ceejay
December 10th, 2008, 03:32
I have been back in freezing England for a couple of weeks after a 3 week trip, mainly in Cambodia, and I owe the board some sort of trip report but first up I thought I would give a couple of reviews of places in Siem Reap that may be of use to some of you.
I stayed in the Golden Banana Boutique Hotel, which is associated with an older backpacker style guesthouse. Both are located on a side street, off an unmade road leading away from Old Market Bridge. To get there, cross Old Market Bridge, going away from the town centre, keep going, take the left fork when the road divides, and they are on a side road about another 20 yards on. There is a Golden Banana sign at the top, and red Chinese Lantern type signs hanging above the street. It looks quite a distance on their map but it is not. You can walk to Bar Street in under 10 minutes and I did, most nights. Even though the immediate area is unlit after dark, I always felt quite safe there and had no trouble at all.
The rooms are really nice. Split level - a lounge downstairs, with a little side area with a desk, plus a door out to a balcony overlooking the swimming pool. Upstairs, a spacious bedroom and good size bathroom. The shower had a good head of pressure on it, but fell a little short on providing hot water (who cares when its getting on for 30 outside?). There was also a modern room safe - big enough for a small laptop. All in all, a comfortable space and a good deal more interesting than the average hotel room. The swimming pool is a decent size, cleaned every morning and kept fresh with a running water system (not exactly a fountain, more a slab of rock with water running down it).
The breakfast is pretty minimal, and the restaurant is so-so but that really hardly matters when you are so close to the town centre. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the owner (Dutch I believe) really does seem to be investing in training for them. They are also all very, very cute. The hotel describes itself as "gay friendly" and that is exactly right. At the same time as me, there were a gay couple, a family with a young child and a variety of other people of all ages there. I had no problems at all with the two guests I took back there. One was signed in as a guest (Cambodian law requires this apparently) the other just left his ID card in reception. One was definitely known to some of the staff there.
For $54 a night, I thought it was good value. If you want somewhere central quiet and comfortable to stay, a bit more than just a room then I recommend it.
One tip - they kind of admit their booking system is a bit erratic. I booked early, but they recommend re-confirming before you arrive. I did, and had no problems. I would do the same if I were you.
This is their website:
http://www.goldenbanana.info/gbboutique.html
I stayed in the Golden Banana Boutique Hotel, which is associated with an older backpacker style guesthouse. Both are located on a side street, off an unmade road leading away from Old Market Bridge. To get there, cross Old Market Bridge, going away from the town centre, keep going, take the left fork when the road divides, and they are on a side road about another 20 yards on. There is a Golden Banana sign at the top, and red Chinese Lantern type signs hanging above the street. It looks quite a distance on their map but it is not. You can walk to Bar Street in under 10 minutes and I did, most nights. Even though the immediate area is unlit after dark, I always felt quite safe there and had no trouble at all.
The rooms are really nice. Split level - a lounge downstairs, with a little side area with a desk, plus a door out to a balcony overlooking the swimming pool. Upstairs, a spacious bedroom and good size bathroom. The shower had a good head of pressure on it, but fell a little short on providing hot water (who cares when its getting on for 30 outside?). There was also a modern room safe - big enough for a small laptop. All in all, a comfortable space and a good deal more interesting than the average hotel room. The swimming pool is a decent size, cleaned every morning and kept fresh with a running water system (not exactly a fountain, more a slab of rock with water running down it).
The breakfast is pretty minimal, and the restaurant is so-so but that really hardly matters when you are so close to the town centre. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the owner (Dutch I believe) really does seem to be investing in training for them. They are also all very, very cute. The hotel describes itself as "gay friendly" and that is exactly right. At the same time as me, there were a gay couple, a family with a young child and a variety of other people of all ages there. I had no problems at all with the two guests I took back there. One was signed in as a guest (Cambodian law requires this apparently) the other just left his ID card in reception. One was definitely known to some of the staff there.
For $54 a night, I thought it was good value. If you want somewhere central quiet and comfortable to stay, a bit more than just a room then I recommend it.
One tip - they kind of admit their booking system is a bit erratic. I booked early, but they recommend re-confirming before you arrive. I did, and had no problems. I would do the same if I were you.
This is their website:
http://www.goldenbanana.info/gbboutique.html