Arriving in Siem Reap during the early afternoon from Hong Kong, I was picked up by Siem Reap Private Day Tours at the airport and brought my hotel, the Prince D’Angkor Hotel and Spa. During the 15 minute drive from the airport, I was afforded my first look at the city of Siem Reap and was quite surprised at how modern it looked. Because of the pictures I have seen in the past, I had envisioned unpaved roads, and shanty type homes lining the streets. Instead, what I saw were buildings ranging from 2 to 15 floors high, many businesses, and electricity! It looked very similar to a street you would find in Manila or Taiwan. When I arrived at the Prince D’Angkor Hotel and Spa, I was very warmly greeted by the staff who offered a me seat on one of the many couches and given a cold beverage while they checked me into my room. This experience was a stark contrast from other check in experiences I’ve had where I would line up, wait my turn (which would sometimes be over 30 minutes) and stand in front of a counter twiddling my thumbs while staff typed into a computer. After what seemed only to be a few minutes, I was all checked in and a bellhop was ready to show me to my room. Along the way, the bellhop gave me a rundown of where the hotel amenities are, and the hours for the buffet breakfast which was included with my stay. The room I was assigned had a balcony facing the inner courtyard of the hotel complex which overlooked the pool. I was glad that I spent a little extra and went for the deluxe room when I booked as the superior rooms face the parking lot and it seemed like most do not have a balcony. Not really a big deal as most people who come to Siem Reap do not spend a very long time in their rooms but I like having the option of sitting and relaxing in my balcony after a day of touring. The room itself was quite spacious and had the normal amenities that one would expect (wireless internet, a/c, fridge, tv, dvd, kettle, coffee, tea, etc). The hotel gives you 2 complimentary small bottles of water which they replenish daily. However, please be aware that the large Evian bottles are not complimentary. I felt that the bathroom was a little bit dark and could be a little cleaner. Not having an exhaust system for the moisture makes it feel damp inside but that is quite typical of bathrooms in Asia I find. There is a separate shower stall and tub so it felt a little cramped as well.
the places I wanted to go. There is also a modern mall called Lucky Mall that is across the street where there were a few retail shops, restaurants and a super market.
The famous Pub Street, where most of the restaurants are located, is only about a 10 minute walk away and from there, you can get to all the different shopping markets very easily. I will make a separate blog post regarding Pub Street and the surrounding area in a future blog post. I plan to also include a "travelling tips" section for the Angkor Wat area to hopefully help other travellers coming to Siem Reap for the first time, stay tuned. In my next post, I will talk about my tour the temples and ruins. - Mahalo Nui Loa.
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