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-   -   Excellent Guide - Siem Reap (https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/excellent-guide-siem-reap-496257/)

crellston Jan 18th, 2005 12:02 AM

Excellent Guide - Siem Reap
 
Have just returned from a trip to Cambodia. In Siem Reap we employed used Ou Panha. we found him to be absolutely excellent! He was efficient, spoke good English and had a comprehensive knowledge of Angkor. He was adept at choosing the right times to vist the various temples to avoid the crowd. I am a keen photographer and he used his experience of guiding other photographers to lead me to the right spots at the right times for some excellent photographs - something that would have been dificult to achieve for anyone without his experience. He also took us to some of the outlying temples and to Tonle Sap lake. I have used guides extensively all over SE Asia and Ou Panha is certainly one of the best I have encountered. He comes highly recommended.

joh Jan 18th, 2005 02:55 PM

how did you hire him? For how many days? and how much does he charge?
Do you have any accomodations suggestions? Thanks for the info.

rhkkmk Jan 18th, 2005 05:42 PM

i'm glad to read this as just last week there was a very stiff complaint about him....i had excellent results with him so am pleased that you did as well...

crellston Jan 19th, 2005 12:56 AM

Joh
I hired him by email [email protected] - he charges $25 per day for guide + $25 per day for driver. For the outlying temples the driver charge rises to $37. I hired him for 4 days - 2 days for the main temples, 1 day outlying temples. on the 4th day we visited Tonle Sap in the morning and and just had the driver for the afternoon for transport around the town. This itinerary gave us plenty of time to see the temples without rushing and a typical day would start at 08.30 back to town for luch at midday and out again from 14.30 to 18.00. I would recommend Angkor Wat at dawn - start 05.30!
We stayed at the Foreign Correspondents Club (www.fcccambodia.com) $90 pn. Very nice place, quite unlike a traditional hotel, very trendy, colonial minamalist with rooms similar to the Amansara along the street at $750 pn! We also visited Raffles Grand D'Angkor and the Victoria Hotel for dinner - relly liked the Victoria and would probably stay there if we returned, less impressed with Raffles. We were going to try the Shinta Mani for dinner but didn't because the restaurant was completely empty at the time.

jcontreras Jan 21st, 2005 09:39 AM

Hi, how do you contact Ou Panha, do you know if he check his emails often? I sent an email quite ago looking for hire him, but no response so far..
thnks

TracyB Jan 26th, 2005 02:25 PM

Crellston, I just read your post about the FCC and then checked out their website..It does look really nice..Is it in a good location? The price for November is $120.00 per night..i will search around to see if there is a better price..
Would you recommend this hotel in this price range or is there something better?.Thanks.

crellston Jan 27th, 2005 03:44 AM

TracyB - see my reply to "Shinta Mani or FCC" - I paid $90 per night booked direct with the hotel.

TracyB Jan 27th, 2005 08:44 AM

Thanks, crellston i just checked the post out..I am putting the FCC on my list as a possible accomodation as I continue to research our trip for later this year...

BillT Jul 1st, 2005 04:20 AM

Crellston:
My hat is off to you!!! getting up at dawn on your vacation- you are a better man than me.

orgy7 Sep 15th, 2005 05:46 AM

oops I forgot too tag this one.

ADAM/patric/willium PLEASE tell us how great panha is once more... don't forget the links and good lucks..
------------
lol it would be funny If I were wrong on this..

laurieco Sep 15th, 2005 01:02 PM

If I read

"I'm so sorry to hear such a strange word from member Orgy7.I just want to show the experience of my holiday in Cambodia in this Forum.Why you said this.I really wish not to hear this from you again !!!"

one more time, I think I'm gonna puke.


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