We just spent 4 days with Darith and cant recommend him highly enough. His English was excellent, and he communicated via whats app before we arrived very promptly. The deposit for his services was very small and easily paid. We had originally planned for two days with him but added another day and and a transfer back to the airport. He also founded/worked with a local school that we visited and were serenaded with the abc song and fruit salad song sung to the tune of Frere Jacques. We of course left the school a donation for artificial grass carpeting for one of the classrooms.

Bring lots of small denominations of US dollars, like 5 and 1’s. All transportation was payable in US dollars, the ATM’s dispensed US dollars. Upscale restaurants took a credit card but we used mostly cash and paid the guide in US dollars as well. We had some reservations about returning after 22 years since we usually don’t like when something gets too built up, but it was interesting to see the development. Also, a place like this was devasted during covid since tourism is the only industry. Our guide said there were no jobs and he was lucky to raise chicken and eggs to be able to feed his family. This country has been through a lot in the last 40 years. There is also an excellent if disturbing killing fields outdoor museum to visit with some very graphic paintings of life under the Khmer Rouge and a landmine museum near Banteay Srei. We did the boat trip to Tonle Sap as well, interesting. The national museum is great and is the best introduction to the temples and the kings. (and it has A/C) unlike the temples. We spent 4 days here and it did not feel like it was too much. We did the museum and Raffles bar one day, which turned out to be very interesting since the Prime Minister was there and there was a lot of interesting folks in the lobby, one day on the grand circuit of temples, the next day at Bantay Srei, and Landmine museum and last day at Tonle Sap, a hilltop monastery for temples and blessings, and some of the smaller temples including neak pean in the middle of a lake. Save time for inexpensive massages Really enjoyed our time here.



here were 3 hotels, and we could not have afforded Raffles which was the only luxury choice at that point. We opted for Park Hyatt this time, and were glad since the Prime Minister was staying at Raffles at the street was closed, the pool area closed and the lobby filled with security staff. The Raffles staff was doing their best to manage guests and the government not an easy task. We learned all this while sitting in the Raffles lobby bar. The national museum is next door and a wonderful introduction to the temples in the aircon and no steps!

The temples are amazing .. make sure to go to some of the lesser known, the temple of the lake is really unique, and spend more than one day at the temples. The town has really developed, and has lots of nice Khmer and international restaurants, transportation is inexpensive, and crafts are beautiful. The Park Hyatt had a number of local merchants with tables set up on the way to breakfast which was a nice way to buy goods and support local economy. The Park Hyatt has their own tuk tuk drivers with blue World of Hyatt shirts, and we had the same driver for several days, who would wait wherever we wanted to stop in a store and make suggestions of where to go. The Park Hyatt is in the middle of town which we liked so we could easily take a walk in town, to the river or to the spa next door etc. You need the tuk tuks because it is so hot and humid that you don’t want to take that easy 20 minute walk. I might have opted for a smaller boutique property farther out but traveling partners don’t like that.. another storyl