| R Kircher |
19 April 2005 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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We spent two nights in Phnom Penh, arriving on the last day of the Cambodian New Year. The city seemed nearly deserted until we found that everyone was driving up and down the riverfront road, dousing each other with water, as is the new year's tradition. It was a madhouse! The next day was more normal, and we spent the day with a hired car and driver ($30 with our taxi driver from the airport instead of the $45-$65 the hotel quoted us to go through them) seeing the major sights of Phnom Penh.
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| M Langley |
08 April 2002 |
Stayed at Ta Prohm - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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In early April it was HOT, around 40 celsius every day and that made touring the ruins hard work for us temperate climate folks! Not an easy country to visit for me as the effects of war and unrest are so evident and yet the glory of the Khmer culture and the Angkor ruins are spectacular. The poverty of the people amidst a growing number of extremely expensive hotels is also hard to see.
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| B Lebovich |
06 April 2002 |
Stayed at Sofitel Royal Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The people of Siem Reap were very nice and very peaceful. We recommend to visit the temples in the early morning around 7am or 8am
otherwise it will be too hot in this season.
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| M Cook |
24 October 2001 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The Angkor Temples were fasinating!! The infrastructure in Seim Reap is sad. During the rainy season the roads are more mud rivers than roads. Suggest that people should wait a few years to visit to allow the roads and sewers to improve. We saw signs of improvement on one road, but it will take time. Not much else worth seeing in the area except the Angkor Temples. Private guide ($20/day) and private car/driver (also $20/day) worked great. The people are very, very friendly. The food at the hotel was average. We enjoyed the food at a nearby restaurant (Bayon) where we had two big dinners which were less than $10/person.
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| J Earthy |
02 September 2001 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Go before it gets overcrowded. If you are only staying for a few days do get a guide (the hotel can do this for you) and discuss what you want to do. We used a car, at the time of year (end August) the air conditioning was very welcome. Don't expect things to be cheap - you are contributing to the local economy in a very significant way.
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| K Miller |
09 July 2001 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Saw Anghor Wat and Anghor Thom - not to be missed! Also went to the floating Vietnamese Village on the edge of Tonle Sap Lake. We hired a car everywhere we went through the hotel for about 20.00 USD/day. Many different restaraunts to choose from (all types of foods). People extremely friendly, never felt threatened/unsafe. English widely spoken and French too. Don't miss visiting Siem Reap before the onslaught of the tourists overwhelm it (and the prices increase). We went during the rainy season, but it was just overcast and light rain occassionally. Actually this was better because of less tourists and a bit cooler temperatures. We've been to a lot of places and this is one of the best - highly recommended!
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| S Mori |
10 June 2001 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Most easiest way for sightseeing in Angkor area is to book the taxi for 1 day.
It is Apx.USD20/day/car, they can take you any of place you like on time (several area, they may charge additional for distance).
From hotel to Angkor Wat is just 15-20min by car, Almost all spots are within 15min from Angkor Wat.
However, wheather in Cambodia is very hot through the year, and there is no good air conditioned accomodation in order to take rest surrounding the temples.
So that, it is recommneded to go and back in between hotel & temples according to your convenience.
Of course, trip with guide & transportation is available, it is also 1 idea.
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| P Liang |
26 May 2001 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We got around by car. On the first day we arrived at 9 am and negotiated a half day rate of $15, then a full day was $20 and to go out to Kobal Spien we paid $30. The driver stayed with us from 7:30 am to 8 or 9 pm at night. He did not double as a tour guide.
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There are many quaint restaurants in Siem Reap now. We ate at the Blue Pumpkin, Liquid, La Noria. We enjoyed all of our meals.
While one could get away with using only US$, it is worth it to change some USD into Riels. Since the locals do not want US coins, everything is $1 or 2 for $1; but in riels it is cheaper. We changed money at the fruit market. The rate is standard. we only changed $20 for drinks, tip, etc...
It is now the beginning of rainy season. It rained for a few minutes every afternoon. We loved the rain. It was amazing how the mood of the temple changed from bright sun light to rain. The rain really added to the atmosphere. Most of all, the number of tourists there right now was incredibly low. I was last in Siem Reap in Nov 1994 and I was expecting many more tourists. At Angkor Wat we only saw 24 other people in the 3 hours we were there. Many other temples/sites were were the only people. Bantei Serei - we were alone, Roluos group - 5 other people, Ta Som - alone,... If you are more concerned about crowds than the heat; it is good to go either early in the morning or noon. The tour buses are not at the temples at these hours.
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Traveller's Tales: Events in Cambodia
