Angkor Wat
 

We're in BKK for two weeks in November on a return trip. The posts on Angkor Wat have enticed us. Any suggestions on a 3 day excursion, e.g., flight, hotel, transportation, guide would be greatly appreciated.

bangkok air is the way to go---quite expensive for what it is but they are best and have a monopoly...

sofitel is really nice in siem reap as are a number of other places...we stayed at angkor village which is attractive but i found the beds to be uncomfortable and it nearly ruined the trip for me...
all hotels have an equally good location so that is not important...

select your hotel and then have them arrange a car and guide for you, in advance...each is $20 per day= $40...worth their weight in gold....don't do it without both...
there are threads here that reccomend a brother and sister guide and maybe someone will chime in about them...

suggest you ask for an airport pickup as well to simplify things... airport is 5-10 miles out of town as i remember...

there are a number of other hotels and guesthouses just do a search on line

It is really nice to stay at the Raffles hotel. A special experience.

Hi-
The brother and sister guides mentioned by another poster could be the ones my husband and I used last summer.
The sister's name is Ponheary Ly and I found out about her here. She was really wonderful.
You can read about our experience in Cambodia on my website:
http://www.wired2theworld.com
Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

those are the guides

ditto on ponheary ly. we used her in september. highly recommended. also she will pick you up and drop you off at the airport. also, make sure you've got enough cash to pay for the visa, park entrance fees and airport tax when your fly back.
have fun. i guarantee you'll enjoy this trip.

Do not know your budget. Super luxury Amansara is GORGEOUS. The Raffles property, Grand Hotel d'Angkor is beautiful but the rooms are a tad small for my liking. We stayed at Pansea www.pansea.com, good value for money at US$120, huge rooms and bath rooms. I have heard good things about Angkor Village also. If you do not stay at amansara or Grand go to Aman for an exp meal (approx US$50) and to the Grand for a post dinner drink at the piano lounge.We had a GREAT guide who spoke good English and looked after us very well; took care of pick up, driver, etc. Email him on [email protected] and give him my ref. Re flts - Bkk Air def. One suggestion - get someone to book flt for you out of Bkk and pay in baht. Much cheaper.

How do you contact the brother/sister ( Ponheary Ly) guides?

Ponheary's email address is [email protected]. She responds quickly. I stayed in the Sofitel in October and it was convenient and pretty good.

We did the trip to Siem Reap at the beginning of our trip to Thailand. After arrival, following morning headed to REP for 2/nts, staying at the Sofitel Royal Angkor (a beautiful hotel, great property, amazing pool, good food).

Tour included air from BKK/REP/BKK, transfers, hotel w/ bkfst & dinner, guide/driver and a/c car and the cost was about $450 total person. The only extras was the VISA upon arrival $20 and exit fee $20* (*check for your trip as these can change) and tips for our driver & guide. Well worth every penny.

Of course, you can go with a less expensive hotel; whether you do or not, this is certainly worth the few days.

i think this is quite reasonable....i think the airfare is about $250 alone

I also thought the air was $250, but on looking at my ticket stub it was actually less than $200. Might all depend on when you're traveling and who books the tickets. Our tickets were done by our US tour operator, who probably got a discounted or consolidator fare. So check around.

And while we only stayed 2-dy/2-nt, I would make it 3-days, by leaving on the late flight back to BKK - get an early flight to and last or next to last on the return.