jaybee1

We are planning a trip to Cambodia later in the year, (November) We hope to have about a week in Siem Reap and a couple of days in Phnom Penh then we would like to spend a week to just relax and enjoy doing a few day trips, maybe a beach would be nice but open to other suggestions. We have spent time in Thailand on the beaches and loved them, are there any similar in Cambodia or would we be best either going to Vietnam or back to Thailand. Just out of interest are there any recommendations for things to do other than the temples in Siem Reap for a couple of days.

Kathie

Other things to do in Siem Reap than temples: www.theplf.org

silverwool

Kampot maybe? I'm not sure if Bokor is open at the moment but this would be a possibility from Kampot. I loved Battangbang - especially the countryside around it.

Near Siem Reap a trip to Lake Tonle Sap. Preferably to one of the outer floating villages. The bird sanctuary at Prek Toal is another possibility. (Best time of year between December and April so November should be fine.)

Do a google search for SkyVenture. I had a great hour flying in a microlight over the Siem Reap area. You can't fly directly over Angkor but close enough to see it. Its best to fly in the early morning for photography. Don't be put of by the size of the plane, I felt quite safe and want to repeat the experience this year.

Frangipani is a great way to spend an hour or so having an upmarket massage experience.

aprillilacs

I loved Kampot and Kep -- spent 5 days there altogether in December 2011. Lots to do, and easy to get there from Phnom Penh. If you're interested, check out my postings on Cambodia from November and December in my trip blog at http://aprilaroundtheworld.blogspot.com .

We stayed at Rikitikitavi and La Java Bleue in Kampot--both were very good (Riki overlooks the river; Java is a block from the river, with a more "in-town" feel). There's another interesting place to stay that we took a walk to one day, called Les Manguiers. It's right along the river about a mile from town, very rustic and relaxing. We also stayed in Kep one night but you can easily travel by tuk-tuk to Kep for the day.

Other things to do include a visit to a Kampot pepper plantation, boat trips up and down the river, cave visits, a day trip to eerie Bokor (yes, it is open--parts of currently under aggressive development by a casino operation, see it now before it completely changes). You could take a day or overnight trip to Rabbit Island or go to Sihanoukville from Kampot for a couple of days, but we had a lot of beach time in the Pacific so we didn't do either.

Like Silverwool says, Battambang was also really nice. We traveled there by boat from Siem Reap (9 hours, tiring but fascinating a true adventure) and stayed for a couple of nights before heading on to PP by bus. If you take the boat to Battambang there's no need to take a separate trip to Tonle Sap while you are in Siem Reap; if you don't go to Battambang, a Tonle Sap trip makes a lot of sense.

flytheworld

I just got back from Siem Reap this morning, and I found a lot of things to do apart from the temples. The town itself has a lot of great markets that are open both during the day and at night, and there are really good boutiques, bars, restaurants, and cafes there as well.

Further afield, you can visit rice plantations and also drive out to see the houses on stilts where the locals make palm sugar.

dogster

Just came back from my seventh trip to Siem Reap. Spent two weeks there this time. What to do in town? Read this:

http://thedogster3.wordpress.com/siem-reap-1/