This was actually my least favorite hotel we stayed in during our recent 3 week sojourn through Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. It isn't because there was anything wrong with the hotel, after all it has all the amenities including a pool, but rather, the hotel lacks a soul. It's sole purpose is to serve the tourists flocking to Angkor Wat. I prefer a hotel with some character, which this one lacks. It did have one of the best breakfast buffets of the trip.
I stayed at this hotel for two nights in November 2012. The hotel is set back from the street (you have to enter a long driveway from the street) and about a 10 minute drive to Angkor Wat and a 5 minute walk to the nightmarket.
The staff speak English and are very accomodating and friendly. The room and bathroom are clean. The bed is firm, but you'll be so tired from walking around Angkor Wat in the sweltering heat that you won't notice. The air conditioning works fast, but you have to keep your key card in the slot (bring an extra card if you have one) to keep the electricity on. The hotel offers free wifi. The signal is strongest in the lobby, but you can also get it in the room.
The hotel breakfast offers a good selection of western and Asian favorites with fresh fruit. The hotel pool is inviting, although the water is a bit warm. If you walk out of the hotel and turn left then it's about a 5 minute walk to the night market. You can't miss it as there are neon signs directing your way. There's also pub row with lots of restaurants serving local and western food with draft beef for $0.50 USD. Yup. Fifty cent beer.
When I booked my trip (via expedia) in October, this hotel was the best bargain available. It was a really decent price and all the amenities of a good 4* hotel.
General feedback :
Nicely located in the city, this hotel offers great amenities. You can walk to the city center for a drink in pub street, some shopping at the night market or easily get out of the city (to visit the temples or the countryside)
It stays however pretty quiet and calm.
The room :
Large, spacious, clean and modern. The bathroom has a tub AND a shower. Nice little balcony with pool view (deluxe pool view room).
The major negative point in the rooms : the internet. Really bad and poor connection. You get much better Internet by the pool. The second negative point was the daily clean up. It could have been done a bit more seriously.
The bed is really comfortable and large. The TV offers a large range of channels (Cambodian, Asian, French, Italian, etc.).
The swimming pool :
The swimming pool is great. Sit around and relax or have a drink at the pool bar :) Don't hesitate to ask for personalized cocktails !
The restaurant :
It was good. Breakfast offers a great variety of food, from classic cereals to customized noodles ! Price are good for a 4*, expensive for the country. They offer really useful and good lunch boxes / picnic boxes for your day trips.
It would get 5 out 5 if the staff could give better advices on what to do and how.
And finally, I would say that the end of October is the perfect season to go. It is not really raining anymore, not too hot either and there is as little tourists as possible :)
We booked a suite anticipating a extra nice room with a view. The suite was large (2 rooms, 2 balconies & 2 full bathrooms) however we overlooked a construction site (not the pool) and the hotel was over run with bus tours. The rooms were clean and the bed comfortable just be aware that this is a big tour group hotel and the breakfast room is packed between 6:30 and 7:30. The pool is lovely and the location central. All the rooms have balconies but they get very little use due to the humidity and heat. When booking specify a room with a pool view and on the top floor or you may end up with a room overlooking the bus parking lot. Good restaurant, Indochina, across the street and laundry services on every side street. Convenient location.
Stayed there in October,the staff was not friendly,maybe because Siem Reap has many tourists and somehow partial to foreigners who arent Asians. The room was clean,stayed on the first floor and had a good view of the swimming pool. Like many South East Asian countries,the tuk tuk operators were clamoring for passengers at the hotel lobby,which could help someone who doesnt know how to get to anywhere particular. A disappointment I found was that the room air conditioner vent kept falling from its loose latch. The mini bar was not well equipped,maybe the hotel figured that many would purchase drinks outside.
Another disappointment was that I found out that to use the sauna,I had to pay USD 5.Most hotels would offer that complimentary with gym usage.The gym had outdated creaky cardio machines that didnt function well. I just did what whatever that could be used. Breakfast was alright and yes,another person reviewed commented that the coffee was cold. That is true.The hot plates werent working well. I wasnt charged for Wi fi,the room was USD 80 per night nett.
I moved out to another hotel,much cheaper and with pleasant staff. Overall,the hotels' strong point is its good location. It will definitely lose out to Hyatt which will open just around the corner next year. There is also a good Adidas shop just 10 minutes walk away.
