Recommended Driver in Siem Reap/Angkor Cambodia
Jan 25, 2020, 7:58 am
#166
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,029
We used Synon on a couple of days and liked him. Prices seemed reasonable compared to the other quotes I got, including from Darith Touch and another fellow named Sophen I found through TA. Synon charged us $30 for the grand circuit and another $10 for including Banteay Srei, the land mine museum, and Banteay Samre on the same day.
Sophen was chatty and our favorite driver, but his pricing was meaningfully above everyone else's apart from the first day when he picked us up from the airport and took us to the Rolous group and the floating village and a little bit around town for $40, so we didn't use him on subsequent days. Other than price though, we would recommend him.
We mostly used a tuk tuk within Siem Reap and only used a car for the far away temples (Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, and Grand Circuit, though the first and last one is also doable by tuk tuk) and the airport. For tuk tuks, we paid $15 for the whole day and $20 for a full day on the day we went to Angkor at sunrise. We arranged this tuk tuk through Sophen - his 'brother' Vi Sa drove us around and was fine - but presumably you can arrange one off the street.
Also found Siem Reap Shuttle's group tour to be perfectly adequate for the day I took a solo trip to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea without my +1. A lot cheaper even for a private car than Sophen, Synon, and Darith and since their group tours were fine (didn't feel rushed; half-decent guide), I presume the private cars would be too.
Lastly, this was the first time I saw it, but the restaurants near the temples with printed menus have negotiable prices! They will start to discount if you walk away to check out the competition!
Sophen was chatty and our favorite driver, but his pricing was meaningfully above everyone else's apart from the first day when he picked us up from the airport and took us to the Rolous group and the floating village and a little bit around town for $40, so we didn't use him on subsequent days. Other than price though, we would recommend him.
We mostly used a tuk tuk within Siem Reap and only used a car for the far away temples (Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, and Grand Circuit, though the first and last one is also doable by tuk tuk) and the airport. For tuk tuks, we paid $15 for the whole day and $20 for a full day on the day we went to Angkor at sunrise. We arranged this tuk tuk through Sophen - his 'brother' Vi Sa drove us around and was fine - but presumably you can arrange one off the street.
Also found Siem Reap Shuttle's group tour to be perfectly adequate for the day I took a solo trip to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea without my +1. A lot cheaper even for a private car than Sophen, Synon, and Darith and since their group tours were fine (didn't feel rushed; half-decent guide), I presume the private cars would be too.
Lastly, this was the first time I saw it, but the restaurants near the temples with printed menus have negotiable prices! They will start to discount if you walk away to check out the competition!
Feb 3, 2023, 1:08 pm
#167
Join Date: Jan 2023
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 33
We are traveling to Cambodia in May and will probably spend 3 days in Siem Reap. Does anybody have recent experiences with drivers / guides there? Would like to hire one for a day or two to explore Angkor Wat. Thank you!
Feb 9, 2023, 5:38 pm
#168
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Kam Leng; Two Dragons GH
Posts: 1,615
[email protected].
+855 (0) 12 793 908
Feel free to contact me privately if you want details. (Ok for anyone really.)
Rich
rjhintz at gmail dot com
Jun 19, 2023, 9:18 am
#169
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 2
Hi all
We found Synon through this forum so wanted to post to recommend him again for anyone else looking for a driver in Siem Reap. Synon took us anywhere and everywhere for our three day trip. He was a great and careful driver and very thoughtful too. He reccomended some great restaurants, he did Airport pick up/drop offs, found us a private guide for Angkor Wat, everything. When we said we found him online he said immediately “flyertalk?” so it is clear he remembers everyone that has come his way from here and is grateful for their business.
the town was very quiet when we were there, the temples also. I’d say it’s an excellent time to go and experience a world heritage site without the crowds.
We found Synon through this forum so wanted to post to recommend him again for anyone else looking for a driver in Siem Reap. Synon took us anywhere and everywhere for our three day trip. He was a great and careful driver and very thoughtful too. He reccomended some great restaurants, he did Airport pick up/drop offs, found us a private guide for Angkor Wat, everything. When we said we found him online he said immediately “flyertalk?” so it is clear he remembers everyone that has come his way from here and is grateful for their business.
the town was very quiet when we were there, the temples also. I’d say it’s an excellent time to go and experience a world heritage site without the crowds.
Jun 19, 2023, 9:41 am
#170
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,015
Hi all
We found Synon through this forum so wanted to post to recommend him again for anyone else looking for a driver in Siem Reap. Synon took us anywhere and everywhere for our three day trip. He was a great and careful driver and very thoughtful too. He reccomended some great restaurants, he did Airport pick up/drop offs, found us a private guide for Angkor Wat, everything. When we said we found him online he said immediately “flyertalk?” so it is clear he remembers everyone that has come his way from here and is grateful for their business.
the town was very quiet when we were there, the temples also. I’d say it’s an excellent time to go and experience a world heritage site without the crowds.
We found Synon through this forum so wanted to post to recommend him again for anyone else looking for a driver in Siem Reap. Synon took us anywhere and everywhere for our three day trip. He was a great and careful driver and very thoughtful too. He reccomended some great restaurants, he did Airport pick up/drop offs, found us a private guide for Angkor Wat, everything. When we said we found him online he said immediately “flyertalk?” so it is clear he remembers everyone that has come his way from here and is grateful for their business.
the town was very quiet when we were there, the temples also. I’d say it’s an excellent time to go and experience a world heritage site without the crowds.
He is really a nice guy!
Jun 19, 2023, 10:19 am
#171
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
Jul 30, 2023, 3:48 pm
#172
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 2,887
I love this thread! First went to Siem Reap in 2002 when it was a pretty quiet town and very few hotels and restaurants (and we loved it like that!). We stayed in the Sofitel in the first few weeks of opening and all the power was by generator and everything was imported with the objective of building vegetable and flower gardens on the property. We are taking our daughter for a return trip in January and as usual, this forum has great advice and experiences. I also really love that someone that started out now has his own website and trip advisor page and that his service is still good. I of course cant believe the pricing of things in Siem Reap since our last time,. I am sure I will be surprised by the changes in the last 20+ years, and probably not for the better. A little off topic, my daughter is a vegetarian.. any good restaurant recommendations in siem reap for veg food? We did not get a chance to go to Tonle Sap last time - is it worth it to go out on the lake?