My wife and I will be spending 8 nights in Cambodia in August.
We are thinking of an itinerary such as this:
Fly from Ho Chi Min city to Siem Reap, and stay there for 3 nights, which gives us 2 full days to explore the Angkor temples etc.
Travel to Sihanoukville, via Phnom Penh, and stay 3 nights. This gives us 2 full days to relax on the beach.
Travel back to Phnom Penh, stay for 2 nights, giving us 1 full day plus part of our last day to explore the area.
Accommodation wise, in Siem Reap we have decided on the Angkor Village resort or hotel, don't know which is best, and in Sihanoukville we will stay at the Sokha Beach Hotel, which looks good.
Some questions we have:
- Is this a realistic itinerary?
- Which is the better hotel, Angkor Village hotel, or Resort?
- Is it necessary to have a guide for the temples, or is local transport readily available to do our own thing?
- What is the best way to travel to Phnom Penh, on our way to Sihanoukville. We were thinking of experiencing the boat trip, but that might not leave enough time to bus down to Sihanoukville in the same day, which means loosing one night in Sihanoukville. Something we don't want, so would it be better to fly to Phnom Penh, or can we boat and bus on the same day?
- Do we have to book a seat on the bus to Sihanoukville in advance, or can we just buy a ticket on the day of travel?
- Any recommendations of 4 star+ hotels in Phnom Penh?
- Is booking these things over the internet reliable, or is it recommended to have a local travel agent? We have traveled in many other countries using internet bookings with out any problems, but not sure about Cambodia.
Thanks for your assistance in advance.
Advice needed on Cambodia
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The plan might be a bit rushed, but can probably work okay.
Did you know you can now fly from SR to Sihanoukville?
A guide is very useful if this is your first trip to Angkor. In any case, you will need a car or tuk-tuk to take you to the monuments. You can negotiate this right outside your hotel. They charge daily rates. You can't 'flag down' a taxi at the monuments.
I've never taken it, but I've heard the boat trip all the way to Phnom Penh is not very special, and some have had doubts about the boats. Do take a trip to the floating village near SR, though.
There have been lots of posts about hotels in PP. The Amanjaya is my favorite, but there's also the Raffles and near the Amanjaya many like the Bouganville. Booking these on the internet is generally reliable. I've done all my trips through Agoda and have never had a problem with Cambodia.
I think your schedule is too rushed. It takes a full three days just to see the major temples at Angkor. There are dozens of accessible temples, and you'll want more time if you are really interested in the temples. Whether or not to hire a guide is up to you. If you've done a lot of reading on your own, you'll probably be fine without a guide. But, as Michael says, you'll need a car a driver for each day you visit the temples. They are quite spread out. Consider limiting your destinations in Cambodia to two or adding at least one full day to Siem Reap.
Ther are many recommendations for hotels in SIem Reap, the two you name are far from your only options. Do a search here and you'll find reviews of hotels in all price ranges. Yes, you can book reliably over the internet.
I stayed at Angkor Village Hotel 7 years ago and loved it; but it has been a long time since then so you need to do more checking.
i stayed at angkor village and i would not suggest it...it is very attractive, but the beds are uncomfortable, imo, and the food was only so so...
i think you would be happier with one more day in siem reap....a guide and driver are essentail imo....especially with your limited time....its very hot there and the car is a great escape between temples...
If you take the early flight from HCM you will be in SR just after lunch. That will give you a portion of the afternoon and the next 2 days for visiting temples and perhaps a boat trip to one of the floating villages.
PMT Air flies to Sihanoukville but only on m/w/f and late afternoon. Reports are that this airline is not that reliable and uses old planes. Also the airport at Sih is not very close to the town/beach and a taxi is charging $20.
Better option is to take the Mekong Express bus early morning (7.30 or 8.30) and connect with their bus to Sih at 2.30. Before the roads improved between SR/PP the boat was the only way to travel other than flying and was expensive at $20-25. Most people now use the bus which is much cheaper and takes the same time.