Siem Reap, Cambodia travel tales and tips

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.

M De bruyne	17 March 2004
Stayed at Bopha Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
There are very good restaurants in Siem Reap. The best are TELL restaurant and VICTORIA in hotel; food in hotel Bopha is also very good but plenty off tour buses come to eat here. If you want to drink something in evening; LAUNDRY and ZANZYBAR. Because of very hot weather, best way to visit temples is to hire a motorcycle taxi for around 7 a 10 dollars for the whole day in front of hotel.
I Scobie	12 March 2004
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Angkor Cafe Restaurant at the west gate to Angkor Wat is a fantastic cafe for lunch or dinner. It is really clean & has friendly staff. Another great place to have a coffee around the old market area is Kokoon Cafe. Not only do they sell great coffee but they also sell sandwiches, cakes,pastries & wonderful home-made ice cream. The old market isn't much but is worth a visit to experience the ambience of everyday life. We found it not necessary to organise a tour prior to arriving in Siem Reap as the hotels are more than able to do this for you at a cost of $20 a day for a driver & $20 a day for a english speaking guide. We organised a visa prior to travelling as it is easier & less hassle once you arrive at the airport. It is also worth taking an extra passport photo for your tour pass into Angkor Wat. The US$ is used at all times & it is a good idea to take along small notes. If you are looking for a very good quality artefact we suggest that you visit the Artisans D'Angkor. Once at the hotel grab a copy of the current Angkor Guide available at all hotels. The guide list information about exploring temples & dinning out.It even has a small map of Siem Reap showing where the restaurants, temples & places of interest are located. We had trouble with Exotissimo travel company as once we arrived in Siem Reap we were expected to pay double the amount that was agreed to via email. The staff were rude & we were not off to a good start. Thankfully for us we had a wonderful staff at the Borei Anglor Hotel & Mr Mom arranged a english speaking guide & driver within an hour. Our guides name was Vanna Tan & his contact detail are (855)012866143 we would highly recommend him.
I Hafen	12 March 2004
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
After the adventure trip with the old Antonow planes from Siem Reap to Stung Treng, from there to the Laotian border visiting the Mekong Water falls and heading by car from Stung Treng to Battambang where several Jungle trips were staying on the dailys list, we headed back to Siem Riep enjoying some quiet days at the Passagio Boutique hotel before we bordered to Thailand. Very nice trip for adventure lovers, just ask the Manager of Lolei Travel!!!!!
D Paget	03 March 2004
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The $20 a day air conditioned car, + driver, supplied by the hotel is THE way to visit the temples at Angkor. We found a guide was not necessary. Plan to knock off for a few hours mid-day (and enjoy the pool), as the heat is excessive then (at least in early March, when we were there).
R Del bagno	01 March 2004
Stayed at Bopha Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Siem Reap is a great town but don't spend all your time there. Get out into the villages and see what the county is really like outside the tourist scene. Best restaurant: Khmer Kitchen across from the market. Best bar: the Anchor What? take a boat trip on the lake out to the floating village.
J Dahlheimer	28 February 2004
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Siem Reap is the destination center for the Angkor temples and gets a heavy concentration of visitors. But it's not overcrowded (yet) and it still retains a small town flavor. Except at rush hour when traffic miraculously seems to flow despite the chaotic nature of the driving. Only real negative is that Cambodia uses US dollars as the de facto currency. A consequence is that prices denominated in dollars, especially for restaurants, seem unreasonably high. As one example, every restaurant we tried charged $1 for a can of Coke that is sold on the streets in Cambodian currency for the equivalent of 25 cents. Another example is that the starting point for moto taxi (back of a motorbike) and tuk tuk drivers seems to be either $1, $2 or $3 regardless of distance.
K Chong	28 February 2004
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
We booked a guide through the hotel for $20US, plus another $20 for a car and driver. It's certainly worth the money to get a detailed understanding of the temple complex and its history (and have airconditioned transport in the heat). Subsequent days were spent exploring on our own, armed with a guidebook bought from one of the kids outside Angkor Wat. Dawn Rooney's book seemed to be the best pick.
S Rose,	27 February 2004
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples are magnificent. We hired a taxi for the day for $30 USD between 3 of us - good value. There are some good eating places down by the market. We used tuk tuks at night-$1 dollar for my son and I!
G Mezei	27 February 2004
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
One night we had dinner in a good and relatively expensive restaurant in Siem Riep which has been recomended by the Lonely Planet. As the staff did not speak any foreign languages (!) we selected bad food. On the other nights we had buffet dinner in our hotel which was less expensive and really very good! Only few people speak foreign languages in Siem Riep (except in hotels). Be careful with tuk-tuk drivers! They have the bad habit to take you to other places than you want to go and ask for. Out of this, people are very kind in Cambodia. It is a great place to visit and Angkor is amazing. For 20 USD/day you can hire a taxi with driver who can take you around the sites of Angkor. Use only a taxi of the Cambodian Tourist Association!
A Scott-watson	22 February 2004
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
With 2 kids under the age of 5, one has to avoid temple "burn-out", so the 4 excursions below were nice diversions: 1. The highlight for us was a little boat trip on the Tonle Sap lake along the floating village: about $20 for a boat to ourselves, we left the hotel at 3:30pm and were there well in time for the sunset. There is a little floating bar/crocodile farm that serves cool beers with boiled shrimps...Magic. 2. Another winner for our kids was an elephant ride at the Bayon. 3. A trip to the local silk manufacture (near the Artisans d'Angkor) was also interesting for parents and children alike, and very friendly. 4. We also rented a small boat on the largest reservoir to reach the middle island and its ruined temple. Got a coconut drink there, away from the crowds. Parents: go to Cambodia with children, the local people love kids and it is possible to enjoy the temples, with lots of drinking water and a bit of patience.

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