If you are going to see the magnificent Angkor Wat temple complex, one of the best places to stay in Siem Reap is the Heritage Suites, a luxurious boutique hotel which is part of Relais & Chateaux. What makes this hotel unique is that it has only 26 rooms and bungalow suites in a quiet part of town. As you drive or walk around Siem Reap, you will notice that most of new hotels are large, impersonal chains catering to giant tour groups. Worse, many of them are situated along the noisy main avenue.
That is why we loved staying at Heritage Suites, where the manager greets you, the staff pay attention to you and you sit by the pool with only a few other guests, quietly reading or taking a nap. They also offer relaxing spa and massage treatments.
We stayed in a bungalow which has an enormous living room, and a standing bathtub at the edge of our bedroom overlooking a tranquil stone garden.
The hotel is in a restored colonial building which has high beamed ceilings, dark wood floors and Cambodian antiques. It is surrounded by lush tropical gardens. After a long day of walking around temples, we would take a short swim, then sit by the bar sipping cocktails, in an atmosphere reminiscent of old colonial Indochina.
The breakfast at Heritage Suites is excellent: they have an Asian breakfast consisting of spicy noodle soup with shrimp or chicken, coriander, and other condiments. Of course they serve Western style breakfasts, but if you’re going to Cambodia, why not eat Cambodian food?
To get to the center of town takes only 5 minutes by tuk-tuk and there are always one or two tuk-tuks waiting outside the hotel. Angkor Wat is only 8 kilometres away.
Heritage Suites
Wat Polanka, P.O. Box 93101
Siem Reap, Cambodia
+855 (0)63 969 100
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