airport - an obscene USD 25! A French company operates the airport and is intent on milking it for all they can get. Again, if this was going to the many needy Cambodians I wouldn't mind...
Overall, a great place to visit. Our 4 days there felt about right.
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| M Garcia |
18 August 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Next time we go to Siem Reap/Angkor Wat I would definitely stay in a Cambodian owned hotel. Although we enjoyed our time in Angkor Village (French owned), I would rather have my money directly go to the Cambodian people. I also strongly suggest getting a tour guide to show you around the wats. I recommend ours Ponheary and her brother, Dara, reachable at ponheary@yahoo.com. They also have a guest house or can recommend Cambodian owned hotels.
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| K Stiern |
10 August 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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You have many good and cheaper restaurants in town where you can easily walk to from the hotel. Our favourite restaurant was the "Soup Dragon". There you can peacefully sit upstairs without being harassed by begging children and enjoy a delicious meal at a good price.
I can recommend our motor-cycle driver for the temple tours Mr. NAT who stands in front of the Angkor Village Resort and who speaks a good English.
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| W Goh |
10 August 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We paid for a 3-day pass but were templed-out by the end of the second day. I would recommend visitors to go to the furthest temples on their first day(Bantaey Srei for example) and slowly build their staminas for the grand finale - Angkor Wat. In my opinion, Angkor Wat's the only monument that withstood the test of time and the forces of nature and is the most complete one out of the lot. Having said that, the rest of the temples are also magnificent and well worth a visit.
If you are going to the smaller sites, steer clear of the stalls - the children will start following you until you bow to their requests to buy either t-shirts, postcards or film! Beware of their tactics too - they will first start a friendly conversation, then press a little souvenir or flower in your hands and when you're just about to leave, they will insist that you buy something from them because you have "accepted" their "gifts"! For dining, FCC's a must. The food is inexpensive and very good! The old market is also a good hunting ground for souvenirs and such. Check out Asasax Art Gallery - he is a noted Cambodian artist and his oil on canvas paintings truly exemplify Cambodian life and culture. We've given one of his paintings a home in Singapore!
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