5* and 4* hotels in Siem Reap

Old Feb 27th, 2007, 10:19 PM
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5* and 4* hotels in Siem Reap

Hi,

Can anyone point me to a listing, or give me a listing of few 5 star and 4 star hotels in Siem Reap? I am planning to travel there next week and have not been too lucky in finding that information through searches.

Thanks a lot,
AK
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Old Feb 27th, 2007, 10:24 PM
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Take a look at these to start:

Hotel de la Paix
Sofitel Royal Angkor
La Residence d'Angkor
Le Meridien Angkor

Don't know much about the rest--but Hotel de la Paix is absolutely beautiful...and they put a percentage of their profits back into the community.

Definitely worth a look! Best of luck!
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Old Feb 27th, 2007, 11:30 PM
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Hi,

Also, apart from Bangkok Air how does one fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap?

Are there any other carriers that offer direct flights? or any decent connections?

I think the land options take much longer and involve a transfer at the border?

Any other convenient option apart from Air?

Thanks,
AK
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Old Feb 27th, 2007, 11:41 PM
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Andy,

As you suspected, the over-land route is a terribe option for the length and unreliability involved. I would say (and it's just my opinion) that air is the way to go.

And, yes, Bangkok Air does own the monopoly on the Bangkok to Siem Reap route (and, therefore, their somewhat overpriced fare.) If cost is the problem and you plan on using Bangkok Air for at least 3 legs, you should look into their Discovery Pass which provides much, much cheaper fares (including the route you're looking at.)

There are, of course, ways to connect to SR via other cities but none that wouldn't bring you EXTREMELY out of your way (or save you any significant amount of money.) It's a very short hop from Bangkok to Siem Reap (about an hour flight) so don't think you'd want to connect anyway.

Hope that helps...
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 03:02 AM
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You could fly from Bangkok to Phnom Penh (there's a couple of carriers who do this so pricing is more competitive) in the morning, then take a $10 bus around noon up to Siem Reap. You'd take the whole day in traveling.

I did what another person suggested and got the Bangkok Airways Discovery Pass, and saved a few bucks.

Good sources for 4 and 5 star hotels can be http://www.tripadvisor.com, http://www.canbypublications.com, and http://www.travelfish.org.
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 08:23 AM
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We loved the Victoria Angkor. It's a gorgeous replica of an Indochine colonial with tropical public areas and fabulous infinity pool. On the same park as the Grand Raffles. A more charming, picturesque location than the others mentioned but farther from the downtown market area.

Have a wonderful trip.
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 08:38 AM
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If you really want to burn some cash, there is an Aman resort in Siem Reap ($600+ per night).

www.amanresorts.com
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 09:48 AM
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all the hotels are way overpirced first of all...

two not mentioned: the grand a raffles hotel and
the sofitel, which is very very nice...

both are larger hotels
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 11:06 AM
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You can't get any better than Hotel de la Paix. There was yet another article in the NYTimes about it this weekend.
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 12:19 PM
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Actually, you probably CAN find a better hotel than the Hotel de la Paix. We just returned from SR a month ago (I started a trip report, but got busy editing my pictures, so it's still in the works), and stayed at the HDLP for 5 nights.
The concensus (between my wife and me) was that the hotel was 5-star in form only, but not function. The building and rooms are very modern and interesting. However, there are NO grounds outside the building - basically, walk out the door and you're in...well, TOWN. Noisy, crowded, ugly TOWN! Very convenient to the local restaurant and bar scene at the old market, but about as far from the temple sites as you can get in SR. If you're looking for beautiful surroundings, try the Sofitel, which is also much closer to the temples.
The room (we had a standard room, not a suite)...well, it looked like somebody was trying too hard to impress. For a 5-star hotel, I would at least expect an alarm clock or clock radio (there was only an i-Pod hooked up to a speaker system), and some decent lighting (even with the little spotlights attached by flexible stalks near the headboard, reading in bed was difficult at best).
The bathroom, in an attempt at stylish design, I assume, was barely isolated from the main room. There was a sliding slatted wooden panel that provided some visual separation (or not), but no acoustical separation. I'm probably old fashioned, but I still prefer some privacy in the bathroom, thank you. The large, ceiling-mounted showerhead, while very much in vogue these days, was anemic.
Housekeeping left something to be desired. The typical way to see the temples in SR, as I am led to believe, is to leave early in the day, then return to the hotel mid-day for a shower/swim/lunch/relaxation break, then leave again mid-afternoon for more sightseeing. We followed a similar schedule, but found that the room had not been made up (cleaned, re-supplied with towels, etc.) by the time we returned for our mid-day break. Also, there were no bath-sized soap bars provided. After a couple of days of this, we called housekeeping and requested a different schedule; they were quick to remedy the problem.
Another sign of a top class hotel is that they put their best and brightest on the concierge desk. My experience was that the concierge was not particularly knowledgeable about the quality and directions to several restaurants that I enquired about. I was told to look at the restaurants recommended in the hotel brochure (there were only two, if I recall correctly). This is not meant to say that the staff was not helpful; they were always, in every way, polite and responsive to our requests, clearly eager to please, but were not always knowledgeable, or had to be asked to provide services that should have been expected.
The Meric restaurant was very good. Breakfast and dinners were excellent, although if one wanted a simple lunch or dinner (hamburger, club sandwich, pizza, coffe-shop type meals), there was nothing to be had. The Le Meridien and Sofitel had a wonderful choice of eateries.
I don't mean to give the impression that we didn't enjoy our stay at the HDLP. It's was fine for a 3 or 4 star hotel. But my wife and I agree that, while it was an interesting boutique hotel experience, we'll opt for a different hotel next time.
After reading all the glowing reports about this hotel in this forum, I think it needs to have a reality check.
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 02:01 PM
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We did not stay at the HDLP, but friends did and I agree with Les about the location. Besides being in a noisy, unattractive part of town, there are no grounds.

The Victoria, (exotic colonial replica, understated) and the Raffles (classic, formal) face a large, charming park and are convenient to both "downtown" and the temples.

Of the two the Victoria is way more reasonable - Vietnamese-owned, mostly European clientele, good to excellent service. Around $170 a night during the hight Xmas season for a spacious very Asian room with a pool/garden view. Bathrooms are not huge, but fine.

More about this tonight in my upcoming trip report.

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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 03:13 PM
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Guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Found some of the other hotels mentioned to be out-of-the-way and sort of islands unto themselves. Loved how HDLP is right in the middle of Siem Reap...which is actually a beautiful, bustling small city with an amazing French Colonial flair. Still amazed that the word 'unattractive' is being thrown around for SR...it's a third-world country! Don't know what the expectation is...Disney-fied manicured lawns?
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Old Feb 28th, 2007, 05:34 PM
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Filmwill,

Just a clarication:

We LOVED Siem Reap and did not think it was unattractive, in fact we thought it was charming and clean compared to many other cities of the same size.

Unfortunately it is now challenged by out-of-control development. And at the moment, the corner where HDLP is located seemed unattractive to us.

There is a huge mall under construction directly across the street, with plenty of noise and dust. And I fear that once the mall is completed there will be traffic issues.

Other than that HDLP seemed to be a very cool hotel, and our friends who stayed there loved it. But we prefered to be in a more tranquil location facing "Central Park" - great street life, walking distance to the river and the Old Market, and a little closer to the temples.
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Old Mar 13th, 2007, 05:50 PM
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I am sure you have already traveled but I just returned from Siem Reap and really liked the town.

We stayed at the Anchor Palace Resort & Spa and really liked it. It is resort like with nice grounds and a large pool, nice room. Not right down town but just removed enough to unwind after the heat and hecticness of typical asian touring. $155/night with breakfast.
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Old Mar 13th, 2007, 09:19 PM
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We stayed ay The Royal Angkor Sofitel in a de-luxe room. Absolutely outstanding. Highly recommended.
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Old Mar 14th, 2007, 06:37 AM
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Sure you've been and back, but for others interested in this thread: we stayed at L'Residence d'Angkor, and loved it. Formerly a Pansea hotel, now an Orient Express property, it was wonderful. We wanted a place that wasn't too western and removed in feel/style from the history of the area, but that was still full service enough so that we ignorant Americans travelling in Cambodia with a little kid would feel comfortable. The general manager must be determined to make sure this new addition to OE gets good reviews, because he is very visible, friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is beautifully designed with dark hardwood pavilions seemingly floating on reflecting pools. Rooms are large, with smallish balconies and picturesquely mosquito-netted beds. (We saw about three mosquitos in SR/Angkor, none of them anywhere near our room--felt a bit silly about religiously taking our malarone.) The freeform bathtubs are HUGE -so big I actually was able to swim half a stroke--with adesign made for lounging. The large bathing/vanity/dressing/toilet section can be shut off from the living area of the room by sliding, slatted doors. (The toilet area is further segretated by a nice solid teak door.) The dark-bottomed pool is heavenly, although the glossy ceramic tile on the entry steps might make it more advisable to jump in from the side rather than walk in. The staff were delightful, the restaurant was great, the gift shops beautifully supplied, and the Apsara dancing by young local performers was charming. The room amenities are on minimalist side, but pretty and very comfortable--especially the bed and the well-cushioned daybed/couch. High quality reproduction sculptures by Artisans d'Angkor are featured in every room. No high speed internet in rooms yet, although it is available in the pretty lobby. Also no alarm clocks in the rooms, and we suggested that they ought to supply the rooms with four of their yummy towels per day instead of two. Room service menu is limited, but varied and very good. Management arranged both driver and guide for us, who were reliable, friendly and kind. Spa services are available in your room, although we didn't have time to take advantage of them. All in all, it was exactly what we wanted. Probably a four-star hotel based on amenities available, but five stars in terms of delivering the kind of experience it promised, and we wanted.
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Old Mar 29th, 2007, 04:13 AM
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Hi Andy,
Just got back from Cambodia and SR. I stayed at the Angkor Village Hotel (not the resort) and found it to be very traditionally Cambodian and lovely.
When we arrived we were seated in the open lobby that overlooked a coy pond and we were served cool, minted towels and delicious iced tea. The rooms there are really bungalows and I found my budget room ($89) to be perfect for two very good friends or as a private accomodation. AC was terrific and had a minibar, coffee making facilities, hairdryer and a safe. The property has a nice pool, internet cafe, a couple of nice restaurants and is in a quieter part of town. The deluxe rooms are $149 and they are gorgeous.
Have a great time in SR and take time to visit at least 5-6 of the temples. I went to Ta Prohm twice, once during the heat of the day and once at sunrise. Fabulous! I think I saw Lara Croft there, LOL.
Have a great time, SR is great.
Suz
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