Le Meridien Angkor

We stayed at Le Meridien Angkor during our holiday in Siem Reap last year. Le Meridien is situated next to the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital run by Dr. Beat Richner and is the closest hotel to the legendary Angkor Wat temples. It's about 10 minutes by car to get to the entrance of Angkor Wat. The exterior of the hotel is not much to look at, but inside you'll find a retreat oasis for a good rest after a long day of exploration at the temples.

Garden view of Le Meridien Angkor

The lobby is bright and airy with very high ceilings and lots of potted plants. Outside the lobby the trees are lighted up with lanterns at night. As with many 5-star hotels, check-in is done at the many sofas around the lobby where we were served welcome drinks. Once check-in is completed we were escorted to our room. We were upgraded to a Deluxe room with two large queen beds and a big marble and black-tiled bathroom with separate shower and tub. The room has rich timber floors with Khmer-accented furniture. I especially loved the high and comfy beds! All deluxe rooms come with a garden view. Aromatherapy oils were placed in the room too, as with the complimentary tea and coffee facility.

Our Deluxe room! Is this not the perfect place to relax and re-energize?

Inside the hotel there are a few restaurants and bar which are able to cater to your meal requirements. On our first night there was a Khmer traditional dance at the Angkor Royale Cafe. The dancers were splendidly costumed and were gracious in their moves. As we were on a very short holiday we did not get a chance to dine at the hotel. We were too busy checking out the many restaurants at the Old Market area which is about 10 minutes ride by tut-tut from the hotel. Tut-tuts are available opposite the hotel. We found a rider who waited for us both days we were there to take us around.

Lovely Khmer-themed pool

There is a Khmer-designed pool in the hotel surrounded by water lily ponds. Teak wood deck chairs are placed around the pool for those who are working on a tan. The Cambodian weather was too warm for us so we preferred to stay indoors.

To relax after a long day of exploration, the hotel has a spa to rejuvenate tired limbs.

For guests who need a little retail therapy, there is a small shop inside the hotel selling Cambodian souvenirs and shirts.

The hotel staff were friendly and very accommodating even when faced with very rude guests. When we were checking out, a group of foreign guests had refused to pay for the Evian water they consumed. The free bottles of water were clearly labelled in our room, as with the Evian. The guests were extremely rude but the staff were clearly well-trained to handle them. I liked the fact that they greeted us by name every time we came down from our room.

Our holiday in Siem Reap was memorable not only because of the legendary Unesco World Heritage site of Angkor Wat, but also due much in part to this wonderful retreat called Le Meridien Angkor. Le Meridien Angkor will be my hotel of choice when visiting Siem Reap.

Tomb Raiding at Angkor Wat 2007

It had been raining since we landed at Siem Reap's airport and I was getting worried that this trip would be spent in the hotel instead of traipsing around Angkor's famous ruins. However, my prayers were answered by nightfall coz it stopped pouring. We had decided to start early, i.e. see the sunrise over Angkor so we woke up at 5:00am and was ready and waiting for our guide and driver by 5:30am. We arrived at Angkor Wat at 5:45am and I realized that there were already many people at the site.

The splendour of Angkor Wat intensified by the colors of the rising sun

As excited as I was to finally set eyes (and feet!) on this amazing monument, I was soon running along the walkway to get to our spot near the small lake. There were already a hive of activity there - people were looking for the best spot and setting up their cameras. We waited quite a while in anticipation for the sun to rise but it was well worth the wait. Angkor Wat awashed in hues of purple, then yellow was a sight to behold. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The Gods lining up one side of Angkor Thom

The famous smiling Buddha of Bayon

Once the sun rose, the crowds started leaving. We wanted to take advantage of the cool morning air to visit the other sites before the mid-morning crowds start streaming in. It was a good decision coz when we arrived at Angkor Thom and Bayon, we were practically the only tourists there. We took our time looking at the bas-reliefs, exploring and of course, took lots of photos.

The landmine survivors at Ta Phrom

Then, it's off to Ta Phrom where Tomb Raider was filmed. Along the way into Ta Phrom there were musicians who were landmine victims. It's such a sad sight, but I am proud of them for making an honest life for themselves. Ta Phrom is a wonder of nature, to say the least. Where else could you see nature co-existing with the structures? It's almost surreal.

Tomb Raider's film site

Visiting Ta Phrom made me feel like Lara Croft. I just had to take a picture of the famous tree!

Our journey continued to other sites such as Ta Keo, Banteay Kdey, Sra Srang, Banteay Srei. Banteay Srei was exquisite. It's smaller than I imagine, however. Banteay Srei is located quite a distance from the main Angkor sites and to get there we had to pass through many villages. One thing I noticed is that there were signboards outside each property stating the donor's name. According to our guide, the tourists donated wells to these homes which explains their names and country of origin on the signboards. The Cambodian villagers are very poor. Apparently it costs about USD80 per well. It is always heart-rending to know that there are people in the world who could not afford the very basic of necessities. So those of you who are planning to visit Angkor, perhaps you could donate a well and make life a little easier for them. A well would also help them be self-sufficient as its water could be used to irrigate the farms (that's what the guide told us).

We went back to Angkor Wat in the afternoon. It was a very steep climb to the top and I really did feel as adventurous as Lara Croft (I kinda idolise her if you don't realize that already). The view from atop Angkor were breathtaking. Exhilirating even, after such a steep climb! I could see hot-air balloons in the distance amidst the lush foliage surrounding Angkor Wat. There were many apsaras (celestial beings) carved into the columns and walls within Angkor. After we are done exploring Angkor Wat we paid our respects to Lord Shiva before leaving back to our hotel for a shower and well-deserved rest.

In hindsight, Angkor is truly well-deserving of its Unesco World Heritage status. It's almost hard to believe that these were ruins from an old kingdom. I think it should be preserved for the future generations coz nothing else even comes close to describing it. You need to see it with your own eyes.

Scenes of Life - Siem Reap 2007

I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting Angkor Wat last year. It's been my dream for as long as I can remember, so to finally set foot on Angkor was a poignant moment, enough to stir my emotions from deep within.

We had planned a short 3-day trip and what a trip that turned out to be! We had so much fun not just exploring the beauty of Angkor, we also discovered the depth of our relationship as sisters. In part this trip also opened our eyes to how different life can be in another country.


We had headed straight to the Old Market area immediately after checking into the hotel. Somehow, amidst the modern cafes dotting the area around it, the Old Market has managed to retain its old world charm. Then again, life in Siem Reap is one of many contrasts. Foreigners can be seen in the cafes, lost in their worldly comforts whilst outside, poor children peer in. It's a scene that was replayed many times during our short visit.

To travel from our hotel to the Old Market we took the "tut-tut". The ubiquitious tut-tut is everywhere in Siem Reap. This seems to be the main mode of transport. It's a fun way to travel with the wind (and dust) blowing in our hair and face and the rider swerving in and out of traffic, sometimes going in the wrong direction. At times like this we hang on for dear life. Then say "Wow ... that was fun. Let's do it again!" when we reach our destination.

Many people we met made an quite an impression on me. The hotel staff, our guide & driver, the vendors at the market, the book cart vendor, the kids on the street, the landmine survivors -despite the hardship they faced, are still always ready with a smile. The Cambodians are survivors ... with that alone, they deserve all our respect.