Cheetah_SA

I can really relate to that! I found a superb downloadable Angkor guide on line and assimilated much of it before we went. Then used it as we viewed the temples. This was as much information as I could cope with (indeed far more) and I did not envy the dazed tourists standing in the sun while their guides prattled on. If there was a crowd around a particularly famous mural or carving or whatever, and we were too hot or tired to care, we just moved on. But if a spot appealed we could stop as long as we wanted.

We used only a driver which was provided by La Residence (They also offered a driver and a guide.) He spoke excellent English and was knowledgeable about when to visit which sites as well as providing fascinating insights about life in Cambodia and Siem Reap in particular. We were often alone in the outer temples. For Angkor Wat itself the crowds were quite manageable very early or very late. We did morning and late afternoon excursions with a 3 hour lunch/siesta break as was recommended to cope with the heat and the exertion of tramping over ruins for hours on end.

MegatopLover

Interesting discussion.

So, any additional comments on the luxury hotel scene?

I know the Hotel de la Paix is now the Park Hyatt Siem Reap, and there is a thread on it in the Hyatt forum, but I'd like to hear the views of regulars in this forum.

I see that there's also La Residence. What is the view on that?

Le Meridien is on the main road to the park, but it seems a notch or two below luxury. Thoughts?

Cheetah_SA

La Residence is decidedly upmarket but obviously not anywhere near as luxurious as an Aman or even a typical PH. What it does have though is architecture and a look and feel that is unequivocally of its place.

We walked around the public spaces of de la Paix and it was grand and full of clever design ideas - but also felt rather self-conscious and over-designed. For our tastes we were glad we had chosen la Residence. But this was 5 years ago; no idea what it's like under Hyatt.

vuittonsofstyle

My all-time favourite in Siem Reap is Amansara, by miles. Second, though, is Park Hyatt Siem Reap, which is a great redesign by Hyatt, still using Bill Bensley as designer, but toning things down a bit and making more sense of the space. Very good food, too.

La Residence is OK, but not, IMHO a deluxe property.

bhrubin

I completely concur. We were just at Amansara in January for 5 nights and had a spectacular stay. It's pricey, but totally worth it IMO.

We also dined at the PH, and we found their restaurant to be wonderful...but definitely preferred the intimacy and boutique feel and more luxe flavor of Amansara. (That being said, the PH is a steal if you have Hyatt/Chase UR points or can get a cash + points rate.)

Other friends started at La Residence but moved in a day to the PH--they found LR to have serious service flaws and cleanliness issues that definitely displeased them. They would concur that LR is upmarket but not luxe.

quitecontrary

We stayed at the Park Hyatt about a year ago and loved it - here's what I wrote here in another thread -


"I loved the Park Hyatt - the hotel is gorgeous and has been beautifully refurbished by the Park Hyatt using the architect who refurbished the Hotel de la Paix in 2000 - Bill Bensley. The hard product is excellent and the staff are extremely gracious. The rooms are generous in size - we were upgraded to a deluxe Courtyard facing room as part of our Virtuoso amenities - this would normally be described as a junior suite in othe hotels. The fittings are top notch including a great bathroom with double vanities, separate bath and shower cubical with rain shower etc.. The room was fitted with a central multimedia panel, electric curtains, an enormous tv ( yes I know Amans don't sink so low as to have these) which swiveled around to face either the bed or the sitting area.

The public areas are really stunning - lovely pool etc.. The hotel is going to have pool villas but these aren't ready as yet. Thoroughly recommend it especially as our bill for 3 nights was $1200 including all taxes and service charges. Included in that was wine at dinner one night ( the 4 course dinner was part of the Virtouso deal) and cocktails 2 nights in the Living Room. We also had a bottle of Taittenger, crisps, chocolates etc delivered as a welcome gift. Great position for walking out into the town but once you're inside the hotel it's a haven of tranquility."

With regard to included outings from Amansara you might find this post from Musken useful - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21665662-post123.html

Like others have said here I prefer to walk around temples without a guide as I prefer to absorb the atmosphere in silence having read up about the temples in advance.

sinova

Yes I agree it is too late to visit Siem Reap now. The city has been flooded with tourists from Korea and China. Once they come down to the dinning room for breakfast,they clean up everything so fast. I heard one guy said these people are just like Locus, there is nothing left after they've gone thru!

MikeFromTokyo

Yet another reason to stay at Amansara...

quitecontrary

Or even the PH!

I must have been lucky or our driver's strategy of visiting the temples in a certain order worked - we didn't encounter many large tour groups - only one who walked through I think Ankor Thom at a fairly fast pace whilst we were sitting in a quiet area - when they'd gone back to peace again. We did see a lot of local families in front of Ankor Wat at sunset but you can hardly begrudge them visiting a temple in their own country- imagine if Americans weren't allowed to visit say the Grand Canyon - it would be peaceful though!

MikeFromTokyo

I am sure the PH is very nice, and I am a fan of Bill Bensley's, so would also like to stay there at some point, or at least have dinner there while staying at Amansara.

That vuittonsofstyle even mentions it as her second choice - even if far behind Amansara - says a lot.

vuittonsofstyle

Amansara is totally worth it. The chef, Molly, is outstanding, as is the Spa and Sally Baughen is one of Aman's very best GMs - incredibly hands-on, but yes, PH is not at all bad - certainly a great place to go for lunch or dinner if you are staying at Amansara, but also a very good second choice. Nice people there.

bhrubin

Totally agreed! Molly, Sally, and Audrey (assistant GM) at Amansara are all fabulous--suffice to say that my husband and I had an amazing time there in January and spent some extra time with Molly and Audrey that will go down in the record books. Our dinner at the PH was fantastic, but we still largely preferred Molly's cooking at Amansara.

To be honest, the Amansara breakfast is perhaps my favorite of any hotel anywhere. Their special pancakes were...divine. I salivate now just thinking of them.

ung1

Any more recent thoughts on this, especially now that there are a couple of new places on the scene like Phum Baitang. Looking at July and there are some pretty good deals at the PH, Raffles, Sofitel, Shinta Mani etc. Don't want to spend Amansara kind of money though.

My impressions from reading various sources are that the Raffles is dated, Sofitel is full of tour groups, PH is more American style and less colonial, and Shinta Mani's website doesn't look all that professional.

DSI

Amansara is totally overpriced for what you get. We've stayed in many places that are much more expensive and much nicer, and Amansara is just not good value for money IMO.

If your pockets are overflowing with money or you can get a free stay then it's worth it, but otherwise, no thanks.

uggboy

How about this...

https://www.heritagesuiteshotel.com/

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^