Thanks, Kathie! Of course, in my last reply I meant to say that everyone seems pretty underwhelmed by Chiang Mai, not Chiang Rai.

russ_in_LA,

I'm late to this post. What did you finally decide? I hope you kept 4 nights for Siem Reap. I initially had three and was advised to add one more by forum members and I'm so glad I did. This allowed us to feel much more relaxed as we visited each temple, plus I actually enjoyed the energy of Siem Reap much more than I thought. Many people on the forums don't care for the city, but we were out exploring anytime we were not at the temples. I highly recommend the Landmine Museum if you have time -- it's actually near a sweet small less-crowded temple which makes for a nice combo. We loved our time in Cambodia!

Looking forward to seeing how your trip unfolds.

Take care.

I think we have decided that we don't want to be on a plane so many times in two weeks, so we are leaning towards the following:

Bangkok - 4 nights
Siem Reap - 4 nights
Krabi - 2 nights
Koh Lanta - 4 nights
Bangkok- 1 night

I think we will be ready for some down time after 8 days in Bangkok and Siem Reap, and since we are already flying into Krabi this seemed like a logical place to add in the time. More questions to come, I'm sure, as we get closer. Thanks!

There's plenty of opportunity for down time in Siem Reap. After Bangkok it's like a little village. No high-rise, no frenzy, no 24/7 in-your-face, no problem.

Bar Street is great, peaceful during the day, and comes to life from dusk onwards. Try upstairs at the Triangle Bar/Restaurant for people watching and the cheapest Happy Hour beer in town...

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau..._Province.html

Russ--

We had the advantage of a much longer trip (six weeks), but we really enjoyed Siem Ream and its environs a lot. In fact, we ended up with 11 nights total there and certainly did not spend all of our time visiting temples. In contrast to what LL says, we did not like Pub Street or the area around it on the west side of the river.

I don't know what your lodging style is, but we discovered a nice, relaxing hotel in Siem Reap where it did not seem as though you are even in the city. http://www.sonalongvillage.com/en/

If you are a super luxe person, you might find that the room décor is a tad tacky and the towels aren't super plush, but everything else about the place more than compensated for those two things.

You already know my feelings about Bangkok.

@julies<<<In contrast to what LL says, we did not like Pub Street or the area around it on the west side of the river.>>>

Why, it helps to have the reason(s).

Did you visit when it was quiet during the day, or at dusk when people who've been at Angkor for the day go for a sundowner, or in the evening when it livens up a bit?

As well as being a chilled out place for a sociable drink, there's plenty of places to eat good food at reasonable prices.