iahphx

Well, I'm not sure I'd do the math the exact same way, but if your supply of points is limited, C&P is a good thing to use. (BTW, I think you may be taxed on the "cash" portion, which might make it less of a good deal). Still, unlike the old days, SPG isn't really giving you a "deal" on the cash component, so I can't really imagine it would make any difference in my hotel selection whether a Cat. 2 was offering C&P, or not.

luckypierre

This hotel is a good deal for cash and points redemption, especially for plat.

Happy

You ARE taxed on the cash portion.

I am with you on the Cat 2 C+P isn't that big a deal.

This hotel is down to Cat 2 but the Le Meridien at Kota Kinabalu that is also very popular for redemption, has gone up to Cat 3 this year and it is one very old hotel...

kmcbrid2

My understanding is the LM KK is suppose to go through renovations but doesn't make sense to up the category before the renovations are completed or started.

iahphx

But, of course, it's not really a question of the "niceness" of the hotel -- it's a question of room rates.

Siem Reap has cheap hotel rates; Kota Kinabalu has surprisingly expensive rates. I think this "flip" in categories makes sense: I avoided the Le Meridien in Siem Reap as a Cat. 3 because it was much cheaper to buy a room at a different 4-5 star hotel. In contrast, I jumped on the opportunity to stay at the mediocre LM KK as a Cat. 2.

ExpatSomchai

Any recent reports to add and any suggestions on tour guides and restaurants appreciated.

craigthemif

The property emailed me to inform me of major renovation works to take place between 17 April and 31 July 2015.

Pipes are being replaced. Whole wings will be closed while the works are ongoing. It's expected to be noisy during the daytime.

Was offered free breakfast as compensation, which is a bit of a joke considering I am platinum. ..

EasternTraveler

I strongly recommend the Best Western, the owner lives on the property and is very nice. They pay for taxi service for you to and from airport and into town. They are remote enough to not be noisy and they have a wall around the property. Each cabana has a private pool and deck overlooking the pond. The breakfast is excellent.

BenSenise

we used the hotel car and driver plus a tour guide. the service was incredible. the driver had cold towels and ice cold water waiting for us every time we got back to the car. the car was a smaller ford SUV, an escape maybe? we did two days of temples and were thrilled. it was 36 deg C and humidity you had to swim through. of course you can find something cheaper but at these prices i didn't search to save ten bucks.

one night we ate at a restaurant called the Haven which has an interesting purpose. they train people in professional service, like a hotel school does, so they can get good jobs. food was good. kitchen open so you could see that the sanitary conditions were also good. run by a couple of swiss.
http://www.haven-cambodia.com/
read the "about haven" section.

singtx

Did you go through the hotel car and driver or their contracted tour services? We were looking at the tour services...but if they have their own driver and tour guide...this is an option I want to explore...did you do this onsite or prior to arrival. thanks!

iahphx

Why would you want to use the hotel's own driver? You do realize that getting information about quality drivers is not difficult. I'd start looking at tripadvisor and pick the top three recommended agencies that have lots of reviews. You'll get an experience that is at least equal to what the hotel would provide, at a fraction of the cost.

Dr. HFH

Lots of reasons. It's easy peazy. Management in place, convenient and easily identifiable in case something is unsatisfactory. Since you're already a guest (read customer), management also has an incentive for dealing promptly and effectively with any problems.

BenSenise

We used the hotel car and driver and the guide was from somewhere else. I don't go hunting for bargains when the prices are already so low. I want convenience and accountability. Going through the hotel proceeded us with both.
We made the mistake of going with a third party driver in Beijing and regretted it. The car was horrible and the driver was a maniac. In Xi'an, we used the hotel car, an Audi A6, and the driver was excellent. You get what you pay for.

cln

well usually the service is outsourced to third party provider....
i think the hotels don't want to be responsible in cases of accidents....

But i also had better experience with drivers of "hotel limo" than other "cheaper" third party providers ( i think some drivers don't get any training at all ).

But what car is LM Angkor using ?

We will be there in January for some days...

dsquared37

I'd actually advise against using TA for Siem Reap. Sadly many restaurants and other establishments have figured out how to game the system.

When a resto has 90%+ 5 stars and many of the reviews are similar it sends up red flags.