Siem Reap is a must-visit location in Southeast Asia.

The Angkor temples are simply incredible (although getting increasingly crowded… if you want a behind-the-scenes, no-crowds visit check out THIS sunrise trip I took to Angkor Wat courtesy of the Amansara luxury resort).

If you only have time to do two things while in Cambodia, yes, the Angkor temples should be on the list.

But the other is the Phare Cambodian Circus – click HERE to see why I’m so enamoured with them).

All my articles about Siem Reap are listed on the Cambodia page, but here’s a detailed overview of hotels.  Check out Socially conscious Siem Reap too.

Where to Stay

Choosing where to stay while in Siem Reap is not quite as easy as choosing what to see and do. I’m sure that one of these will be perfect for you:

• A treasure in the Siem Reap countryside: Trésor d’Angkor, Cambodia (for Boutique Travel).
• Udaya Residence is a sweet retreat in Siem Reap
• Review of Udaya Residences (forthcoming)
• Review of Sala Lodges
• Review of Natura Resort
• Review of Heritage Suites Hotel (Siem Reap) A Luxury And Boutique Hotels Top 8 Worldwide Hotel
• Review of Pavillon d’Orient Hotel
• Review of Park Hyatt Siem Reap
• Review of The RiverGarden Hotel
• Review of Sojourn Boutique Hotels
• Review of Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa
• Review of The One Hotel Collection

Pavillon d’Orient Hotel:  a pretty little boutique hotel on the outskirts of Siem Reap just a few kilometers from the Angkor temples. It is very friendly, very comfortable and simply a lovely place to stay. Tuktuk transportation to almost all the Angkor temples is included in your room rate, so you don’t have to worry about negotiating a fare or fighting off the tuktuk touts on the streets. The LuxuryAndBoutiqueHotels.com feature is HERE.

Full-on luxury is at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap. The hotel’s impressive attributes are too numerous to list, but here’s a taste: two pools, a fantastic chef, several dining venues, chic decor and great service. Oh, and the homemade ice cream. But even more impressive than this beautiful hotel is what the Park Hyatt is doing to help rebuild Cambodia. They support organizations like the perfectly named Everything’s Gonna Be Ok and the Life and Hope Association which help educate some of the poorest young Cambodians and break the cycle of poverty. HERE‘s the feature.

The RiverGarden Hotel is a great little boutique property with a fantastic kitchen, a cooling pool and, as the name implies, gardens near the river. A little quirky, it will appeal to families with kids, older couples and solo travellers. Check it out HERE, and make sure you give their fish amok a try — my favourite version of this traditional Cambodian dish.

There’s a great little boutique villa hotel just outside of Siem Reap where the people are fantastic and the owners do a huge number of fantastic things for the local community. Sojourn Boutique Villas also has a destination spa and cooking school too!  HERE‘s the LuxuryAndBoutiqueHotels.com feature.

Heritage Suites Hotel made the list of Top 8 Luxury And Boutique Hotels. Click HERE to read all the many many reasons it is so fab.  Make sure your stay in Siem Reap falls on a Thursday night so you can attend Heritage Suites’ super cool Thursday jazz nights.

If big resorts are your thing, check out the Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa, with its giant pool to cool off in after all your time at the temples.  The feature is HERE.

And the antithesis of a giant resort is a micro hotel: there are three in Siem Reap, all under The One Hotel Collection. Hotel Be has three rooms and you get The One Villa Angkor or The One Hotel all to yourself. My LuxuryAndBoutiqueHotels.com feature is HERE.

Note: My stays were complimentary, courtesy of each hotel, but all opinions are my own and no one from the hotels reviewed or approved my text.