siem reap & phnom penh

overview

DATES 2019.04.19 to 2019.04.26
WHERE Siem Reap, Cambodia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Finding it a rather perfectly timed trip, the time has finally come for Kihyun and Jinhwan’s Cambodia adventure! Leaving on Friday, April 19, 2019, the two will board a plane from Incheon, South Korea for a five and a half (approximately) hour flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia where they'll land at Siem Reap International Airport.

Of course, it won’t be five hours in economy class! First and business class have bed seating and individual cubicles for privacy, as well as individual functions to make yourself comfortable and charging stations for devices. Guests have a gourmet meal service of Korean and Western meals with premium ingredients as well as various beverage options, including certified eco-friendly coffee and a wide selection of luxurious teas.

When returning to Seoul, they'll be flying out of Phnom Penh International Airport instead of making the drive back to Siem Reap (which would be an approximately 8 hour trip), which is another five hour flight back.
accomodations

Tara Angkor Hotel

The Tara Angkor Hotel is an eight minute walk from the archaeological exhibits at Angkor National Museum and six kilometers from the iconic Angkor Wat temple complex (approximately fifteen minutes), one of the closer locations Jin had found to both the center of town and the temples.

There are two lounges--the Lobby Lounge and the Lily Lounge and two airy, polished restaurants--Tong Tara which offers a wide selection of international dishes including made to order omlettes and traditional noodle soups, French pastries, and fruits during breakfast as well as traditional family style Khmer and Thai food during lunch and dinner; and Frangipani which provides a calm and more defined meal of European delicaties

There is also the Tara Spa offering various spa treatments as well as a pool to relax and beat the heat!

Room Amenities

Considering they might not be in the room much, Jin opted for the Superior Double Room with a king sized bed. They’re simple, but elegant and stylishly decorated, and contain standard room amenities: Air conditions, free bottled water, in-room safety box, free Wi-Fi access, Coffee and Tea, LCD television, satellite TV, mini-bar, combined shower and bath, hair dryer, bathrobes, etc.

 Hotel-wise, there is room service, poolside service, complimentary bicycle rental, evening turn down service, an available concierge and tour desk, airport and shuttle services, currency exchange, a gift shop with local handicrafts, laundry and dry cleaning services as well as a shoe shine service, and a doctor on call should any trouble arise (though lets hope not!).

Here are the full hotel details, including the gallery which has a lot of nice photos of the grounds and rooms!

Villa Grande

Housed in a colonial-style building, the Villa Grange houses an outdoor swimming pool and a private restaurant, featuring traditional Khmer-style decoration throughout the property with modern amenities.

The accommodation is only 300 me away from Royal Palace Phnom Penh, 800 meters from the Riverside area, and only 50 meters away from Wat Botum. The Phnom Penh International Airport is 9 km from Villa Grange.

Room Amenities

This room is a little smaller with only a queen sized bed, but they have a lot of places to go and things to do! The rooms features Khmer-style decoration as well as a number of amenities including a DVD player, flat-screen TV, large wardrobe and an en suite bathroom with a walk in shower. They also offer Tea/Coffee Maker, Safety Deposit Box, Air conditioning, Refrigerator, and a pool view. Here are the full hotel details!

itinerary

Temples

Guests must possess an admission pass aka an Angkor Pass to visit the temples and sites in the Angkor Archaeological Park, which Jin will take care of at the main entrance of the road to Angkor Wat. He’ll go for the three day block so they can see as much of the big temples as they'd like over three consecutive days (as they'll have to use them three consecutive days).

Visiting hours are 5:00AM to 6:00PM, with Angkor Wat closing at 6:00 PM, Banteay Srey closing at 5:00 PM and Kbal Spean closing at 3:00 PM. For Phnom Kulen, Koh Ker, and Beng Melea, there is a separate entrance fee of $20, $10, and $5 respectively.

Phare Circus

The Phare Circus will be showing their Eclipse performance which tells the story of a disfigured young man in rural Cambodia who is rejected and ridiculed, and wonders why he is cursed. He seeks help from the gods who answer his prayers by transforming him into a beautiful woman with magical powers. Using this new form, he attracts the attention and desire of the village men, but the villagers quickly discover there’s something sinister about the newcomer in their midst.

Food Tour

Per the information here, the Siem Reap Food Tours provides personal guided evening expeditions through Siem Reap, giving guests a unique opportunity to learn about, life, culture, and food through authentic Khmer dishes in a variety of off-the-beaten path setting, including street-side food stalls and busy local markets. This includes Cambodia BBQ to frogs stuffed with kroeung, a fragrant curry paste is a defining ingredient of Khmer cuisine.

The evening tour starts at 5:00 PM and is over by 8:45 PM with guests being dropped off at the hotel following the tour.

Phnom Penh

Approximately five hours away (one hour flight) from Siem Rep is Phenom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia which sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers, and has plenty of museums, restuarants, and markets to visit - perfect for finding more to do beyond the temples in Siem Reap.

And since it came up in conversation, here are some videos from Mark Wiens as well as a couple guides, with the live crab market being in Kep Beach which is approximately four hours away from Phenom Penh.

Other Things to Do

There are plenty of things to do between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, their schedule is pretty open for whatever exploring they want to do!

A lot of what comes up in the last link are restaurants and markets whereas the other two have some more outdoorsy adventures, which generally cover the same core things with maybe a couple differences from each other. Whatever they end up doing, it'll hopefully be a lot of fun!