Originally Posted by Martinis at 8
Yes, I can recommend you hotels, driver and guide. But if you are looking for hotels for $20/night in Siem Reap, forget it. I do have an old army pup tent I can ship to you for S&H cost and you can use that, because for $20/night you will be sleeping outside. Point is that Siem Reap is now trendy and therefore not cheap.
A different opinion: you can indeed stay for $20 or less in Siem Reap, though it won't be luxurious -- but neither will it be a tent on the street. There are still guesthouses catering to the bottom-of-the-barrel backpacker set, which charge as little as around $4-6 per night -- but some of these are very very scary places.
Generally, I suggest you look at the listing in the Canby Publications guide to Siem Reap, available on the web at
http://www.canbypublications.com/siemreap/srhotels.htm. They also have a listing for Phnom Penh.
I haven't been to Siem Reap in a while (I live in Phnom Penh) but I would recommend / have heard good things about the following places (which may slightly exceed the $20 limit, but if so then not by much):
Green Garden Home Guest House (I stayed here in 2002 and 2003, but not since then. At the time, the fan (i.e., non-AC) rooms were nicer than the AC rooms - and cheaper too.)
Golden Banana Guest House (I've never stayed here but have heard good things about it.)
Originally Posted by uncertaintraveler
There are plenty of good budget hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. I can't recall the ones I stayed at (the one in PP was popular with NGO's and offered free laundry)
That sounds like the
Golden Gate Hotel (old wing is cheaper), though it could be one of the other "Goldens" that have sprung up along side the GG. They and other places are listed in the Canby guide website.
If you want more information on Cambodia, feel free to PM me.
Enjoy your trip here,
Michael