vikinggirl18

Hi,
I've been looking thru lots of old posts, but I still need help with a hotel. I'm planning to be in Siem Reap 19-22Feb 2009. I'm a female traveling alone; I would really like a pool and to keep it USD100 or less a night. I've looked up some hotels already mentioned but I'm clueless about the locations. Where is a good, safe area? Has anyone stayed at Majestic Angkor Hotel? Their prices seem pretty reasonable. I know there are big chain hotles in Siem Reap, but I can't justify the prices when so little of the money goes back to the population. I looked up Hotel Be Angkor on line, it looks nice but a little funky for my taste.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Vikinggirl18

silverwool

I've found the tourist areas of Siem Reap perfectly safe. I'm a male so I get the odd indecent proposition from tuk tuk drivers and working girls but nothing to worry about. I've stayed at the Day Inn near the FCC which is reasonably priced ($76US) and has a nice pool.

However the last two times I've stayed at the Ancient Angkor Guest House behind the Artisans d'Angkor workshop which is only $15 per night and also has a pool. It can probably be described as up market backpacker but is clean, has air conditioning and ensuite.

Where ever you stay there is a strong possibility that the money will benefit the people. Various people on this board have favorite charities that they support and this is a good way to ensure that your dollar does some good. If you are there on the right night attend a Beatocello presentation at the children's hospital. Well worth a donation afterwards in my opinion.

Enjoy Siem Reap, I've been three times (my daughter works there) and love it and Cambodia in general.

offwego

For a nice mid range hotel with a good location I like the Bopha Angkor. Nice clean cool rooms, lovely saltwater pool, great restaurant, easy walk across the river to the action on pub street. Around $50-60 a night.

I'm a big fan of saltwater pools, finding most of the other ones too heavily chlorinated in Siem Reap.

Pretty much everywhere is safe, but many locations require a tuk tuk to get anywhere...it's nice to be close to stuff but not right in the middle of it (noisy)

There's a good city map at canbypublications.com to help you get your bearings about locations.

rhkkmk

offwego lives in SR even though she is american so you can trust her info 100%...

WillJame

We are booking a tour with Ponheary in February and asked her recommendation for a hotel. She wrote back:
<<For the Hotel I recommand the Angkor Holiday Hotel which belong to cambodian.It's nice and clean and cheap ( the contract rate I have )- 50 USD per night included breakfast, Vat and service charge.Look in this web : www.angkorholidayhotel.com
The normal pice is 100 USD. It's in the main street in the town.>>
Anyone have any experience with the Angkor Holiday Hotel?

offwego

I've never actually stayed there, but have been in the rooms, had breakfast there and swam.

Angkor Holiday is a larger hotel and they have a pretty decent breakfast buffet. Not as much charm as the Bopha, but maybe more comfortable, maybe more updated, with bigger rooms. Bigger pool, but not saltwater if that matters. Good location, close to everything.

Ponheary likes to recommend Angkor Holiday because it's one of precious few hotels that is owned and operated by Cambodians (an oddity), they pay decent wages to their staff (another oddity) and they give back to the community in a very quiet and unpublicized way (a big oddity)

Because of their relationship with the PLF (they donate LOTS of stuff to us) and their appreciation for the work Ponheary does, they give her crazy good rates, so getting rooms there through her is a great way to save some coin AND spread your dollars around in "the right way".

jcasale

I concur with offwego's recommendation for the Bopha Angkor. The price was incredibly reasonable and it is charming. The only thing we would change in it would be to have better lighting for reading in the rooms, but since most of our down time was during the middle of the day (Ponheary tends to take a break in the middle of day because it is o hot and tour later into the evening) we did most of our reading out by the lovely pool. And the Bopha Angkor is within walking distance of the old part of town - the market and the restaurants. It will definitely be less than USD100 per night. I think we paid USD55 for a very nice room.

WillJame

Very helpful comparison of the Bopha Angkor and Angkor Holiday that confirm the gist of the Tripadvisor reviews. While both have their pluses, they say that the Angkor Holiday rooms are a bit sterile and that tour groups sometimes overrun the place.
A saltwater pool is a bonus. Does anyone know if they use bromine in swimming pools in Asia? My wife had an allergic reaction to it this summer--not uncommon apparently.

vikinggirl18

Thnks for all the input. I've sent an email to the Bopha Angkor, so hopefully there will be a room available.
Cheers,
Vikinggirl18

offwego

Have you asked Ponheary if she gets discounts at Bopha? I think she does.

Scotters

You can get slightly better rates than the hotel offers by going through discounter Asia Rooms.

WillJame

Offwego, in response to my inquiry Ponheary writes: "I cannot get any discount from Bopha Angkor even the travel agencies cannot get th the big different.So you can book it by yourself easier than I book for you."

vikinggirl18

I was able to book a room at Bopha Angkor for USD50 a night including taxes and breakfast. I know I can get a guest house for less, but as I get older I require more creature comforts.
Cheers,
Vikinggirl18

WillJame

Scotters, you're right that <<You can get slightly better rates than the hotel offers by going through discounter Asia Rooms.>> But the difference amounts, in our case, to only $3 per night ($72 instead of $75 for a Deluxe Garden room).
The real kicker is that Asiarooms takes the money from your credit card immediately on confirmation of the booking, whereas Bopha Angkor does not. And the cancellation policy of Asiarooms is much stricter--you have to cancel 7 days in advance to get a refund, and they still nick you then $20 for administration. Bopha Angkor does not charge at all if you cancel 24 hours or more before arrival.
Even with excellent cancellation insurance, I'd prefer to pay a few bucks extra in February than have the full amount on my credit card in October.
Incidentally, I think Ponheary's comments apply here: Bopha Angkor does not offer terrific discounts to booking agencies.

offwego

Will that's true about the Bopha, the discounts not being necessarily worth itto book through AsiaRooms..but I have booked other hotels through them and saved a bundle. For future reference anyone reading this thread, it's always worth a look at their rates before booking.

Vikinggirl I hope you enjoy your trip!

sleunghk

Hi. Could anyone urgently tell me the email address of Ponheary? I have sent her two emails at [email protected] but nothing heard from her. Thanks in advance!

WillJame

It's now [email protected]

offwego

Not quite right.

It's

[email protected]

WillJame

You're right, Offwego. My error.