Hotels in Siem Reap

Angkor archeological Park is a surprisingly fulfilling experience that deserves to be done at least once in a lifetime! You will see like in a movie the history of almost all the indo-asian people in the stone bassreliefs, in the temple statues and in the temples themselves. You will feel overwhelmed by the flow of history, the legends, the tales of gods, the tales of buddha's life, and when you'll finally enjoy the sunset in one of the most magical, suggestive place of eartth, you will feel like you've made an incredible travel through time and space. Other points of interest are Angkor Artisan Centre and Angkor Silk Artisan production, where local economy can be helped, as all the money spent there is given directly to those who work there. Mount Koulen National Park is another must-visit site, though the taxi rental - the only way to reach the park, if you don't know the way to get there or you can't face the rough condition of the road to ride there with bike/motorbike- may be a bit too expensive. Having a bath in the waterfall of the one-thousand-lingam-water is another enjoyable experience that worths the expense. Cultural Village is another lovely place to spend time in fresh shadow and fix the main historical passage of Cambodia ancient/recent history. Night Market is also a must-see place, with its spices, teas, cambodian coffee, and lot of other local exotic items that will make you feel like Marco Polo at his first travel in Far East...

The temples of Angkor Wat are one of the greatest sights in the world, best to visit for the sunrise (4.30 am alarm unfortunately) and then from 3pm onwards, partly to avoid the heat and also to avoid the crowds. If you would like a guide, suggest organising it in advance through your hotel rather than picking up a tout on site. We did sunrise at Angkor Wat and then wandered around the palace, and then later visited the other temples in the afternoon with some of best moments in the last hour when we largely had the place to ourselves. If you love exploring markets and haggling, then the Old Market and Night Market and where to head. There are plenty of places around Pub Street to stop for refreshment. Cafe Central overlooking the Old Market serves good food and coffee. In the evenings we went to a number of different restaurants, if you want Western Food then would recommend FCC or Burger Gourmand, if you want traditional Khmer food then Sugar Palm is a must and then for a Khmer fusion / fine dining experience Chanrey Tree was the highlight of our time there. Finally, on the recommendation of friends, we went to see Phare, a circus performance from a community arts group that supports and educates young Cambodians. They change the show regularly, but it essentially traditional circus acts but with no animals involved! It was incredible, we bought our tickets in advance and paid extra for the front seats and we were not disappointed. If however you don't want to pay the price, suggest getting there early to ensure you get a good viewing point that is unobstructed.

Our tuk tuk driver was great. He took us to all of the main sights and waited for us while we toured. Tip - start out as early as possible. It is very hot. Locations open as early as 05:30 am!!! We had the same driver for two days in a row. We highly recommend the village on stilts that is located further from the city. Our tuk tuk for the first day was $15. We visited the temples on this day. And for the second day(village on stilts- the further one) we paid $18 dollars. Please note, the river boat excursion was $25 dollars per person. We were 3 persons and had our own boat. There is an extra expense when you get to the end of the river. They bring you to a "shack on the water" where you are then relocated to a smaller boat where a person paddles you through the mangroves. This will cost you another $5 dollars per person. Plus, the paddlers are very forward about expecting a tip from you at the end of the mangrove tour. The smaller boats only hold 2 persons plus the paddler. Despite this unexpected cost, it was a great experience. On the way back to the city, we asked the driver to stop at a big market, which he happily did. We left around 8:30am and to back to the hotel around 14:00. Unfortunately, we did not find the big center market in time. We only saw it as we were brought back to the bus to take us to our next destination.

I really enjoyed visiting the temples. It was hard to contemplate the incredible vastness of each visit but I can say I was pretty blown away!! After the first short temple tours you really have to give yourself a day or two to recover. There is a lot to take in, appreciate and marvel over!! Getting around in Siem reap is very easy. A short ride into town and old market place on a Tuk Tuk is cheap and alot of fun. Our hotel in Salakamreuk provided free bicycles for a few hours or $1 for the day. They were pretty flexible on that too. The old lane-ways tucked away in the main part of town and the infamous "Pub Street" with its old world architectural styles (Svay Dangkum Commune) provides a bit of ambience for late afternoon snacks and stroll. Pub Street itself is a must see "one time experience" if not too tired after long day tours at the temple. Its loud vibrant and abit over the top feel at times but (All) in good fun and the food stalls along the street is pretty good for its price!! Try the fruit juices. They are definitely value for money!! My favourite place to eat for breakfast lunch and Dinner is the "Khmer Grill" on the Watdamnak Village over the other side of town opposite Siem Reap Art Centre. Its a small cafe grill with friendly staff and simple Khmer dishes. The excellent grills include little frogs which I will try next time! Price is reasonable and coffee good!

After having a big bunch of mixed reviews about SIem Reap I wasn't expecting much of this trip. In the end it was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every bit of it and I wish it was longer. The landscape and the temples are worth exploring more than just once or twice. Some are extremely crowded and the main attraction for thousands of tourists every day but a bit of research and asking the right questions will take you to the less known ones that are as impressive as the advertised ones (sometimes even more impressive). The city is fairly small and full of people trying to make a living by selling everything that can attract a tourist. One have to be careful not being tricked with various exchange rates and currencies accepted. The American dollar is accepted pretty much everywhere and there's not much reason to exchange it unless you have to pay fees in local currency. Haggling is the norm everywhere and be prepared to do it if you don't wanna pay twice or three times the price. Night market has a local charm and I wish it would have stayed open longer than 23.00. And for an active night life you have the Pub Street with dozens of joints serving all kinds of foods and drinks (local and western) from cheap (0.50$ a beer) to pricey ones. Overall it's a place were you can spend more than the average 3 days to a week one gives to see a historical site.

What a welcoming, clean, lively little city. The markets are such fun, and the food is cheap and delicious. Our favourite meals were grilled fresh meat and veg cooked on the BBQ, and eaten sitting outside on plastic chairs and tables as the sun set over the bustling streets, with dishes costing only a couple o f dollars. Everything lights up at night, the streets are a chaos of motorbikes and tuk tuks, and the people are warm and friendly. I loved the Old Market, the Angkor National Museum, and the pagodas. We also enjoyed getting massages and manicures, and swimming in the hotel pool. The temples have to be seen to be believed - definitely get a 3 day pass, 1 day just isn't enough. We would also have loved to have seen the circus and gone on the Flight of the Gibbon zipline if there had been time. It's worth booking a day tour or bike adventure out of the city to see some of the beautiful surrounding countryside, like the floating villages, the jungles and waterfalls, the flooded forest and Tonle Sap lake. The history is so interesting, and your tourism dollars will help support a people and economy still fighting to recover from the recent atrocities. I can't wait to explore more of Cambodia.