Three Hotels in Siem Reap
In early 2015, my mom and I spent a week in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We had three different hotels for our stay. Here’s the run down.
La Tradition d’Angkor
Upon arrival by plane from Saigon, we went straight to La Tradition d’Angkor Hotel. I’d booked this hotel because the grounds looked beautiful, and I wanted a bit of a break from the urban environment of Saigon.
The Good
The grounds were fabulous and quiet. Our room had great views on each side, with lots of greenery and a terrace.
The Not-so-Good
The hotel location was just off the highway and not very close to town. You need to take a tuk-tuk to go anywhere, and the hotel staff is not very helpful in negotiating transportation. The location is a bit isolated if you want to do shopping or find restaurants, and while the on-site restaurant has a decent breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner have very slow service and very few diners. They also played the same country music soundtrack on repeat. All day long.
The Verdict
Due to the location and the country music soundtrack, I would not stay here again. I’d prefer to be closer to the city center with good restaurants and shopping.
Borei Angkor Resort & Spa
Our second we booked was the Lotus Hotel. It turned out the Lotus was overbooked, so they upgraded us to their sister property, the 5-star Borei Angkor Resort & Spa.
The Good
The buffet breakfast had variety and quality foods. The pool was so atmospheric that I couldn’t get my mom to leave the hotel until we went to the Raffles Grand for an Apsara dance show. Overall, out of the three places we stayed, this hotel had the best service and the most luxurious decor.
The Not-so-Good
The aircon in the room was noisy and dripping. The spa was definitely overpriced for the quality of the service. Location was a bit far out from town so you need to take a tuk-tuk or hire a car to go anywhere. Not a walkable neighborhood unless you’re interested in busy markets.
The Verdict
At first we were excited to get upgraded to a 5-star, however the location and the loud dripping in the room were definite low points. I wouldn’t stay here again, especially with the 5-star price tag.
Royal Crown Hotel
For our last night, we wanted to be close to the old city so we could do some shopping in the night markets. We picked The Royal Crown Hotel which was the cheapest per night of all three hotels and had the smallest grounds.
Royal Crown is just a short walk from the night markets but far enough away that it’s not noisy. The neighborhood is walkable, not too busy, and there is a pharmacy nearby as well as some restaurants. The room was clean and simple.
The Not-so-Good
The pool is small, but the hotel is too so it was never really busy. The on-site ‘spa’ is just massage mats on the floor.
The Verdict
Although this hotel was the simplest and cheapest of the three we stayed, this is one where I’d want to stay again. Breakfast was good, and the location was perfect. Close enough to town to walk, but not so close that it was loud at night. It may not have had all the facilities of a five-star, but there were no issues such as dripping ACs or country music on repeat. Also, the staff at the front desk spoke English fluently and were friendly and helpful. The service is what was lacking over at La Tradition d’Angkor.
Want to book the Royal Crown? Check out their website: Royal Crown Hotel