For those of you who had her as a guide for Angkor, what did she charge you per day plus driver? Also, did this include pick-up from Siem Riep airport? I seem to recall reading $20/day for guide and an additional $20/day for a driver.

I've contacted her and she quoted me $55/day for guide and driver plus and extra $10 for Banteay Srey temple. Does this seem reasonable? Don't know if this price increase just reflects inflation or her high demand. Also, anyone have experience staying at the Ankgorholiday Hotel?

Thanks so much!

In February I think we paid $25/day to Ponheary and $20/day for the driver plus $10 extra for Banteay Srey. Not sure why the price would increase unless its the cost of gas.

In late 2005, she charged $45 per day for a guide and driver with a $10 additional charge for BS. Gas prices were significantly lower. She's a super guide and a wonderful person. Well worth the $55 per day.

She arranged for us to stay at the Prince D'Angkor. We liked this hotel and loved the salt water pool.

Remember to bring US dollars to pay her for her services as well as the hotel.

I paid the same. $20 for the driver, $25 for her as the guide and $10 more for that one temple Banteay Srey which is about an hour out of town. The pickup at the airport is included on the first day.

Yes I would suspect that her fees run about $5 more than some others.

But she is good, smart and considerate too. The drivers are good. While one may take a driver for granted, you will see that it takes some talent to make your ride comfortable when the roads are bad or the traffic is horrible and dangerous. At the end of my week, not only did I tip Ponheary, but I also tipped each driver that we used.

She is pretty well-booked and for good reason too. Her brother Dara is also very good and quite popular, from what I have read.

If you spend well over $1000 per person in airfare to travel to Siem Reap to see some of the worlds most beautiful temples in one of the worlds most exotic locations, I hope that $5 or $10 one way or the other would not sway you from using this most highly recommended tour guide.

If she is available, book her, relax and know that you will be well taken care of and that you will have a once in a lifetime wonderful adventure. She is a professional. She is worth what she is asking for and more.

I did not stay at Ankgorholiday Hotel but I read on this site where other have and enjoyed it.

We just finished a two day tour with Ponheary and cannot recommend her enough. I could not imagine touring the temples or gaining insight into Cambodian life without her! She's worth every penny and then some.

We paid $55 per day. This included Ponheary's services, a great van and driver, airport transfers and a trip to the Banteay Srey temple and other temples far outside of Siem Reap.

We stayed at the Prince D'Angkor Hotel (booked through Ponheary) and thought it was an excellent hotel.

Please don't think twice about using Ponheary.

Alanna

We paid $55 per day a month ago and this was because we were four adults and so needed a larger vehicle than normal. I have no idea whether other guides do this but Dara had built into the day a return to our hotel (Shinta Mani) at lunchtime so we could rest and swim. It was absolutely essential and I hadn't realised in advance how much I would appreciate this!

Our family of four used Dara Ly, Ponheary's brother, as our guide over Christmas weekend of 2005 and paid $55 a day for his and his driver's services. On the day that we went to Banteay Srei temple, we paid an extra $10 to cover gasoline for the 1-hour each way to get there and back. We have also come to know Ponheary and Dara and their family even better since then when our older daughter returned to SR to volunteer teach and stayed at their guesthouse in April. Our experience with Dara and his excellent driver, Rithy, was outstanding! Both Dara and Ponheary have been temple tour guides for well over 10 years now and are totally professional at what they do...and when you are with either one of them, not only will they give you a thorough education on the particular temples that you are touring, but also an understanding of Cambodian history, culture, and the people. We felt like we were in a seminar with Dara. He and Ponheary always know the best times to visit the particular temples (and when to avoid them when they are the most crowded) as well as the best places to take photos and are great resources to all things that are in Siem Reap. There are many postings regarding Ponheary and her excellent tour guiding as well as information about the Ponheary Ly Foundation, www.theplf.org, which provides a way for tourists to give back to the Cambodian people through donations to the school children, which you can refer to, if you are interested. Have a great trip and please tell Ponheary that Terry and her family say hi!

We toured with Ponheary's brother Dara and his driver Mr. Hong last week. The charge was $45 per day for both plus $10 for Banteay Srey. Well worth the cost! Dara and Mr. Hong are both wonderful and I highly recommend them. Dara has been a guide since 1995 and has a wealth of knowledge. You can request him through Ponheary's e-mail address.

We also stayed at the Angkor Holiday Hotel. It's not a five-star luxury resort, but it was fine, especially at the current half off rates. It's brand new, so everything is real clean and the beds are sufficiently comfortable (a tad hard, but I liked them that way). The staff is very friendly and the pool is refreshing. It's not far from the center of town and the driver will stick around and take you to dinner if you want. We sometimes took a tuk-tuk back. I think they only charged a dollar, but we gave them $2 and they were thrilled! The only downside of the hotel is that the breakfast buffet isn't so great. It gets really crowded between 7 and 8 AM and after that, they don't seem to replenish anything or keep the food warm. Stick with the made to order eggs and you'll be okay.

We have just returned from Siem Reap after spending 3 days touring the temples with Ponheary & her driver, Mr Hong. We (four adults) paid $55 a day for her services & on top we tipped both her & the driver. It was worth every penny. Ponheary is a wonderful person & it is impossible not to be moved by her story & the things she is doing for all those those children. We had her take us to one of the schools & it is just wonderful to see the results of her efforts.

We went to Siem Reap after spending two weeks in Vietnam & for all of us it was the highlight of our trip. Seeing these amazing temples with a guide such as Ponheary is an experience you will never forget.

As some of the other writers have said, she knows when to go to avoid the crowds, takes you back to your hotel for a midday break & is extremely knowledgeable about the temples.

I am amazed that some travellers quibble over a few extra dollars that it may cost them.

Do go to Siem Reap & see the temples with Ponheary or another suitable guide & be generous because the few extra dollars it may cost you is really a very small part of the overall cost of your trip.