SIEM REAP

(includes Kbal Spean & Roluos)

BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Abacus – Ph Oum Khun Phlauv Sivatha; 011-855-63-966-156; cafeabacus.com; outdoor bar.
●Miss Wong – House #2 Road (Mondol 1 Village); 011-855-92-428-332; misswong.net; vintage Shanghai scene, with intimate leather booths; try Indochine Martini (vodka, ginger cognac & fresh pineapple juice).



HOTELS
●Amansara – Road to Angkor; 011-855-63-760-335; amanresorts.com; King Sihanouk’s former guest villa; minimalist; of 24 guest suites, 12 have private plunge pools; price includes ruins tour.
●FCC Angkor Boutique – Pokambor Avenue; 011-855-63-760-280; fcccollection.com; lovely & modern.
●Belmond La Résidence d'Angkor – River Road; 011-855-63-963-390; belmond.com/hotels/asia/cambodia/siem-reap/belmond-la-residence-dangkor; hardwood floors, silk & bamboo accents with giant whirlpool tubs.
●Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Sivutha Boulevard (at Park Hyatt Siem Reap); 011-855-63-211-234; parkhyatt.grandluxuryhotels.com; Art Deco & Khmer styles combined; in-house art gallery; pool.
●Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor – 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle (Khum Svay Dang Kum); 011-855-63-963-888; raffles.com; 5 miles from Angkor Wat; colonial-style hotel fronted by 15 acres of gardens; swimming pool.
●Samar Villas & Spa Resort – 115 Group 7 (Phum Tropeang Ses Khum Kochok Srok); 011-855-17-392-000; the-samar-villas-and-spa-resort.siemreapbesthotels.com/en; closer to Angkor than other hotels; on intimate scale; tucked behind ornate wooden fence in residential neighborhood; built in traditional Khmer design, with pointed roofs & intricately carved trim; 5 suites, 2 villas & apartment, most of which overlook oval pool; men receive complimentary daily shave in lobby.
●Hôtel Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort – Vithei Charles De Gaulle (Khum Svay Dang Angkor); 011-855-63-964-600; sofitel.com; French colonial style with Khmer touches; very beautiful.
●Viroth’s Hotel – 0658 Wat Bo Village; 011-855-63-766-107; viroth-hotel.com; minimalist, welcome respite from temple overload.



RESTAURANTS
●Abacus – Ph Oum Khun Phlauv Sivatha; 011-855-63-966-156; cafeabacus.com; French-inflected cuisine.
●Chez Sophea – opposite Angkor Wat; 011-855-12-858-003; perfect for lunch; open-air restaurant with wooden tables & white linens; French food.
●Cuisine Wat Damnak – Wat Damnak (behind Pagoda, between Angkor High School & Psa Dey Hoy Market); 011-855-77-347-762; cuisinewatdamnak.com; Cambodian-French fusion.
●Khmer Kitchen – Street 2 (Thnou, corner of street 9, Old Market); 011-855-12-763-468; khmerkitchens.com; 2 outposts, clustered near Old Market; serve amok (fish curry typically served in banana leaf); also, should try sauteed chicken with morning glory shoots.
●Meric Khchei Khmer Cuisine – BBU Road (Vihear Chen Village); 011-855-92-707-966; meric-khchei.com; try 7-course Khmer tasting menu.
●Restaurant Pyongyang – 4 Airport Boulevard (National Route 6); 011-855-12-565-990; bizarre.
●Sugar Palm – Street 27 (Wat Bo Village, Sangkat Svay Rok, Siem Reap City, opposite Pannasastra University); 011-855-12-818-143; thesugarpalm.com; Cambodian home-cooking.
●Viroth’s Restaurant – 0658 Wat Bo Village; 011-855-63-766-107; viroth-hotel.com.



SERVICES
●Frangipani Spa – 24 Hup Guan Street; 011-855-63-964-391; frangipanisiemreap.com; glorious 60-minute massages.
●Journeys Within – off Route 6; 011-855-63-678-4000; jwoc.info; will arrange 3-day bird-watching trip to Tmatboey.



SHOPPING
●Artisans d’Angkor – Stung Thmey Street; 011-855-63-963-330; artisansdangkor.com; organization that trains Cambodians in traditional arts, ranging from lacquer painting to stone carving.
●Garden of Desire – Passage, Pub Street Alley; 011-855-63-760-517; gardenofdesire-asia.com; Ly Pisith’s silver jewelry made with Cambodian gemstones.
●Old Market – Psar Chaa Road; “flea market.”
●Eric Raisina Couture House – Charles De Gaulle (Krong Siem Reap); 011-855-63-963-207; ericraisina.com; originally from Madagascar, Raisina studied textile design in Paris, where received training in crochet & embroidery; beautiful, handmade clothing.
●Senteurs d’Angkor – Psaa Chas, 2 Thnou Street; 011-855-11-686-217; senteursdangkor.com; spices, coffee, bath products.
●Theam's House – 25 Veal Village (Kok Chork); 011-855-78-208-161; theamshouse.com; Theam Lim's personal showroom & studio.



SIGHTS & SITES
●Angkor Archaeological Park – 155 square-mile area that includes Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom & Ta Prohm, among more than 100 temples; make sure to visit Phnom Bakheng, 5-tiered rectangular temple on hill (get up at 5 a.m. & make 15-minute hike up to sandstone terrace, which overlooks jungle expanse); make sure to see Banteay Srei, temple renowned for intricate red sandstone carvings; also, Kbal Spean, “1K Lingas River”; make sure to see Ta Prohm Temple.
●Angkor Conservation Office – Angkor Conservation Compound, Siem Reap River; 011-855-63-380-279; apsaraangkor.com; has Ks relics in restoration process; by appointment only; may need to ask local or tour group to arrange.
●Angkor National Museum – 968 Vithei Charles de Gaulle; angkornationalmuseum.com; 011-855-63-966-601; although looks like mall from outside, beautiful collection inside.
●Beng Mealea – 45 miles from Siem Reap on road to Koh Ker; sprawling sandstone temple nearly consumed by jungle.
●Cambodia Landmine Museum – 20 miles northeast of Siem Reap, on road to Banteay Srei; 011-855-12-598-951; cambodialandminemuseum.org; jarring reminder of country’s 3 decades of war.
●Kbai Spean – Kulen Hills (16 miles from main Angkor monument group); Angkorian era archaeological site; stone carvings in sandstone formations carved in river banks & bed; also known as “Valley of K Lingas”; motifs for stone carvings are mainly myriad lingams (phallic symbol of Hindu god Shiva), depicted as neatly arranged bumps that cover the sandstone bed rock surface & lingam-yoni designs; various Hindu mythological motifs, including depictions of gods Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Rama & Hanuman, as well as animals (cows & frogs).
●Old Market – Psar Chaa; good place for street food breakfast.
●Roluos Group – Roluos; oldest & original, temples in area, consisting of Bakong & Preah Ko.