Siem Reap Phnom Penh Tour Hotels

Siem Reap a thriving city in Cambodia inherits a rich cultural legacy while at the same time being very much a modern tourist destination. The city possesses a variety of Chinese and colonial style buildings in its Old Market and Old French Quarter areas. In the vicinity visitors will see silk farms, craft shops, rice paddies, a bird sanctuary and traditional fishing villages. Siem Reap is the gateway to the famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

Siem Reap has a heritage stretching back many centuries, but it had been a neglected area in recent decades until the historic Angkor site was rediscovered by French explorers in the 19th century. Since then tourism has made the city thrive, albeit experiencing a lull during the Khmer Rouge period. Siem Reap today is Cambodia's fastest developing city due to its location, with contemporary buildings and hotels emphasizing the area's status as a major tourist attraction.

The city has a vibrant nightlife with many lively pubs and clubs enlivening the night hours. The well named Pub Street in the Old Market area contains most of the pubs, and two of the liveliest on the street are The Angkor What?, one of the earliest clubs in the area and The Temple Club, a hotspot for dancing.

The Buddha Lounge in the same neighbourhood features a free of charge pool table and stays open till late. Many expatriates, including correspondents and travel writers frequent the Ivy Bar, with the creations of local photographers lining the walls. The Sok San is a pulsating disco which draws both Asians and westerners. Molly Malone's entertains guests with cover versions of popular acts such as the Beatles, locally based expats handling the live music. The bar has a wide range of beers and the mandatory Irish whisky. Alternative entertainment is provided by the Laundry where many unusual special events take place. The X Bar and K11 provide late night entertainment.

Siem Reap also boasts many other pubs and clubs, discos, karaoke bars and massage parlours. The nightlife of Siem Reap is a major draw for both locals and foreign visitors, and the variety of establishments ensures that there is something for every taste and inclination.

For a traveller who desires a luxury hotel Siem Reap there is no better choice than the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. One of the finest five star hotel Cambodia has to offer, the Raffles will assure a delightful and satisfying stay.

Hotel de la Paix is the most stylish of the Siem Reap hotels. It´s hip combination of art deco and traditional Khmer design, will inspire and excite you. It´s romantic and luxurious Spa Indochine, will relax and revive you, whilst it´s eco-tourism projects and community support, will motivate and move you.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwSNy-Jbkts&hl=en

This movie of the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort showcases the luxurious facilities, and the elegance and charm of this 5 star award-winning resort located in Siem Reap, Cambodia --minutes away from the legends of Angkor Wat. The Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra is the host sponsor of the Angkor Wat International Film Festival which debuts February 17-19, 2012. Sofitel Angkor website is www.sofitel.com Film Festival website is: www.angkorwatfilmfestival.com.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs6Rf1nXOk8&hl=en

positiveworldtravel.com http Near the Angkor archeological park, Angkor Village Resort features an elegant wooden palace, exquisite spa and beautiful cottages set amongst lush tropical gardens and along a unique river-shaped pool.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqBIOm7xGZY&hl=en

Khmer Tour Phnom Penh 2008 aorund the downtown Cambodia.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYnQi-fZ9h4&hl=en

April 2008



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zedAMj7Apno&hl=en

While in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I went on a one day excursiom to the magnificent archaelogical site of Angkor Wat and then went on to visit one the Vietnamese floating villages at Tonie Sap Lake. Funny thing, my Taxi driver, a very likeable young guy and aspiring tour guide, gave me some insight on race relations between the Vietnamese and Cambodians. According to him, there are e about 4-5 million Vietnamese in Cambodia; a lot of migrated to Cambodia after the Communist regime toppled Pol-Pot's Khmer Rouge in 1979, thereby liberating Cambodia of one of the most brutal regimes of the 20th century. Most of the Vietnamese in Cambodia, are poor and relatively humble people, many of them eke a living from fishing and live in floating villages like the one I was visiting at Tonie Sap. Officially, the numbers of Vietnamese living in Cambodian is only 100,000 but it is has been estimated there are up to 5 million; a more realistic number is about 2-4 million, but as far as the exact number, no one really knows.

According to "my friend", a lot of the Vietnamese have displaced Cambodians in the workplace, which has generated a lot of animosity of Cambodians. What really was disturbing was the remark my guide made - if he was in power, he would try to exterminate or liquidate all the Vietnamese from his country a la Pol Pot style. Now, I know he was joking when he made this comment but it does reflect the prevailing attitude of Cambodians visa vis the Vietnamese.

Funny thing, all the gals who worked in the karaoke bar and massage parlors in Siem Reap were Vietnamese. Let's face it, about 20-25% of the inhabitants of Cambodia are Vietnamese, and insomuch as the Khmers and the Vietnamese never got along historically, there is a lot of hostility between these two groups.

You put one foot in front of the other and you know that the odds are against you. They have it in for you and there is nothing you can do but to continue to plod along. They use every type of machine, object or animal. Some are slow, some very fast, none predictable and all very dangerous and potentially lethal. Like the asteroids scene in Star Wars, they come at you from every direction, and there is no where to hide! They will get you in the crosswalks; they will get you on the sidewalks, walking in a park, no where outside is safe. Motorcycles, cars, mattress, pigs, ox carts, cows, kitchen sinks and living room furniture all have your name on them. No one is safe from man or beast walking on the streets of Phnom Penh!

In almost all cities except maybe the cities up near the north pole, or Wisconsin, you will see people out for a leisurely stroll, or even a brisk walk, some do it for exercise, some to take in the sights, for others it is a form mobile meditation, and it is something every doctor will tell you is good for your health, except in Phnom Penh Cambodia. My life insurance agent came here on vacation and the first thing he did when he got back home was to double my rates and his insurance company actually put it into the exclusions of things they will not cover along with blindfold mountain climbing, bomb juggling and wire walking on high tension lines.

It is a sport that is enjoyed by the local expats however; as they lay wages on how many will get run over an hour in the tourist areas, watch the bets really fly when there is baby carriage involved. They also like to sucker bet new guys on the dogs crossing the street, because for some reason the dogs always make it instinctively, nobody know why? The best theory is that if they hit a dog, the dog will not have any money, so who is going to pay them for their efforts?

Like the song "no body walks in LA" Nobody in their right mind walks in Phnom Penh except on a dare! Don't believe me, Go ahead, try your luck, I double dare you!

When the first of the Asian adventure travelers first discovered the Kingdom of Cambodia using the term roads was merely an easy way for saying improved tracks of endless quagmire in the rainy season, and axel snapping, oil pan crushing track for the rest of the year.

Voted 10 years in a row the worst road in the world, the path between Bangkok and the Temples of Angkor Wat today carries large 48 seat buses under passable conditions for the better part of the way, but then the back wrenching, pitching, lurching and stomach emptying for many begins and continues for 100 kilometers to the Thai border, where you will find and really appreciate, western standard roads for the rest of the trip.

Going into the provinces of Cambodia is now possible with many options including share taxis and mini buses. The main routes between Phnom Penh & Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville you can now find buses that would be rated first class in Thailand, with the definition of first class being air con with a small water closet. Some of the legacy carriers will assault you with Khmer karaoke classics at painful volume; Mekong Express being the exception which shows previews of the temples, and on the other routes you will be able to keep up to date with all of the Mr. Been adventures, which like chocolates, has everyone smiling regardless of where on the blue marble they come from.

Dining can be a real culinary adventure on most of the routes, expect to be wined and dined with mongrel flea ridden dogs, lactating cats and bugs that go whir in the night, sometimes they are begging for your food, other times they are featured on your plate! The fare using the term in its loses meaning, is mostly passed over by all but the most hardy of travelers unless of course you are partial to things like chicken embryo's and 1000 year old eggs. You need to do your shopping before you go to the bus stations as the choices are very limited if you want western snacks. They sometimes will have fresh fruit for sale, pineapple and bananas being found most often. The soft drinks they offer are Cokes and beer and all sorts of Asian drinks that you probably not familiar with like green jelly or soy milk soda. The coffee and tea that they have is generally horrible tasting which is a kind understatement unfortunately.

The fares are very comparable to distances in Thailand or Vietnam for the cheap buses. You can get from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville for $6, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap under $10, and to Bangkok or Saigon for right around $20 give or take from most parts of Cambodia.

For cheap hotels in Asia it seems to be a standard practice that they will take you to the worst room they have first. This is not as dumb as it may sound as when the day gets longer if someone has taken the bad rooms, and then the hotels have a better chance of renting the good rooms at the last minute. Almost guaranteed, that if you reserve a room over the internet you are not going to get the best rooms, unless you are very specific with your room reservation. Most times you are not familiar with the hotel, so you need to do some research and see if previous guests have complained about a problem, then reserve accordingly.

Look for bugs, some cheap hotels don't do a good job of controlling pests like mosquitoes which at best will give you a bad night tossing and turning, a nightmare night would be contracting a tropical disease like dengue fever. When you are doing a walk through of the room check in the bathroom move the shower curtain, or the towels if they are hanging, if you get an airborne squadron of mosquitoes, it is not a good sign. If one room has them a good bet is they all will have them. You still might take the room and burn a mossy coil or get the hotel to spray the room then turn the air on, or have a fan blowing over you at night when you sleep in case any were missed. Make sure that they spray under the bed!

Check the windows that they are locked and that you can lock them. Look to see if there is access to the window from outside. I have seen it a few times where they hook your pants or small bags through the windows which can cause a pretty good hit if you have a wad in your pocket or they get your camera bag! Try to remember to keep things away from windows and out of sight, either in a closet or under the bed.

Turn on the air and check the lights & TV that there is not a problem; the cheap hotels & guesthouses often don't manage their maintenance well and the staff does the absolute minimum which means they are not telling the management what is not working correctly. Broken things might stay that way for a long time as many problems will not show up until after the guest is settled in and then is stuck with the decision to move to a different room or accommodation or to stay and put up with the inconvenience. It is always better to catch problems early rather than to be aggravated later.

By doing these simple things I have had many more good experiences in Asia than bad. I also find that a sense of humor and some patience will a long way. A cheap 2 star hotel should not be compared against a 5 star hotel, so lower your expectations laugh a little and you will travel longer and further for less money.

Country	Cambodia
Province	Siem Reap
Settled	802
Official	1907
Government
- District Chief & Governor	Sou Phirin
- Deputy Governor	Kim Chay Hieng
Population (2009)
- Total	171,800
Time zone	Cambodia (UTC+7)

The City of Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor.
Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In the city, there are traditional Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake.
Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants. Most smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha, and mid budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area.