| D Narjadin |
04 March 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The temples of Angkor should be high on anyone's list of must-see places. Visiting Angkor Wat or the Bayon will never fail to leave visitors with a sense of awe and grandeur. One cannot help but marvel at the ingenuity and sheer effort of people to build these monuments. And a visit to Banteay Srei is an absolute must as the carvings on this temple is simply gorgeous. I enjoyed my stay and visits to the temple so much that this is one place that I look forward to going again before I die. Go and see for yourselves and like me, you will end up using all the superlatives that you know!
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| M Meardi |
20 February 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Saphir Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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I had an excellent foot massage at Bigfoot massage which is right around the corner. I did that 2 days in a row during the break between temple visiting and it was worth it ($6/hour) because your legs and feet can get very tired with all the uneven walking.
Renting bikes to get around for a morning ir evening is an excellent way to see Siem Reap. Dodging the traffic is good fun. The landmine museum not far from the entrance of the main temples is worth seeing, not the big government museum.
There is a butterfly garden with a sitting area near the old part of town.
We also went to see a shadow puppet show at La Noria hotel, all proceeds go to the childrens group that puts on the puppet show.
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| T Ryan-pefianco |
03 February 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Cambodia is a very expensive holdiay destination. So crowded during the peak season that it is difficult to get many good photos of the temples. If I went back, would prefer to go in the wet season.
Easy to get "templed out". Was worth taking an afternoon away from the temples and visiting Tonle Sap river and the Vietnemese boat people. Great photo opportunity. Don't bother watching the sunset from the 3rd level of Angkor Wat temple like some guide books recommend. There are many better spots.
Recommended restaurants: Foreign Correspendents Club, The Red Piano, Kampuccino Pizza. Went to Artisans d'Angkor. Quite interesting, but items in the shop are way over-priced.
R
When you arrive into Cambodia, you have to have a visa. These can be purchased at the airport before going through immigration. Make sure that they actually put the visa in your passport. My huband paid for his visa but they never put it in his passport. We thought this may be a scam to try and hassle him for money when exiting the country.
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| H Scherrer |
02 February 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are a must, Banteay Srei is pretty but too crowded. Our favourites are Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. In between, a visit at Tonle Sap makes a nice change. For getting around, it's best to use a hotel car (USD 25/day, incl. driver).
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| D Jeu |
01 February 2003 |
Stayed at Rama Hotel Siem Reap - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is pretty much about touring Angkor Wat and the temples. Two to three days pretty much does it. Recommend a visit to Tonle Sap, if only for a "wat" break.
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| P Woodcock |
01 February 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap itself has little to offer but the temples are breathtaking - particularly Angkor Wat itself. Now is the time to visit Cambodia before tourism itself destroys the splendour and beauty of the sites.
We were well looked after by Mittapheap Travels and would certainly recommend the guide we had - Mr.Nov Sophoat. He was enthusiastically passionate about his country and went well beyond his commitment to us as a guide. He had us up at 4:30 to see dawn rise over Angkor Wat and then insisted that we saw the sunset!
A boat trip on lake Tonle is a must although I have to say that some of the the scenes of abject poverty were quite distressing. I never thought it possible to keep pigs and goats on a small houseboat but believe me it is! It was a joy to be able to talk to the children of Cambodia - education is deemed to be of great value here and the children loved to practise their English. Please take some biros with you on your travels as these were greatly appreciated as were the toothbrushes from the hotels!
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| E Loritsch |
30 January 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Restaurant at the hotel was very good. Also enjoyed the show and buffet at the Chao Phra. Very helpful, honest driver made the exploration of the ruins easy and pleasant.
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| B Cutillo |
16 January 2003 |
Stayed at Princess Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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General Tips/Observations:
1. Rent a car w/driver if in your budget. $20-25/day and well worth it. Our driver spoke English well and we found that we did not need to hire a full-time guide at the temples if we read a bit about the best parts to see.
2. Cambodian people are VERY nice and help make the trip worthwhile. Looks a lot like Thailand 30 years ago.
3. Don't buy 'rubies/sapphires' in the Central (Old) Market, unless you just want them for costume jewelry. Most are not 'real'.
4. Bargain in the Old Market - start at around 50% of the asked price - or lower, depending on the item.
5. Get to the temples EARLY - by 7:00 or 7:30 am - Bus crowds start showing up around 9:00 am. Light is better for photos then, also.
6. Tonle Sap lake tour in dry season was disappointing. Channel water very polluted. Don't pay more than $10.00 - even for having a boat to yourself. Not worth more. Some interesting photo opps, though, and a break from temples. One hour is enough.
7. Start Angkor Wat at around 7-7:30 am from the East entrance (back side). Barely anyone there, great light.
8. Keep lots of small change handy (USD/Baht/Riel). Lots of people work for 'tips', helps with small purchases.
9. Better Thai food was at Chiang Mai Restaurant. Forget Khmer Phuket near Old Market-really quite bad.
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| S Haynes |
09 January 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The sites of Angkor are well known to all and none of them disappoint. Try and find some time to visit some of the lesser known treasures and insist on seeing the mine museum.
An evening spent at the FCC will be thoroughly enjoyed. Also take in a Khmer village, the smiling faces of the children will warm your heart.
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| B Adel |
08 January 2003 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is an amazing place! The temples are well worth the visit price. The 3-day ticket gives you the option to visit all of the temples over several days. We visited some in the morning, relaxed and cooled off midday at the hotel and visited more temples in the afternoons. A boat trip on Tonle Sap was also eye-opening.
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Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Siem Reap, Cambodia
