by Aude
Riding temples in Angkor was something I’ve been looking to do for such a long time! I’ve finally been able to spend a few days in Siem Reap this May and those 3 days were everything I was looking for: complete change of scenery, temples, temples and even more more temples, good food and total chill ….
GOING THERE
The flight from Hong Kong to Siem Reap is less than 3h and a few different options are available including the rather efficient Hong Kong Express which I always find pretty decent for a low-cost company.
You’ll need a visa to enter Cambodia. Most of the people do it directly at the airport, I heard it’s quite easy and doesn’t take too much time. Yet, I would definitely recommend doing it online like I did. It literally took me 5 min and once your visa approve (2h after submitting it online for me – they say it takes up to 3 working days) all you have to do is print it and present it at immigration desk. Having only a carry-on bag and already a visa it took me 10 min to get out of the airport. Super convenient.
The official website to get your e-visa. Online visa is USD 36, USD 30 at the airport (make sure to have the exact change if you choose this option).
Once out of the airport, there’s a small desk where you can easily book a tuk tuk or a car to your destination. USD 11 for a car and USD 9 for a tuk tuk, it takes 20 to 30 min to reach Siem Reap. I went for the tuk tuk option (I love tuk tuk!) and while discussing w/ my rider about my stay he offered me to be my driver for the temples for the next two days: USD 25/Day (for two people). Easy peasy!
WHERE TO STAY
Riding temples in Angkor was something I’ve been looking to do for such a long time! I’ve finally been able to spend a few days in Siem Reap this May and those 3 days were everything I was looking for: complete change of scenery, temples, temples and even more more temples, good food and total chill ….
GOING THERE
The flight from Hong Kong to Siem Reap is less than 3h and a few different options are available including the rather efficient Hong Kong Express which I always find pretty decent for a low-cost company.
You’ll need a visa to enter Cambodia. Most of the people do it directly at the airport, I heard it’s quite easy and doesn’t take too much time. Yet, I would definitely recommend doing it online like I did. It literally took me 5 min and once your visa approve (2h after submitting it online for me – they say it takes up to 3 working days) all you have to do is print it and present it at immigration desk. Having only a carry-on bag and already a visa it took me 10 min to get out of the airport. Super convenient.
The official website to get your e-visa. Online visa is USD 36, USD 30 at the airport (make sure to have the exact change if you choose this option).
Once out of the airport, there’s a small desk where you can easily book a tuk tuk or a car to your destination. USD 11 for a car and USD 9 for a tuk tuk, it takes 20 to 30 min to reach Siem Reap. I went for the tuk tuk option (I love tuk tuk!) and while discussing w/ my rider about my stay he offered me to be my driver for the temples for the next two days: USD 25/Day (for two people). Easy peasy!
WHERE TO STAY
We decided to stay at Le Meridien which is located a little bit outside from the city center (10 min ride) but closer to Angkor. A good mix of indulgence and attractive room rates and a perfect option if you are just like us and planning to ride the temples in the morning and chill by the pool in the afternoon (the pool there is pretty cool and quiet). The cool thing with Siem Reap is you can treat yourself to a quite nice hotel for a reasonable price.
Only downside of Le Meridien is the FnB offer: no local restaurants and a very disappointing Italian dinner on the first night (I know, Italian food in Cambodia but we just landed and were tired so though we would have dinner inside the hotel which obviously not the best idea). I would definitely not recommend having dinner there.
On a budget:
For backpackers and those short on budget, there are a few youth hostels options available in Siem Reap. Another great option is Airbnb where you can find rooms starting from around HKD 150 a night (bargain!).
Looking to treat yourself:
This article gives you a pretty nice overview of the 20 most beautiful hotels in Siem Reap. Watch out, after you’ve seen this list and the pictures of the hotels you might wanna feel like packing and booking a flight right away!
WHAT TO DO
Only downside of Le Meridien is the FnB offer: no local restaurants and a very disappointing Italian dinner on the first night (I know, Italian food in Cambodia but we just landed and were tired so though we would have dinner inside the hotel which obviously not the best idea). I would definitely not recommend having dinner there.
On a budget:
For backpackers and those short on budget, there are a few youth hostels options available in Siem Reap. Another great option is Airbnb where you can find rooms starting from around HKD 150 a night (bargain!).
Looking to treat yourself:
This article gives you a pretty nice overview of the 20 most beautiful hotels in Siem Reap. Watch out, after you’ve seen this list and the pictures of the hotels you might wanna feel like packing and booking a flight right away!
WHAT TO DO
Of course, the main reason for me (and most of the people) to stay in Siem Reap was to visit Angkor, the former capital of the Khmer Empire and a UNESCO World heritage site since 1992. More than 70 temples are to be found in the area, most of them have been restored by them but they discover some new ones.
Hong Kong Madame tips: there’s no access to the Angkor area without a temple pass. You can either buy a pass for 1-day pass for USD 37 or a 3-day pass for USD 62. It’s no cheap but think about it, how to resto the temples without any money? And when you visit a museum in France for example do you get free entry? I don’t think so. Preserving cultural wonders of the world does have a price and for me it’s absolutely normal that you have to pay to get access to those places.
Of course, you can decide to do it all in 1 day and spend 7 hours visiting temples. I would however recommend to do it over 2 or 3 days if you can. When you’ve 4 to 5 hours of visit and tuk tuk ride in the morning I can tell you all you wish for is go back to the hotel, have lunch and spend the afternoon chilling by the pool.
Of course, I haven’t visited the 70+ temples of the area but still have seen quite a few including:
Hong Kong Madame tips: there’s no access to the Angkor area without a temple pass. You can either buy a pass for 1-day pass for USD 37 or a 3-day pass for USD 62. It’s no cheap but think about it, how to resto the temples without any money? And when you visit a museum in France for example do you get free entry? I don’t think so. Preserving cultural wonders of the world does have a price and for me it’s absolutely normal that you have to pay to get access to those places.
Of course, you can decide to do it all in 1 day and spend 7 hours visiting temples. I would however recommend to do it over 2 or 3 days if you can. When you’ve 4 to 5 hours of visit and tuk tuk ride in the morning I can tell you all you wish for is go back to the hotel, have lunch and spend the afternoon chilling by the pool.
Of course, I haven’t visited the 70+ temples of the area but still have seen quite a few including:
Angkor Wat, the unmissable and the largest religious site in the world.
Well, funnily enough this is probably the temple I liked the less from all the one I have seen. I mean it’s beautiful and quite impressive but there are many tourists and I didn’t get that feeling of being away from time and people that I get in some of the other temples I’ve visited after that.
Hong Kong Madame tips: unlike the other temples which are opening at 7.30 am, Angkor Wat opens at 5 am for visitors to be able to witness the sunrise in the temple. Well from my own experience and after sharing with all my friends who have been there before, there are very small chances you’ll witness a proper sunrise yet I would definitely recommend hitting Angkor Wat between 5 and 5.30 am so that you can have a chance to wander the site before there is too much crowd but also because arriving there and seeing the temple emerge from the morning mist is quite a mystic experience. Plus, you’ll definitely wanna enjoy as much as the morning cool bruise as it gets super-hot and quite impossible to visit the temples in the afternoon. The best way to do it if you ask me:
- Wake-up early on your first morning there
- Be at the official ticket office for Angkor Archeological Park by 4.45 am – 5 am maximum
- Make sure to queue in the right queue as you have some 1-day pass counters and some 3-day pass counters
- Once you got your tickets, ride straight to Angkor Wat
If you are lucky enough to arrive quite early in Siem Reap the day before your first visit you can also go and purchase your tickets in the afternoon/early evening. It will save you a few precious minutes of sleep for the next morning.
When visiting the Angkor Archeological Park, two main circuits are possible: the small ones and the large ones.
We did the small one on the first morning, starting with Angkor Wat and then visiting the temples around. We left the hotel at 4;45 am and where back at 9.45. On the next day, we did the big tours which will take you first to Banteay Srei, a good 1-1.5h of tuk tuk far from Siem Reap and have you come back to the city by stopping to the temples on the way back. On that second day we left the hotel at 7 am and where back at 12.30pm.
A few names of temples:
Well, funnily enough this is probably the temple I liked the less from all the one I have seen. I mean it’s beautiful and quite impressive but there are many tourists and I didn’t get that feeling of being away from time and people that I get in some of the other temples I’ve visited after that.
Hong Kong Madame tips: unlike the other temples which are opening at 7.30 am, Angkor Wat opens at 5 am for visitors to be able to witness the sunrise in the temple. Well from my own experience and after sharing with all my friends who have been there before, there are very small chances you’ll witness a proper sunrise yet I would definitely recommend hitting Angkor Wat between 5 and 5.30 am so that you can have a chance to wander the site before there is too much crowd but also because arriving there and seeing the temple emerge from the morning mist is quite a mystic experience. Plus, you’ll definitely wanna enjoy as much as the morning cool bruise as it gets super-hot and quite impossible to visit the temples in the afternoon. The best way to do it if you ask me:
- Wake-up early on your first morning there
- Be at the official ticket office for Angkor Archeological Park by 4.45 am – 5 am maximum
- Make sure to queue in the right queue as you have some 1-day pass counters and some 3-day pass counters
- Once you got your tickets, ride straight to Angkor Wat
If you are lucky enough to arrive quite early in Siem Reap the day before your first visit you can also go and purchase your tickets in the afternoon/early evening. It will save you a few precious minutes of sleep for the next morning.
When visiting the Angkor Archeological Park, two main circuits are possible: the small ones and the large ones.
We did the small one on the first morning, starting with Angkor Wat and then visiting the temples around. We left the hotel at 4;45 am and where back at 9.45. On the next day, we did the big tours which will take you first to Banteay Srei, a good 1-1.5h of tuk tuk far from Siem Reap and have you come back to the city by stopping to the temples on the way back. On that second day we left the hotel at 7 am and where back at 12.30pm.
A few names of temples:
Bayon Temple and it’s incredible stone faces.
Ta Phrom, also known as Tomb Rider temple because it was used as a shooting location for the movie, and a quite impressive temple where nature is taking over.
Banteay Kdei
Preah Khan
Hong Kong Madame tips: I would definitely recommend doing just like us and finding a tuk tuk driver that will take care of you for the entire trip. It’s pretty easy because whenever you grab a tuk tuk they ask you if you need them to come and take you back or if you are doing somewhere after that … It’s super convenient because he will be waiting for you in front of your hotel in the morning, will take you on a tour and back, waiting for you while you visit the temples and know where to take you. Nothing to worry about, you can just do things at your own pace. Just ask at the airport when you grab a tuk tuk or ask at your hotel reception desk.
Having a guide can also be a good idea because after visiting 5-6 temples, even though you realize how different they all are you also start thinking “that’s another temple” but without really being able to see much more than beautiful stones in a pretty natural environment.
WHAT AND WHERE TO EAT?
Hong Kong Madame tips: I would definitely recommend doing just like us and finding a tuk tuk driver that will take care of you for the entire trip. It’s pretty easy because whenever you grab a tuk tuk they ask you if you need them to come and take you back or if you are doing somewhere after that … It’s super convenient because he will be waiting for you in front of your hotel in the morning, will take you on a tour and back, waiting for you while you visit the temples and know where to take you. Nothing to worry about, you can just do things at your own pace. Just ask at the airport when you grab a tuk tuk or ask at your hotel reception desk.
Having a guide can also be a good idea because after visiting 5-6 temples, even though you realize how different they all are you also start thinking “that’s another temple” but without really being able to see much more than beautiful stones in a pretty natural environment.
WHAT AND WHERE TO EAT?
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from Khmer cuisine as I’d never eaten any Cambodian food. Was pretty nicely surprise by the few local dishes I’ve tried.
Two addresses we’ve been trying and I can warmly recommend, one serving Khmer cuisine and the other one serving French/Cambodian fusion.
CHANREY TREE
Two addresses we’ve been trying and I can warmly recommend, one serving Khmer cuisine and the other one serving French/Cambodian fusion.
CHANREY TREE
Located in the city center of Siem Reap, Chanrey Tree is well known and serving Khmer cuisine in a lush courtyard setting.
Service is on point and the food is …. Super yummy! We went there for dinner on our second night (and first full day) in Siem Reap and loved it so much that we decided to treat ourselves at Chanrey Tree the next day at lunch time after more than 5h riding temples. Nothing like yummy food in a relaxing and beautiful environment.
Even though the restaurant is a little fancy for Cambodia there is nothing stiff about this place. They just served very local food but served it in a fancy way. And the prices are amazing for anyone like us living in Hong Kong with all main dishes being around USD 9 (but a little expensive for Cambodia).
The dishes we’ve tried and I can definitely recommend:
- Tonle Sap Steamed Fish: a super fresh and yummy bar fish fillet served w/ garlic, shallot, basil, steamed nut and lime dressing. We loved it so much when having it on the first day there that we had to take it again the next day
- Char Khroeung:my fav dish of all! Beef stir fried w/ Khmer spices including turmeric, galangal and lemongrass
- Khmer Jungle Soup: chicken with morning glory, sour leaf, curry paste and coconut cream
I was also so happy to find out that my fav dessert ever, Mango Sticky Rice, is also a Khmer specialty and was very surprised to discover that Khmer cuisine includes a lot of frog-based dishes (which I’m not a huge fan of … sorry not all French can deal with frog legs).
CUISINE WAT DAMNAK
Service is on point and the food is …. Super yummy! We went there for dinner on our second night (and first full day) in Siem Reap and loved it so much that we decided to treat ourselves at Chanrey Tree the next day at lunch time after more than 5h riding temples. Nothing like yummy food in a relaxing and beautiful environment.
Even though the restaurant is a little fancy for Cambodia there is nothing stiff about this place. They just served very local food but served it in a fancy way. And the prices are amazing for anyone like us living in Hong Kong with all main dishes being around USD 9 (but a little expensive for Cambodia).
The dishes we’ve tried and I can definitely recommend:
- Tonle Sap Steamed Fish: a super fresh and yummy bar fish fillet served w/ garlic, shallot, basil, steamed nut and lime dressing. We loved it so much when having it on the first day there that we had to take it again the next day
- Char Khroeung:my fav dish of all! Beef stir fried w/ Khmer spices including turmeric, galangal and lemongrass
- Khmer Jungle Soup: chicken with morning glory, sour leaf, curry paste and coconut cream
I was also so happy to find out that my fav dessert ever, Mango Sticky Rice, is also a Khmer specialty and was very surprised to discover that Khmer cuisine includes a lot of frog-based dishes (which I’m not a huge fan of … sorry not all French can deal with frog legs).
CUISINE WAT DAMNAK
If you have read some of my previous travel guides, such as Seoul or Cape Town, you know I got that little foodie guilty pleasure: booking myself a World Best Restaurant when traveling abroad (if one of those is located in the city I am traveling to).
Well Cuisine Wat Damnak was previously in the Asia Best restaurant list and even though it’s not anymore I thought I should treat myself to dinner there.
This restaurant is run by a French Chef who first landed in Cambodia in 2003. If you book a table there (which is a very good idea), ask for a table upstairs. You’ll be seating in a nice wooden hut like room, in a pretty chill atmosphere.
Menu changes every two weeks and is a combination of Cambodian ingredients and French cooking techniques.
5 courses menu is USD 27 and 6 courses menu is USD 31.
Those 3 days in Siem Reap were just perfect and if you haven’t been yet I can only warmly recommend it to you! Wanna share some travel tips with us, have some questions or just wanna say hi? Shoot us an email at contact@hongkongmadame.com
Well Cuisine Wat Damnak was previously in the Asia Best restaurant list and even though it’s not anymore I thought I should treat myself to dinner there.
This restaurant is run by a French Chef who first landed in Cambodia in 2003. If you book a table there (which is a very good idea), ask for a table upstairs. You’ll be seating in a nice wooden hut like room, in a pretty chill atmosphere.
Menu changes every two weeks and is a combination of Cambodian ingredients and French cooking techniques.
5 courses menu is USD 27 and 6 courses menu is USD 31.
Those 3 days in Siem Reap were just perfect and if you haven’t been yet I can only warmly recommend it to you! Wanna share some travel tips with us, have some questions or just wanna say hi? Shoot us an email at contact@hongkongmadame.com
