My husband and I will be flying into Siem Reap late at night on Oct. 23 and meeting a tour group in Bangkok to tour Bhutan on Oct. 28. But I need to do this front part of the trip on my own. I would love some advice on where to stay in Siem Reap (something between $10/night backpacker places and the $350/resorts - something clean, with AC, comfortable, quiet, safe, nice but not extravagant.
I also need some recommendations for guides or packages to tour the temples. We do like history and culture, but have not decided yet if we will spend all those days there or 1 or 2 in Bangkok - suggestions are welcome. We will be in the Novotel Airport hotel on Oct. 28 as part of the Bhutan tour. Should we stay there on the 27th and go into the city for tours in Bangkok? How easy is that? Or look for a hotel in the tourist area? We will not be shopping, but would want to see temples. We are over 60 and do need a certain level of comfort at this point in life. Health advice also useful - should we take malaria meds for a few days in Siem Reap at the end of the rainy season? We have never been to Asia (other than China).
Thanks so much for any advice you have.

The Novotel at the airport is grossly overpriced. For that price elsewhere in Bangkok you'll be living in the lap of luxury. It's also inconvenient for doing any sightseeing in Bangkok. If your primary interest in terms of sightseeing is to visit some of the temples, I'd suggest you stay at one of the beautiful hotels along the river so you can take the water taxis to the Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Wat Po and Wat Arun. Hotels to consider: the two best are the Oriental and the Peninsula, but they are also the most expensive. Other lovely options are the Shangri-La, the Royal Orchid Sheraton Towers, the Hilton Millenium and the Marriott Resort and Spa. There is really no need for a tour in bangkok, you can easily see these sights on your own. Another place in Bangkok I consider to be a must for first-timers is the Jim Thompson House.

In Siem Reap there are dozens of lovely places to stay. A few mid-range places that have gotten good reviews recently: The Victoria, Shinta Mani, and the FCC. Your hotel can set you up with a car and driver and a guide.

In terms of health issues, read the info at wwwn.cdc.gov/travel You'll want to consult with a travel medicine doctor about vaccines and anti-malarials. Whether to take an anti-malarial is a decision to be made with the consultation with your physician. Malaria in Cambodia is not particularly seasonal (as it is in, say, India). If you do opt to take an anti-malarial, malarone is likely the best options as it has the fewest side effects and it only has to be taken for one week after leaving the malarial risk area (other must be taken for a month).

Buy a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, to orient you to the temples at Angkor. You are also welcome to look at our Angkor photos at www.marlandc.com It takes three full days just to visit the major temples.

Lucky you, getting to go to Bhutan. That's on my list!

In Bangkok we stayed at the Center Point Silom which is near the river but not on it. Consequently it is a bit less expensive, but still very nice and very convenient to the river taxis and the Skytrain. I agree that you don't necessrily NEED a guide for the temples, but I thought that having someone who could explain things to us made the trip much more enjoyable. We used Nui who we booked through Tong (you will find her name on this board a lot). To contact her you would email [email protected]. Other people have suggested other guides on this board and I'm sure they can provide you with contact information.

In Siem Reap we stayed at the Bopha Angkor. The rooms were very reasonable (I think about $60 for a double - maybe a little less) but very comfortable and right in town within walking distance of many of the restaurants )plus they have a lovely restaurant in the hotel). We used Ponheary Ly as our guide for the temples. Both she and her brother Dara are very knowledgeable. We paid $240 for one of them and a driver for three days. I thought it was well worth it - again because we learned so much from them. Plus Dara is great with pointing out terrific photo shots.

Regarding malaria - we took malarone (we were there in July), but frankly we never saw a single mosquito. However, our theory is to follow whatever the CDC recommends.

Enjoy your stay!

Thanks for the suggestions. I will be discussing this with a travel doctor. My guess is there would be mosquitos as it is the end of the rainy season and there could be lots of standing water. I would guess fewer of them at other times of the year.

We will be in India at the end, and will probably need something then too. I was hoping not to have to take the meds for over a month - but we'll see.

Thanks so much for the hotel suggestions.

It will be quite a trip. I will let you know how it goes.

Stevi

the suggestions above are wonderful for you....

if i am reading your thread correctly, you arrive in SR on the 23rd at nite and need to meet your tour group on the 28th in bkk???

if so you have just enough time to visit angkor before getting to bkk on the 28th...

four days is the normal time to spend in SR...

so it looks to me as if bkk is just a stop for you....in this case if you can squeek out a few hours then by all means hire a guide to help you get around or you will just be in a mess....

have them pick you up at the airport on the 28th early (fly in on the first flight on the 28th), take you to the hotel and drop your bags, then tour bkk for the rest of the day....

i would try to hit the following:

grand palace---2 hours
jim thompson house 1.5 hours---have lunch there...
wat pho
v-mek palace and/or suan packkard palace
that would be a full day...

In Cambodia, a very good guide is Ponheary. She can be reached at [email protected]. She can also help with moderately priced hotels.

You've already received very good advice above.

I spent a week in Siem Reap and Bangkok (not my first time) in December and used both Tong and Ponheary as guides. Both are wonderful. Assuming you are taking about next month, both may be booked already so I suggest you contact them asap.

We stayed at the Victoria in SR and it was both lovely and comfortable.
In Bangkok, we stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton (using Starwood points) and in the past, I've stayed at the Peninsula (fantastic, but expensive).

I think you only have 5 days before you need to meet your tour group. You'll need to decide how you want to split up that time. Remember, travel time between your hotel in SR and your hotel in BKK could take 1/2 a day, even though the flight is a short one. Rhkkmk's advice is good if you only want to spend one day in Bangkok.

You can see photos and my travelogues, and much about both guides, on my website:
http://www.wired2theworld.com
Click on "Thailand and Combodia 12/07".

Hi,

Thanks again for the suggestions. I think I can buy a ticket from SR to BKK that is changeable directly from Thai Air. It is so hard to know how we will feel about any particular place.

I like the idea of a day tour of Bangkok - thanks! Perhaps we can fly out of SR at night on the 27th and then have a day in BKK. We meet the tour group in the evening.

That night (the 28th) at the Novotel is already booked and paid with the tour, but it might just be easier to stay there the night prior also and have a guide pick us up there in the morning. (cost of taxi into town and back out there may be about equivalent to higher room cost?)

Suggestions for a day guide in Bangkok?

Stevi

There is only one airline that flies non-stop between Bangkok and Siem Reap - Bangkok Air. You can buy it online. I expect they would let you change flights if there is space available. Those flights are often very full.

Hi Stevilou,
We just returned from Siem Reap on 10/17/08 it was fantastic. We used Ponheary Ly as our guide. She and her brother Dara are very knowledgeable, speak English very well, and are wonderful people. They both know the best picture opportunities.
We stayed our first night at the Soria Maria on Wat Bo Road. It is a lovely hotel, with a great restaurant. It cost $50 per night for 2 of us. The rest of our 6 night stay was at Ponheary's family guest house, Marina Villa. Marina Villa cost $15 dollars per night, is clean, quiet, and friendly.
I hope you have a great time, it is a beautiful country.
As a note, Ponheary has had to change her e-mail addy, she can be reached at [email protected]