Well, BKKROP you have a point. If somebody is willing to pay the high prices for hotel rooms at the Raffles, then the $120 cost for the day for driver/guide should come with the territory. And I'm sure that doesn't include the cost of the passes per person, that's just for vehicle, driver and guide.

I do take issue with the insinuation that "properly" means paying as much as possible. There are many ways to get a reputable driver/guide and do the temples "properly" as you put it, paying 1/3 of 1/2 of the asking price of the Raffles concierge. It just takes a bit more homework to set up. As well all know, a huge part of the cost is in the hotel markup, pure profit for them, since the effort involved in setting up the guide/driver is a <5 minute phone call. Is the Raffles experience worth 2-3 times as much as that with an independent? Well, I sort of doubt it, but whatever people want to believe....

Since all guides are required to be 'licensed' by Apsara, or whatever authority has currently paid enough for the positiion, you're not going to find (m)any independents.

While it's possible Raffles has their own list of 'qualified guides' they use it's also possible they get the next one on the list when they call for a guide. At least that's how it seems to work from my perspective.

Sorry for confusion. That's not what I meant. Yes I know the Angkor guides are supposed to be licensed but what I was referring to was the method of how one contracts for their services. "Independent" as in...can contract with independently or through guide's own company rather than through a hotel. Any 5* hotel is going to add a hefty middleman markup, which for a quick phone call, doesn't seem to be a lot of value-added there. I guess I'm just used to doing more for myself.

No confusion. We were both coming to the same conclusion: Getting a guide through a hotel or getting one in another fashion has the same likelihood of getting a decent/crap guide. You'll pay much more by going through the hotel.

In both scenarios someone is making a call and a guide is assigned. Period.

I will be in Bangkok late Nov of this year and am considering a trip to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor Wat. I did some reading and have learned that the best way to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap is by taking a bus to the border, than take a camry taxi fro the border to Siem Reap. Is this still true and are there better/alternative ways? First time going there with the understanding that Cambodia is not the civilized nation and anything could happen. I am hoping those who have been there recently can provide some advice.

You've outlined one of the cheapest ways, not necessarily the best way.

so.. what are the better ways?

What do you mean by "civilized?" If it means unpolished, unsanitary and unorganized, well compared to Canada (your profile location), you're absolutely correct. If you compare to Congo, probably incorrect.

I'm unclear on what "..anything could happen..." means. Border crossing troubles or general fear of personal safety in Cambodia? Actually, what could happen to the typical tourist is likely circumscribed in a fairly narrow band of predictability, unless you are into the drug or pedophile worlds, in which case "anything" becomes considerably broader in scope.

Direct flight, of course. Huge time saver and a lot more "safe" if I read your thread correctly. Just costs a bit more.

I got a similar quote from the concierge at Raffles as nycfly did. It didn't surprise me as it was less expensive than the tour company quote I received from my TA. It is higher than the amount paid by one of my business partners who stayed at a less expensive hotel. And all in all the difference is a small part of the cost of my two week trip. But as I don't mind saving $$, how do I go about pre-arranging a guide, car and driver in Siem Reap? I've checked this thread which has a self-promoter and the Angkor Wat Guide thread, which is not of much use.

Thanks for this review; I just emailed Kimsan for my upcoming trip to REP.

With so many guides to choose from, it's hard to decide and I want a legitimate one. :-)

You realize that ID is nothing more than a tout hawking the guide!?

And what is ID pray tell?

I did personally use Kim San and he was fine. He was a little more personable than other tour guides (from what I could tell) and he used that ability once to get me into an attraction that had already closed. I recommended him to a colleague and he fobbed her off to a "contractor" guide. She didn't say the other guide was bad, but it was a surprise and nobody (including Kim San) told her. However, I've seen reports of other "reputable" guides doing the same thing. I guess they sometimes double or triple-book.

You might want to clarify this before you get there...

ID = handle = individual you quoted.