We were supposed to visit Koh Rong Island for a few days, but we had some unexpected schedule changes and had to book a stay in Sihanoukville. Mat looked for hotels and found us Tamu Hotel on Otres Beach, and we were very impressed with this stylish beach resort in Cambodia.
Located about 10 km from downtown Sihanoukville, Tamu is a small but beautiful minimalist design resort situated on the south end of Otres Beach. Its location is also a quiet area for those looking for a relaxing stay. The property is painted white with rooms designed around a centrally placed pool. Integrated into the design are lush gardens, trees, wood finishes on the ground and doors, and day beds by the pool.
We stayed in a standard room that was stocked with amenities including air conditioning, a comfortable king-bed, WiFi, TV, refrigerator, coffee maker and more. There was a pretty good number of mosquitos in our room but every room has an electronic racket for killing them and mosquito coils to repel them. The bathroom is separate from the bedroom by a sliding door. Unlike the white exterior, the bathroom was predominantly black, had a grey concrete floor, and a partial opening for sunlight to pass in.
The hotel also has its own restaurant with a terrific view of ocean, a perfect place for enjoying a relaxing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Breakfast is complimentary with fruits, bread, honey/jam, juice and milk, and you can order other items off the menu. Lunch and dinner menus include a few different dining options, including Khmer food and western style food.
While we loved the stylish features of the hotel, we were incredibly impressed with the Tamu staff and service. When our sliding door had an issue, they immediately sent a friendly handyman to fix it. Everyone was very nice, very attentive to detail and were always greeting us and trying to remember our names. They helped answer any questions or would bring drinks to the beach if requested, were always smiling, and full of energy that added a pleasant positive vibe to an already beautiful location. The staff also maintains the beach and the resort, as members are routinely seen combing the sand, picking up any trash and sweeping the grounds.
The hotel welcomed us and took care of us like we were family. It is a great place to stay and we highly recommend Tamu Hotel to anyone visiting Otres Beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Siem Reap, Cambodia is home to many spectacular temples and attractions that would take at least several days to visit them all. But you only have one or two days for your visit, where do you go and how would you get there? Fortunately, even for the shortest of trips, you can still get a full experience of what the city has to offer and we can offer a few tips to guide you.
How to get there
The quickest way to get to Siem Reap is by plane, but if you’re staying in cities like Phnom Penh, Battambang or even Pursat (where we were placed for our volunteering), the most economical method is by bus. A one-way ticket from those cities is about $7 per person and can take 3-7 hours, depending on your location. Giant Ibis is a well-known bus company with its fleet offering WiFi, air-conditioning, outlets for charging your devices, even overnight bus rides, and great customer service. You can also take a private bus or taxi rides, but they may run you a little more money.
Getting around the city
The most economical and fun way to get around is by tuk-tuk, which is an auto rickshaw. For 3-4 people, you can get a tuk-tuk to take you throughout Siem Reap and visit the temples for $15-20 for an entire day (but I suggest giving a really nice tip if they take care of you since many drivers barely make enough to support their families). We had a really great driver named Kent that picked us up from our hotel, drove us to various temples while giving us their historical context, helped us arrange bus rides and dropped us off at several other destinations. If you have a higher budget, you can opt for something more comfortable like a private taxi or bus.
Buying your Angkor Wat pass
In order to get into the temples, you first need to obtain an Angkor Wat pass. You can purchase one-day pass for $20, 3-day pass for $40 and 1-week pass for $60, and you will have your picture taken for the pass. For 3-day and 1-week passes, you can visit the temples on separate days within one week and one month periods, respectively. If you buy your 1-day pass at 5:00 pm, you can visit the temples in the same evening to catch a sunset, and you will still be able to use it for the entire next day until 5:00 pm. Make sure you keep it with you and dry at all times. If you lose the pass or your photo becomes unrecognizable, you will have to purchase a new one.
Where to go
The most visited attraction is Angkor Wat, one of the largest religious structures in the world. While you can visit the temple anytime, it is famously photographed during sunrises with the lotus ponds reflecting the structure and sky. Here’s my short timelapse of the spectacular sunrise we saw: Angkor Wat Sunrise. The other temples we were able to visit were East Mebon, Bayon, Ta Nei and Ta Prohm. Many of the temples are within a very close proximity to each other, and you can easily visit up to 6-8 temples in a full day. Check out our full video of our visit:
After a long day visiting temples, you can head over to Pub Street, a destination with a wide array of nightlife activities. There are many restaurants with local and western menus at reasonable prices. You can also hit up many bars, enjoy the live entertainment and party on late into the night. If you’re wanting to unwind and relax, you can get a full body massage for 1-hour starting at $8 or try a fish pedicure. There are also a variety of food and juice stands, and markets to buy clothes, crafts and other souvenirs.
Other Tips
All vendors will accept the US dollar, but bring mostly $1 and $5 bills, as local vendors may not have enough change for larger bills.
Siem Reap is generally hot all year round (reached 40°C, or 104°F when we were there) and very humid, so bring thin and light colored clothing. Traditionally, you should have clothing that covers the shoulders and the knees when visiting the temples. I brought along Columbia Convertible Pants, which had many pockets for security, is made with very light fabric, and unzips at the knees to turn into shorts. You can also purchase elephant pants for a couple dollars, which are very light, flowy and will keep you cool
It’s important to stay hydrated in the intense heat. Vendors are plentiful that sell water bottles and soft drinks from 50 cents to $1. There are also many juice standings selling ice cold smoothies for $1, but be careful of smoothies not using filtered or bottled water, which can easily give you diseases or viruses.
Carry plenty of sunscreen and bug spray. Always protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays by reapplying sunscreen, including your head if you’re not wearing a hat. Bugs can also be very vicious and unforgiving, so apply at least one good layer for defense.
While vendor food and drinks may look delicious, there is always a risk of contracting viruses or diseases from poor hygienic practices or water sources. Everyone in my volunteer group got sick from eating or drinking food there, including me and another member contracting viruses that gave us fevers reaching 104°F.
Hope you enjoy the tips that we laid out based on our personal experiences. Leave a comment with some other tips that would be helpful when venturing to Siem Reap!
Check out our video during a weekend in Siem Reap. Although we were only there for about a day and a half, we were able to see quite a number of things. With the help of our tuk tuk driver, we visited several temples including (shown in order in the video) East Mebon, Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, Ta Nei and Ta Prohm. There was also the tourist hotspot, Pub Street, where there are many restaurants, bars, juice/food stands and markets for souvenirs. And we even made a cute furry friend during breakfast!
Hope you enjoy! Comment below on what you are wanting to see in Siem Reap!
