This is my second time in Siem Reap. My husband, Ricky, and I along with our then 4-yr old daughter, Emily, and 6 y/o son, Carson, came here for a family vacation back in March of 2013 and had a wonderful time. We also stayed at the same resort hotel that we stayed at back then and it’s called Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort and Spa. It’s a mid-size hotel with excellent location, great service, beautiful pool, and excellent breakfast buffet that is included with our room rate (very affordable at $75 a night for 3 adults with breakfast). I was such in awe of the 12th century temples they have in this town that I knew I had to go back so I can process it all in because you can only do so much with small kids in tow. This time I went with adults only: my mom and sister, Geeh. We stayed longer in 2013 (4 nights) because our kids were young then and rushing in to see the temples wasn’t going to cut it. This time, we only stayed for 2 nights and it was just right.
Things to consider before visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia:
- If you have a US Passport, you need a visa to enter Cambodia. They offer visa upon arrival and the process takes 15 minutes and will cost you $30.00. For further details on requirements to travel to Cambodia, here’s the link.
- Believe it or not, $US dollars is widely used everywhere: restaurants, coffee shops, markets, etc. We exchanged some of our US dollars for the local currency upon arrival and ended up scrambling towards the end to spend it because we did not use it much. Just bring tons of $1 bills for tips and tuktuks: these are the 2-wheeled carriages pulled by motorbikes used widely in Cambodia as a form of public transportation.
- ON SHOPPING: Haggle, haggle, haggle! Shopping here is plentiful and inexpensive but don’t accept the initial price the sellers tell you. THEY WANT YOUR BUSINESS! Ask for the ‘last price’ or ‘the best price’ they can offer (usually 30-50% of their initial offer). If you don’t like what you hear, be prepared to walk away. 9 times out of 10, they will come after you and give you the ‘best price’. The more you buy in one store, the better discount you can get. If something does not work out in one particular store, there are literally hundreds of stalls wanting your business. Just remember to always smile, have fun, and be respectful!
- Most stores and some restaurants do not accept credit cards so make sure you have cash handy.
- On visiting temples: you need to wear clothes with sleeves and legs should be covered. I took the scarf and pants off when taking pictures.
We visited the 3 major temples on our first day: Angkor Wat, Ba Yon, and Ta Prohm temples. . Our mission was to see all these temples in 1 day because of cost. Admission tickets to see most of the temples in Cambodia costs $37 per person, good for 1 day (from sunset until the park closes that day; not a 24-hour period). 3-Day Pass costs $64 per person. There are no 2-Day Passes. 12y/o and under are free. I paid a guide $50 good for all day to show us the highlights and tell us the history behind each temple. You can find tour guides at every park’s entrance! I also hired a private driver with good air-conditioned car to take us to all these temples. Cost for our private car/driver for the the day is $30.
DAY 1 (Top 3 Temples + Night Market)
Temple 1: ANGKOR WAT: the most visited and most iconic temple in Siem Reap. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We went there early…… like real early… we got picked up at the hotel at 5am so we can watch the sunset over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day with some drizzle and the sun never appeared. However it was still beautiful watching it go from dark to daylight in the area.
My entire red dress outfit , yellow 2-piece set outfit, and leopard skirt outfit linked below:
Temple 2: TA PROHM: this temple is widely known in Cambodia because some scenes from Angelina Jolie’s movie, Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider were shot here. The place is surrounded by huge trees and hanging vines and looks like a temple lost in the jungle with all the thick roots growing into the temples. It’s quite amazing! We were able to see everything here in 1.5 hours.
Temple 3: BA YON, also called the Temple of Faces. It is made of about 52 stone towers and each tower has 4 sides and each side has the face of Buddha carved into it. It’s a sight to behold! Our tour here lasted 1.5 hours.
There are numerous temples in Siem Reap but these 3 I mentioned above are the must-see if you ever visit!
LUNCH. We had lunch after visiting Angkor Wat and before going to Ta Prohm. We specifically asked for an air-conditioned restaurant because believe it or not, the temps may have been in the 90s while we were there, but most restaurants still don’t have air-conditioning. We ate lunch at a place called Banana Tree Restaurant and Cafe. We ordered 3 meals and it was just ok… not great but just ok. I was also surprised to see that each meal cost around $11 + our big bottled water and our bill totaled $37 which I thought was pretty high. I guess the air-conditioning was extra haha!
We were so exhausted from the heat and covering 3 temples that day so that as soon as we got back to our hotel, we showered and took a very long nap: from 5:30pm-9:30pm! We missed the Happy Hour at the hotel (darn) but thank goodness Night Market is still happening and so off we went shopping.
Night Market: We used a TukTuk Taxi from our hotel to the Night Market; cost is $2 for all of us! We bought souvenir shirts, Cambodian Coffee (they make excellent coffee here), real silver jewelries, bags, etc. My mom made the most purchase here saying that that’s part of her Xmas shopping:) #smartlady. We also passed Pub Street (Siem Reap’s nightlife hub) while shopping.
DINNER. We ate at an Indian restaurant called Namaskar Indian Kitchen and it was really good. Thankfully they were still open because it was midnight at that point. They make the naan in front of you which was entertaining.
Day 2: More Shopping + Phnom Pehn
The next day, we enjoyed our breakfast at the hotel where they served a wide variety of food. The coffee is excellent! We did a little bit more shopping at the market then had a private van/driver take us to Phnom Pehn where we would do a little bit of sightseeing before catching our flight back to the Philippines. Cost of private van with driver from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn is $85 for all of us. Travel time is more or less 5 hours depending on traffic and the roads this time were so much better than when I came here in 2013!
View my in-bound travel outfit here.
I hope you enjoyed reading my quick adventures to Cambodia. I know it is not very often someone says ‘I’m going to Cambodia’ but when you’re in the SouthEast Asia, do visit here. It’s quite amazing! Comment or email me with any questions or if you need info on the guide or private van/driver that we hired.
Xo and safe travels,
Elvie
I never thought Cambodia could have those attractions but I was wondering why so many temples in one place? They sure are fascinating…
Good question! I guess they’re very religious!
It’s so heartwarming to see daughters spending time with their mother, even when they’re all grown up. Hope to see more of your adventures!
We had the best time! Yes to more adventures in the horizon!
Would love to go there on my next vacation. Seems so relaxing!!
Relaxing and adventurous all in one!