ccc

How much time should we allow for Angkor Wat and Luang Prabang? We're traveling with our 4 children (15,13,12, and 6). We want to spend enough time so that we don't feel rushed, but not so much that the kids get bored. I don't know how many temples I can realistically drag them to, especially since we're also planning on visiting Bagan in Burma on this trip. Is 3 days each enough to get a good flavor? How bad would it be to spend only 2 days in one or the other?

hobbes

My husband saw Siem Reap in 2 days in Feb (it was my 2nd trip). It was a bruising pace starting with the early morning flight in and ending with the evening flight out the next day. IMO 3 days at Angkor Wat sets a reasonable pace which allows u to see most things. In case u really want to spend only 2 days there an option u can consider is taking the kids on day 1 to see the main temple Angkor Wat and then maybe 1 other temple and on day 2 doing the rest yourself and letting them loounge by the pool. I have not seen your itinerary but 2 days is generally tight if it includes flight times in and out. LP is a laid back place so ideally done after Siem Reap. The kids will prob enjoy the town, wandering by foot, maybe renting cycles - go there wiith no agenda and use it as down time.

ccc

tks

Kathie

Three days is considered the minimum to see the so-called major temples at Angkor. I agree with the suggestion to let the kids stay by the pool one day.

Luang Prabang is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. The kids will probably like the boat trip to the Pak Ou caves. There are a number of places you can stay in LP that have nice pools. I wouldn't want to spend fewer than three days in eithr place. You might even want more time in LP to relax.

I don't know how much time total you're spending in SE Asia, but Siem Reap, Luang Prabang and Bagan sound like a heavy schedule. You may want to consider slowing down and having time to enjoy those magical places.

rhkkmk

i wrote you a long reply and it has disappeared!!!

anyways..3 days is a minimum...kids will surely tire so you need to build in lots of stops and rests and free pool time...

ccc

Kathie, In a perfect world I would spend much more time in all of these places. I totally agree that we're doing alot and it would be better to slow down. I traveled extensively in Asia in my younger days and have returned not so frequently since. I love it! Realistically I don't know if I can convince my wife to let me do this trip again with the kids so this is my opportunity to revisit some of my favorite places (Bagan) and see some places I wish I had seen (Angkor and LP). In any event, I'm spending alot of time on airline websites trying to piece together the most efficient travel schedule to minimize time spent in airports.

hobbes

Some advice on flts. Don't book the last flt out of Siem Reap (do not know your routing but if it is to Bkk they have many flts). The temples close by 5:30-6 and it makes sense to go directly from there to the airport. Also if the last flt is delayed yr options are nil - as we realized. In Siem reap DEF do the balloon ride. Yr children will prob enjoy it too - it is a great way to get a sense of the scale of Angkor Wat viewed aerially. We could not manage sunrise but that is supposed to be a great time - on the other hand getting 4 children ready for a sunrise balloon ride might kill half the fun! Buy your tickets on day 1 for your desired time on day 2 - or better still when u break for lunch ask yr driver/guide to go and pick them up for u. I totally agree with u re ideal worlds - as I said earlier my husband saw Siem Reap literally at a run but that was all the leave he had and he still feels it was far better than not having seen it at all. Sure it will all be fine. Enjoy!

orgy7

the minimum is 1 day. but 2 is fine.

fly in the morning get transportation strieght too the temple.. (its' half way between airport and siam reap. walk around for what ever hours ya can handle. go too hotel.. and the next day go again.. if your like some of us you will have seen what ya wanted too see in one day.

Kathie

ccc, I wish you well in seeing all you want to see in SE Asia on this trip. If you loved Bagan, you'll be wowed by Angkor. As you know, there are dozens of temples to visit. I have a couple of recommendations: do go out to see Banteay Srei. It's a jewel. You kids may well enjoy the drive in the countryside, with a glimpse of how the people live. Also, make sure you visit a few of the so-called minor temples, where you may well be the only visitors. My favorite "minor" temple is Ta Som. Make sure you go all the way to the back of the temple to see that entrance.

Preview photos of Angkor and of Luang Prabang: www.marlandc.com

hobbes

Check out the latest Time - it mentions the balloon ride and - far more eloquently than I could have - why it is a must do. It was def a highlight of our trip for us.

Spygirl

CCC-it seems this question pops up regularly, and we have a variance of opinions on the matter. Kathie always says 3 days minimum, she spent a week, Spygirl would have run screaming from there if she had spent more than 3 days!

If you're interested, you can do a search and see more of the same threads on this issue. To recap, I would advise 2 days MAX for Angkor, especially since you're traveling with teen-agers and a young child. -I did it in one day, saw most everything in the main temple/Bayon complex, and some of my friends did 2 days, but ALL of us were glad to get out of Siem Riep and back to Thailand (not necessarily Bangkok, because we prefer Chiang Mai) after 2 days in Angkor.

As I'm sure you know, Angkor is an archaeological site, with variations on the same theme of stone temples, smiling stone faces, friezes from Hindu mythology, apsara temple maidens and the like (I did like the smiling faces-one of my friends took a picture of me where I look as if I'm sticking my finger up the nose of one of the faces-it's one of my best pictures from that trip!)

It IS impressive, yes, BUT, as I've said before, after awhile, all those smiley faces and friezes on the walls begin to look alike and start to blur in the mind-and for me, my breaking point occurred after one day! (btw, certain people on this board simply can't take it if you don't wax rhapsodic over Angkor, and/or refer to it irreverently, but these are people who have difficulty accepting alternative viewpoints-it's either my way or the highway-that sort of thing). The touts around Angkor are, IMO, worse than any I've encountered anywhere in the world.

Now, by contrast, Luang Prabang is a place I CLEARLY did not have enough time to enjoy-I loved it, so I would naturally enough advise spending the bulk of your time here, if for no other reasn than your children will find far more to do in L.P. to keep them engaged and interested(unlike Siem Riep!) L.P. is a lovely, peaceful town filled with a juxtaposition of French colonial/Laotian bldgs. There are some 30 working temples (wats)there, many of which are stunningly gilded and ornate, all of which are interesting-(my favorite-Wat Mai) plus there are the Pak Ou caves - a sort of graveyard for Buddha statues-a place the kids would find interesting- as well as the waterfalls, and there are any number of great little restaurants riverside where you can relax, enjoy the scenery and soak up the vibe. Plus there is a small but good night market in which to pick up souvenirs, which the kids should also like.

So, if you have 3 days max., I would definitely spend it in Luang Prabang-I should think the family would be happier overall with such a decision!

rhkkmk

angkor is an unbelievable place...i do not see how you could possible even whiz by everything in one day but maybe?? it is so hot you have to break it up and not do all day anyways...i am not fond of ruins, but this is really more than ruins...i get bored easily but this held my attention...we did two full days, plus an adjustment day...we saw maybe 1/3 of what there is to visit...we did none of the smaller ones and only did the ones near to siem reap...we did do the artisans schools two locations and did a lovely back roads drive to see more of the "real" siem reap...

i agree that the town is about one star of less...you would not miss anything in my opinion if you did not visit it at all...i'm sure people will disagree however...

if chiang mai is your favorite place then i can understand why you did not like Angkor...they are totally different...

Spygirl

Huh? Who said I was comparing Chiang Mai to Angkor? What I said is that I preferred Chiang Mai to Bangkok, because C.M. is nicer in just about every way than Bangkok! (listen to orgy7-he lives there!)

btw-I thought it amusing that one of the recent posters on tripadvisor.com for the Bangkok Marriott Resort started off by saying "Everybody dislikes Bangkok"- that's certainly consistent with what I've always heard as well! (and the review was favorabe-the Marriott Resort is a very fine place to stay, if you like BKK).

ThinGorjus

I find it highly ironic that the person who screams to have the Elgin Marbles returned to Hellas is the same person who was bored by Angkor Wat after one day.

My mother and I spent 3 days in Angkor Wat, which we found sufficient. However, I don't know how interested your children would be in seeing reliefs like THE CHURNING OF THE SEA OF MILK.

I would sit them down and ask them.

Another activity in Siem Riep is to take a boat ride on Siem Riep River and Tonle Sap Lake. It is extremely interesting, allowing you to have contact with the local people.

Also, you should visit Artisans D' Angkor for a tour of their workshop and showroom. It is very interesting to see children (the same age as your children) being trained as artisans to replace the generation of artists murdered by Pol Pot.

Spygirl

One has to do with doing the morally right thing, the other with personal preferences. Nothing whatsoever to do with each other.

ccc

Spygirl, Other than the Pansea are there any hotels with pools? (Have discovered in our travels with kids that pools are a good thing.) Would prefer to stay in town rather than on the outskirts. Thanks to everybody for their thoughts on LP/Angkor. It's very helpful. I think we've decided - at least temporarily - to do 2 1/2 days in Angkor - getting in in the evening and then spending 2 full days and a few hours on the 3rd morning sightseeing - and 3 in LP. Wish we could do more in both places. In any event, I think planning is half the fun.

laurie_ann

Look at Shinta Mani in SR. I haven't stayed but there have been other recommendations for it here on Fodors. It has a pool. Enjoy planning your trip and take good notes for me so I can plan mine next year!

hobbes

I've stayed at both the Pansea, with a friend and the Shinta Mani, with my husband. While I hugely preferred the Shinta Mani I will make some observations re both. Rooms in the Pansea are really large and quite conducive to putting a folding bed or the like. Bathrooms are also huge and conducive to being shared e.g. there is a wc are which has a door so presumably someone can use that while someone else is brushing their teeth. The pools at both are pretty much the same size, Pansea is prob a bit bigger. I preferred Shinta Mani because I am a fan of well run, boutique properties and loved the minimalism of the hotel. IN terms of food also, Shinta Mani has a "spa cuisine" menu - I would strongly urge u to go there for lunch one day, maybe the day u have left the kids at the pool, because we thought the food was outstanding. But from a childrens prespective the Pansea had a far more extensive breakfast buffet and menu. Both hotels are very well located right in the centre of the city and the kids could walk down to the market area on their own from either. See what kind of prics they are giving u - Pansea has become very exp. IN Feb we paid $115 at Shinta Mani. Pl note u do not need an airport pick up and drop in SR as your driver includes it in the daily rate he charges if u ask for it so do not pay the hotel extra for this. Many people do not know this and drivers do not always volunteer the info. Have u fixed up a driver and guide? While I found the boat ride interesting I did it on my first 4 day trip and did not repeat it on my 2 day trip. Think the temples are far more fascinating. The kids may enjoy it tho - how do u fee about planning a different activity for them and u?

ThinGorjus

Well, of course, darling, one goes to Siem Riep for the temples, not to take a boat ride on Siem Riep River. I wrote that it is an ADDED activity. Are you daft?

Spygirl, sweetie, even the likes of you can come up with a better response than that. I am very disappointed.

rhkkmk

ccc---great choices you have made...pick the SR hotel carefully...i advise against angkor village...not the best for kids and pool is very small...beds are rock hard too...

the sofitel is fabulous if it is in your price range and great in every way for the kids...there are several newish hotels as well...check them out carefully...

spygirl...enjoy chiang mai on your next visit...its far nicer than bkk...