Angkor Wat part 2 - the hotel experience

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. 

breakfast noodles from the noodle station

The buffet breakfast had a nice variety of food from around the world.  There were the typical breads and pastries you would commonly find in a continental breakfast, an egg station, a noodle station where you can customize the ingredients, pancake, bacon, hash brown, fresh fruit, juices, and so much more.

The hotel is located near the city centre so you can easily walk to most places you want to go and I didnt have to take a tuk tuk to get to any of

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.