We are trying to decide between the two. Do you really use the pool in Siem Reap? the FCC has a salt water pool, not what my husband would go into? Also, he is of the vietnam era... what should I avoid for his sake? I don't want to cause him flashbacks.

it is hotter generally in SR than it is in bkk....we went in the pool at least once per day....when you go back to the hotel at lunch, which most people do, and have a short rest, it is nice to dip in the pool to totally cool off we found....it is quite dusty in SR and that is another reason to use the pool...

there have been a few negetive reports on FCC but i have not seen any about sofitel....pansea is another alternative

The only thing that is disturbing are the many one leged men (from stepping on lind mines) and the many children begging. This has nothing to do with the Vietnam war but what happened under the Khmer Rouge.

Hard to compare FCC with the Sofitel as they are 4 and 5 star respectively. Consequently the Sofitel is more lux but cost around a $100 more a night. The only disadvantage of the Sofitel is the it is out of town and one needs trasportation to there and back. You might consider the very new Hôtel de la Paix (right in town) which can be had for about the same price as the Sofitel and has been getting great reviews.

If you want to keep costs around the same as the FCC (which you are hesident of because of the salt water pool) then consider these two new city hotels Sokha Angkor Hotel or the Prince D’Angkor Hotel & Spa

As rhkkmk says you will be glad of a pool to cool off in. I consider it a must in Siem Reap.

You really helped us decide. We would use the pool and had reservations about the FCC pool as it is saltwater. We will either go in town or go to the Soffiteil (sp?). Thank you.

A "saltwater" pool is the nicest I've ever used. The water feels soft and does not dry your skin and hair the way chlorine does. It's not exactly salt water, but it's a cleaning system that uses some chemical other than chlorine to keep the pool water clean (but what it is exactly I forget) ...supposedly better for the environment, too.

Have you considered the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor? The pool there is one of the most wonderful we've ever seen and the location is an easy tuk-tuk ride into town.

I stayed at the FCC last year and enjoyed my stay. The FCC is usually described variously as cool/trendy/elegant and a cheaper version of the Aman. No real reception or public areas and a 15 min walk from the cenre of SR a could alternative to the chain hotels. (warning - the pool was absolutely freezing when I was there and we only used it once. Would i go back? No. I would probably go to the Victoria where we had dinner one evening

We just stayed at the new Le Meridien and were very impressed. 5 star elegance without a 5 star price.
The hotel is beautifully laid out. All areas are huge so nowhere seems crowded. They have a lovely
garden area and a separate garden/pool area that is very nice. The service was impeccable and the
included breakfast good and varied. I know there are many choices, but having such a nice experience
we couldn't have imagined staying anywhere else. The room was very large with comfortable beds and a lounge or day bed for napping.
Big bathroom with separate shower and soaking tub. We really had to laugh at the TV stations. Not
that you are going to Angkor for TV watching, but when we flipped it on one night before bed - there
was Jay Leno - just like at home and one morning when we turned it on - the Denver Broncos were
playing live. Crazy - it was not like we were half a world away. The hotel had mostly Japanese and
Korean tourists and when we used the pool we either had it to ourselves or there was only one other
person. The staff could not do enough for you.

I am scheduled to stay at the FCC from December 25th to December 29th, and these postings have me wondering if it was a good choice. Is the pool really so cold that one can't go swimming? That sounds not so good.

We stayed at the FCC in Dec. and we all loved the hotel and the pool. The rooms were beautiful - very elegant and modern. I would definitely recommend it.

You definitely should consider Hotel de la Paix. It is a beautiful new hotel right in the middle of town. We stayed there over New Years. The public spaces are stunning and the rooms are beautifully done with a wonderful amount of space including beautiful bathrooms. We upgraded to the deluxe or whatever the better grade room was and asked for a quiet room with a nice view and got all of that over New Years for $225 including breakfast. I would guess it's much cheaper at other times of year. I booked it myself using their website. Their quoted room rates say something like $450 but if you use their booking tool and input your dates you will find it to be far far cheaper than that. I got better rates this way than using Orbitz or other sites. The hotel was just remodeled/rebuilt a year ago with very cool, stunning architectural interiors that incorporate Khmer artifacts into the modern look to make a very interesting place. We went by the FCC for lunch and thought the restuarant area was very pleasant annd possibly another good place for you to hang out to meet people but the hotel seemed very simple. I would say that De la Paix and FCC are a bit younger so you may also want to consider the Sofitel or Victoria Angkor both are supposed to be nice hotels --but I did not get to check these out while there.
And hey maybe you don't need the pool if you take a couple of showers a day which is what I did. And de la Piax had great showers. I think it depend son where you come from. I am from Southern California and have my own pool so I really don't care so much about hanging around a pool or even diving in to cool off when on vacations.

Per your husband. There is an art gallery right beside the FCC which has beautiful art and photography but the photography may disturb him as it reflects graphically violent scenes from the wars and Khmer soldiers.

Enjoy Siem Reap. It's a wonderful place to visit.

The Hotel de la Paix does have fantastic showers but the pool is nice too. We are at the hotel right now. They tell us that although occupancy has been low, they are almost fully booked in March and April - book now if you want to get the low rates because they won't be around for too much longer. By the way, the hotel has a computer with free internet access (I am using it right now). The location right in the main part of Siem Reap is either a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it.

Yes. Del Paix has an amazing pool sorry if that was not clear in my last post. Feel free to post more questions about De la Paix which I cannot say enough about. It looks like Craig agrees. I used the same free internet computer while I was there too.

Craig if you're reading this, check out Cafe Indochine it's just a short walk down from de la Paix - very inexpensive tasty cambodian and SEA food and charming atmosphere - especially 2nd floor. De La Paix's restaurant food also has amazing dinners but pricey compared to the alternatives.

We loved the Sofitel... didn't find it out of the way at all. They arranged a guide and driver for Angkor and it was about $25 a day for both. Grounds were lovely, so was the spa and massage!! Great Breakfast buffet. Lovely hotel.
Your husband might be very surprised how friendly everyone is..esp. in VN.

I stayed in the Sofitel and considered it very nice. I'm particulary impressed by its lumphatic massage (30 mins) which was very relaxing and effective - I needed to find a washroom very frequently in the afternoon of that massage!