Hi everyone! I am looking into booking a place to stay in the Angkor area Regarding hotel location: Is is preferable to stay in the Old Market area of town or are there other areas that are preferable?

Any suggestions from people who have travelled there recently would be welcome. Looking more for the guesthouse experience.

THx

The guide Ponheary whose details you can search on this site runs a guest house. I do not know it personally. My guide - Chhor Elit - [email protected] - also knows of a guest house. Among boutique hotels Shinta Mani and FCC are good.

In general, you'll be best off to stay in town rather than on the road to the airport. In town you can walk to restaurants, etc. There are many, many guest houses and hotels. Recommendations would depend on your budget.

We were in Siem Reap last month - stayed at the FCC Cambodia. Each room opens to the outside; it isn't the usual hotel w/elevators, but it isn't a guesthouse. Tuk-tuks waited on the street outside - easy to go anywhere.
There were lots of hotels on the main road into town and many under construction.

Thanks for the replies. In terms of cost, Probably the $50-100 range would suit us best. Depending on what you would get for it. Right now looking at La Noria or Borann (both have pools), Red Piano...and am absolutly open to suggestions. Definately want something in town where we can walk to dinner. Shinta Manti and FCC are a bit out of range from what I have researched. Will look into ponheary guesthouse? Also, do we absolutly have to book a guide in advance or could we find someone once we get there?

You can easily get a guide once you get there. I know there are lots of people who feel they must have a particular guide so book in advance. But I never book drivers or guides in advance and have always done just fine.

Borann is really nice. I highly recommend it. I stayed there a year and a half ago. As you may know, it's a sister property of La Noria. Borann is newer, nicer, and has more spacious rooms. The garden is beautiful and lush and the pool is wonderful. It's a very small cozy place. Try to get a room on the second floor so you'll have the nicest view of the garden.

I like the fact that Borann and La Noria are close enough to the center of town to walk, yet far enough away to be very peaceful. There are some nice local restaurants around too. Red Piano is in the very center of the touristy area and would be noisy.

Borann does sound nice and we are leaning toward it. And from Mealea's post it sounds like it is in a nice area and walking distance to town...so that *might* seal the deal.

I'm still open to other ideas tho'

If you are interested in a basic guesthouse, the one mentioned by Hobbes is called Marina Villa Guesthouse, max $20 US per night. Since my son is allergic to chlorine, I usually don't seek out a pool. As mentioned, it is owned by the family of the guide Ponheary.

I have heard good reports about the Red Piano Guesthouse in Siem Reap, and which has recently moved to a new location, and appears top be well set up. It's website (google for it) is ecellent and has great pictures of all the available rooms. It is about $25 a night, and looks spotlessly clean.