My husband I will be going to Siem Reap for 4-5 days in early May with kids 12 and 8 years old. Looking for any and all tips that would make our trip more pleasant, meaningful and memorable. We hate having guides along, and MUST have an awesome pool at the hotel. Photography tips, souvenir ideas, and restuarant suggestions welcome.

Thanks,
Barbara
[email protected]

Firstly, get a good guide - there are plenty of posts on this site with recommendations - should cost $25 for driver and $25 for guide. I used Ou Panha and found him to be excellent - [email protected] .To make sure of the best photos of the temples visit at dawn and then go bak to the hotel for breakfast. The usual arrangement is to visit the temples in the morning and then return to the hotel for lunch and back to the temples at around 3.

Make sure to visit some of the outlying, unrestored temples (very Tomb Raider).
Take plent of film/memory cards you will use way more than you think!

For souvenirs try Artisans d' Angkor - it is staffed my orphans and landmine victims. The prices are high compare with elsewher in SR but the quality is amazing.

We stayed at the foreign Correspondents Club which has a small pool so probaly not what you are looking for, but defineitely worth a visit for lundch or dinner.

As far as hotels are concerned, I would recommend staying close to the town we had dinner at the Victoria which was superb and the hotel looked fantastic - this is where i would stay if I returned. (The Pansea also looked nice. IMO avoid the big hotel on the strip out to the temples.

For a cheap fun dinner try the Korean Barbeque near the Pansea Hotel.

Finally, for a change from the temples, take a half day trip to Tonle Sap lake - the kids will love it!

Thanks for the advice.
I'm curious, though, why does everyone insist on a guide? Isn't there enough information in a guide book?

Maybe I'm just not a social person, but anytime we have had a guide with us (Egypt, Burma) we have not been as comfortable if we'd gone on our own and just explored.

Is there really that much of a service that they provide?

I know what you mean. I don't want to be directed and shepherded when visiting somewhere like Angkor - even on a one to one basis. It's a personal thing, but I just want to wander at my own pace. But as you probably know it's not one of those places you can get to on a public bus. You need transport.

So you need a driver. Best is one who can tell you about the sites as you drive along (and so much else) but whose role stops when you get where you want to be. Much more than a driver, but not exactly a guide as perhaps usually understood.

If you find one such you might ask him to take you to the Mines Museum.

We seem to be divided on this board on whether or not to get a guide. I did not. I had done my research ahead of time, took along Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, and reveled in the times we were the only visitors to temples. It's really an individual preference. Clearly lots of people have gone with a guide and loved it, and lots of us have done it without a guide and loved it. As mentioned, you will need a driver.

We are not big on having a guide either, but....our guide was not very good with background, history, interpretation of the temples, etc., in fact he just gave the standard spiel you could hear other guides giving, we did not particularly like him on a personal level, BUT...he was very useful in helping us on a practical level. Lots of things came up during our three days in SR and he was most useful for this. For practical stuff he was worth it. In addition, the temples are spread out over a 20/40 mile area. Most of the drives speak no English. It would be hard to communicate with your driver about where to go, what to do, etc. So, I could use a guide for 1/2 days and then decide if you needed his services further. We stayed at the Raffles so you would think they could/would be the source of practical info..not so. We needed good/NOT Expensive phone service to US...he took us to the phone company office. We wanted to buy some medical over-the-counter stuff we could not find easily...he took us to the right place. We wanted to visit a school (not on the lake), he took us there. In short, for the extra $20 a day, we had an expediter. He even got us into the new Aman before it opened. FYi..it is very small with a tiny pool. There were several kids at the Raffles when we were there. Great pool and an interesting place.
Do a search to see other reactions to the Tonle Sap lake before deciding if your kids will like it. Finally, the heat is more than Egypt or any other place we have been. Bring lots of sunscreen, hats. Our driver gave me an unbrella At first I thought it was silly, but then I was more than grateful. There is no shade in most of the places you will visit.

the pool is the #1 for you with the kids....the sofitel has a great set up...some others may as well...we stayed at angkor village and i do not think it would be good with small kids....

the touring with kids will be somewhat difficult....would you consider a baby-sitter to allow you to go off and sightsee...hotels will arrange this....not sure if there are any kids programs available at any hotel...i would think it would be the bigger hotels that would have that????

Thanks for such good insight. Getting a car is a must, fine, but I think I will trust my instinct and forgo a guide. For the car, is that something I can get from the hotel on arrival or better to pre-book?

The girls are veteran travelers (10 countries on 2004 and this will be #4 and #5 for this year! we are so lucky and spoiled). Having mid day breaks at the pool is essential not only for them, but for me.

Besides lara croft, any good movies or books to prep the kids (and me)?

Will hotels accomodate 4 in a room?

Keep the advice coming. I really appreciate it.

Just a thought - but transport out to and around SR does not have to be done in a car. You can go by cyclo/samlor. A motorbike with a rickshaw trailed behind is the best way I can describe it. Lots of fun with real air blowing in from the open sides. Many cyclo drivers speak good English (and are very young) - they just don't have the capital to buy a car.

Re books: there are many I've put on my reading list since I went. Someone on this board will come up with them. But I did click with "the roads to war" by Christopher J Koch. He did "The Year of living dangerously" and it's a very well written novel.

Happy travels.

Traveling with kids, you will want an air-conditioned car rather than two tuk tuks.

We arranged our driver through the hotel (Angkor VIllage) and he spoke enough English to be helpful.

JUST RETURNED FROM SIEM REAP WITH MY 17 YEAR OLD. DEFINITELY NOT A PLACE FOR KIDS UNLESS THEY ENJOY LOTSOF HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY AND MANY BUILDINGS. FIRST,IT IS EXCRUCIATINGLY HOT WITH NO SHADE AT MOST OF THE WATS AND ANGKORS AND THERE IS A LOT OF HISTORY. WE USED A GUIDE WELL-RECOMMENDED FROM THIS SITE: SAROUN SARON. HE WAS DELIGHTFUL. I"D RECOMMEND A GUIDE FOR THESE REASONS: WE AVOIDED THE CONSTANT AND UNREMMITTING HASSLES OF PEOPLE WANTING TO SHOW US AROUND, DRIVE US AND SO ON. YOU DON"T SAY "NO" ONCE, BUT SEVERAL TIMES OVER WITH A NICE SMILE AND THEN THE NEXT PERSON COMES UP AND SOLICITS AND SO ON. I FOIND THAT EXHAUSTING. SECONDLY, WHEN WE WERE ABOUT DONE, SAROUND WOULD CALL HIS DRIVER AND BY THE TIME WE MET UP WITH HIM, THE CAR WAS ALREADY COOL. THE LAKE, TONLE SP, WAS A FABULOUS EXPERIENCE. REALLY LOVELY, THE MOST HORRIBLE PART WAS THE STRIP OF LAND LEADING TO THE BOATS. THE PEOPLE THERE WERE THE MOST PATHETICALLY POOR THAT WE SAW ANYWHERE. PEOPLE ONTHE LAKE LIVE IN CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE BOATS. SAROUN TOOK US TO AN ECOLOGY CENTER ON A BOAT ON THE LAKE WHERE HE VOLUNTEERS. THAT WASI NTERESTING. TONLE SAP IS A NOT TO BEMISSED EXPERIENCED AND DESPITE WHAT I READ HERE ABOUT HOW HORRIBLY POOR THE LAKE PEOPLE WERE,I DID NOT FIND THAT TO BE SO. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, I2D BEHAPPY TOFORWARD SOME RANDOM PHOTOS TO THAT AFFECT. MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD SAROUN STOP AT VARIOUS VILLAGES (NOTHING MORE THAN A CLUSTER OF LEAN TOS BY THE SIDES OF THE ROAD) TO GIVE CHILDREN PNES, PENCILS, CRAYONS, ETC THAT WE BROUGHT FROM HOME. NO MATTER HOW POOR AND HOW FILTHY--AND SOME WERE REALLY DIRTY, EVERY CHILD WAITED HIS OR HER TURN, WAIED-BOWED-TO US AFTER RECEIVING WHAT WE GAVE THEM,SMILED, DIDN:T YELL, RAISE A VOICE OR BE ANY OTHER WAY EXCEPT POLITE..EVEN THE SMALLEST OF CHILDREN WAIED. WE COULD NOTHELP BUT NOTICE THESE "MANNERS" WHICH WE SAW OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THERE MAY NOT BE MUCH $$$ AND PEOPLELIVE HAND-TO-MOUTH, BUT THE CHILDREN WERE SMILING, COMFORTABLE AND AT EASE WITH THEMSELVES. CAN"T HELP BUT WONDER.........STAYED AT SHINTA MANI. LOVELY HOTEL AND MANY KIDS THERE; JUST NOT OLYMPIC SIZE. THE 2ND FLOOR THAT HAS A LARGE OPEN AREA WHICH MIGH BEPERFECT FOR "DOWN TIME" WHEN YOU ALL DON"T WANT TO BE IN YOUR ROOM, ALTHO THE HEAT IS UNLIKE ANY I"VE EXPERIENCED ANYWHERE AND I"VE BEEN IN HEAT. 100 DEGREES NOW SO,MAY WILL BE THE SAME. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOUHAVE ANY OTHER ????.

ARTISANS DANGKOR IS NOT STAFFED WITH LAND MINE VICTIMS OR ORPHANS DESPITE WHAT YOU READ ABOVE. IT TRAINS (IN ITS 2 SCHOOLS) YOUNG PEOPLE TO LEARN VARIOUS SKILLS(WEAVING, WOOD WORKING, CASTING, PAINTING) FOR 6 MONTHS. SOME STUDENTS LIVE ON THE SITES (THERE ARE 2 AND THE ONE CLOSEST IN TOWN HAS A WIDER VARIETY OF ITEMS WHEREIN THE ONE ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT HAS MOSTLY SILK/WOVEN ITEMS AS THAT IS WHERE THE SILK FARM IS LOCATED). AFTER 6 MONTHS OF TRAINING, THE STUDENTS RETURN TO THEIR VILLAGES AND WORK FROM HOME WITH ARTISANS DANGKOR PROVIDING THE MATERIALS AND INSTRUMENTS THE STUDENTS NEED TO PRODUCE THE CRAFTS THEY"VE BEEN TRAINED TO MAKE. THE BUSINESS BUYS THESE CRAFTS.

ARTISANS DANGKOR IS NOT STAFFED WITH LAND MINE VICTIMS OR ORPHANS DESPITE WHAT YOU READ ABOVE. IT TRAINS (IN ITS 2 SCHOOLS) YOUNG PEOPLE TO LEARN VARIOUS SKILLS(WEAVING, WOOD WORKING, CASTING, PAINTING) FOR 6 MONTHS. SOME STUDENTS LIVE ON THE SITES (THERE ARE 2 AND THE ONE CLOSEST IN TOWN HAS A WIDER VARIETY OF ITEMS WHEREIN THE ONE ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT HAS MOSTLY SILK/WOVEN ITEMS AS THAT IS WHERE THE SILK FARM IS LOCATED). AFTER 6 MONTHS OF TRAINING, THE STUDENTS RETURN TO THEIR VILLAGES AND WORK FROM HOME WITH ARTISANS DANGKOR PROVIDING THE MATERIALS AND INSTRUMENTS THE STUDENTS NEED TO PRODUCE THE CRAFTS THEY"VE BEEN TRAINED TO MAKE. THE BUSINESS BUYS THESE CRAFTS. YES,PRICEY BUT NO OBLIGATION TO BUY AND THE TOURS THROUGH THE STUDIOS AND SILK FARM WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND WORTHWHILE.

Is it possible to take a "class" at Artisans D'Angkor and do some hands on experimenting? Or is it just a tour of what they can do and then a shop selling their work?

classes aren't offered, but we had guides at both locations that spoke english well and were able to answer all of our questions. there is neither a charge for this and nor is tipping expected. in fact, I enjoyed both tours way more than I anticipated as you watch them work from the begining of whatever it is that is being made to the very last stage and then see it in a shop. I bought a beautoful slubbed silk table runner and a tin, very detailed pumpkin "box". the latter was the gem purchase from this trip. The shop os indeed expensive comparted to everythin else in SE Asia, but the quality is tops.

Jan - So glad to read your trip info.
About Artisans - do you pay w/cash? Do they sell silk by the yard/meter?

i think there was some limited yard goods, but mostly it was made up pieces..

I second Jan's suggestion - with children in May the guide will be very useful. Guides in SR are very non intrusive - we got so friendly with ours that we took him and our driver for a drink on our last night and enjoyed some Lao Beer together. In that weather it is pref for someone to show you the best routes, sometimes the shortest paths, etc rather than figure it out yourself. My guide was called Chhor and is reachable on [email protected] - a young 25 year old guy, his own history and insighths added to our experience both times I went. Even if you have traveled extensively before May in Cambodia is very sapping (we are used to India but still found it VERY hot). Definitely go for the balloon ride - it provides an amazing aerial perspective of Angkor Wat, the main temple. Ask your guide to buy you tickets as the capacity is limited and sells out fast. The Pansea pool is nice but I don't think I would call it awesome. The roms are big tho and would definitely fit 4 and I think the hotel should allow it. What kind of room budget were you thinking of? I loved the food at the Shinta Mani Hotel which is a spa hotel - light, healthy preparations perfect for lunch.

the balloons were not available when we were there...how much does a ride cost? thanks

Yes, the hot air balloon is something new. Even featured in Time last year as one of their must do back of the book activities! Is not a great ride as it is just up and down but good perspective - do not think while I was walking through Angkor Wat I realized the scale - and view on a clear day. Cost I think US$10 or 15.