Siem Reap, Cambodia

“Why visit Cambodia?”

This was a common question we were asked when telling family about our next travel destination. My answer was, “Why not?” We were booked to vacation in Siem Reap for one week, posing another question from many people who had been to the country: “Why are you staying so long?” Most suggested we stay for only three or four days. We were told there is not much to do in the city after that amount of time. Thank goodness we did not listen to these suggestions. We enjoyed every minute of our stay and would have been happy to stay a few days longer. The length of time spent there depends much upon a person’s personal interests.

Cambodia is known for its gorgeous temples, particularly Angkor Wat. Many people go to Siem Reap strictly for temple touring and then return home. We wanted to experience the culture and city, not just one or the other. We went ATV riding through the countryside.  We took a Khmer cooking class. We attended an informational musical concert where we learned about the crisis of pediatric healthcare in Cambodia. We went to the Phare Cambodian Circus which was a spectacular show and the highlight of our trip. We saw an Apsara dance show. We visited the spa and planned to end our trip zip lining in the jungle near Angkor Wat but unfortunately canceled that reservation since Douglas got sick. Illnesses seem to follow us on our vacations. Hopefully that pattern will soon be broken before we venture away again. We did all this in addition to three days of temple touring. What if we listened to the advice of others and limited ourselves to three or four days in the country? Well, we surely would not have been able to do all we did, and each outing gave us a greater exposure to the charm of the Khmer culture and the genuine sincerity of Cambodians. We had no regrets staying for a week and would highly recommend others to stay longer than a few days if time and finances permit.

We traveled to Cambodia on January 9^th and returned on January 15^th. This time of year is considered the high season for tourists. Cambodia has two types of weather:  hot and hotter. We went during the hot season when tourists flood the city. During our week there the average temperature was 85 degrees. The hottest day was in the low 90s with a good bit of humidity. Despite the high temperature it was quite bearable during the day and the nighttime weather was magnificent. Most evenings I opted for a light sweater or shawl. I can’t imagine what the weather feels like in Cambodia during the summer. Everyone says it is worse than the summer months in Hanoi (which is absolutely awful, by the way). Winter months are certainly an ideal time to travel to Siem Reap.

The flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap took about 90 minutes. You need a visa to enter the country. This was something my husband and I were unaware of until a few days before we departed Hanoi. We booked the trip through the travel office at the embassy. I guess the travel agent assumed we knew this information. No, we do not know every country that requires a visa for entry. We’re not that experienced at traveling just yet! I will gladly share my newly discovered knowledge with those of you who want to visit Cambodia – plan to get a visa. You can purchase one ahead of time, but thankfully it is quite simple to obtain a tourist visa on arrival at the airport. It was inexpensive and the process took less than 15 minutes.

 

 

We stayed at Saem Siem Reap Hotel. They provided a car service to meet us at baggage claim and drive us to the hotel. They gave us two cold towels to clean our hands and face along with bottles of cold water. Once we arrived to the hotel they greeted us with two glasses of tea (which is also common in Vietnamese hotels). We booked the hotel through the travel office at the embassy as well. They were able to get us a rate of $75 a night. Most of the hotels in that area were very cheap. Ours opened last year so the price was lower than normal to lure in more customers. Regardless of where or who I receive a recommendation from, I always check the reviews on TripAdvisor. The reviews were not bad, but they also were not great. I found another hotel called Borei Angkor Resort and Spa that received excellent reviews and cost only $25 more a night. I went back and forth for a week over whether or not I should change our reservation. After doing the math and weighing the differences, it did not seem necessary to book a new reservation at a different hotel for more money. We stayed with our first choice. Of course I later regretted that decision.

Night Picture

Daytime picture

After check-in we were escorted to our room on the top floor. It was night time so I could see the bugs all over the walls. This wasn’t too surprising due to the environment. I did not, however, expect to see those same bugs in our room. After one night I lost count of how many bugs and mosquitoes I saw and Douglas killed. They were on the walls, floors, and even the bathtub. I tried to convince myself that many people are living in worse conditions in this country so there was no reason I couldn’t deal with this for one week. I repeated those words to myself over the entire night. By the time we went downstairs for breakfast the next morning, my positive “I can do this” attitude went out the window and I was about to check out of that hotel! All I could think about was Borei Angkor Resort and Spa. That additional $25 a night seemed like a no-brainer at this point! Although I had no idea what that hotel looked like I imagined it was better than where we were. Douglas would have been just fine to stay in that hotel for the remainder of the week but for the sake of my sanity I had to say something. We spoke to the hotel staff after breakfast and told them of our bug situation. Despite how unhappy I was with the hotel at this point they turned things around quickly by upgrading us to a “Cabana Room” on the first floor. We changed rooms immediately and did not see one bug in the room the entire time. I applaud Saem Siem Reap hotel for providing excellent customer service while providing a solution to our problem. I do understand many others are bearing much worse situations, but I had to remind myself that I do not have to “rough it” when I’m paying for it!

Once we got settled in our new room I no longer thought of Borei Angkor Resort and Spa. I was quite content with our new accommodations.  Now we could focus on solely enjoying the city, and enjoy it we did. We took over 2000 photos, the most we have taken on any vacation. Over the next few entries I will share a few pictures from each experience we had while in Siem Reap. Best of all, we left with much more knowledge and awareness than when we arrived. After all, that is what traveling is all about.

This is a tuk tuk which was our main mode of transportation.

The children of Cambodia are beautiful. Such sweet, sweet kids.

We drove by a wedding reception taking place.

Barbershop down the street from our hotel. This is outside on a corner.

King of Cambodia

spas like this were all over town.

the prices for treatments were incredibly cheap