Tips for travelers to Siem Reap

[Old git]

I've been to Siem Reap a few times as a visa run destination, but to be honest I doubt I'll be going back any time soon.

Great if you're into temples and the local culinary variants, but if you want to wake up with a cute local boy in your bed, forget it - the MBs have almost all left town (to Pattaya, I was told..)

[colmx]

posted this on the GB board - and thought it was worth repeating here...

As others posted above, the Rambutan Resort was formerly known as the Golden Banana. Just be careful that you don't book the current Golden Banana.

Its on the same alleyway as the Rambutan, and owned by the same people... but its a complete dive.

Myself, BF and an farang friend stayed in 2 rooms at the GB back in January. On first impression the reception area and garden seemed very nice.

We were then taken to our room, which involved a rickety (and very steep) wooden ladder that you had to climb to get into the first floor room.

The room itself looked like a broom cupboard or converted rice storage room... and nothing at all like the website pics.

The air-conditioning didn't work properly, so we were told to use the ceiling fans... Trouble is the ceiling fans were not secured to the ceiling and were hanging by their electrical cables! I couldn't sleep knowing that those giant rotating blades were gyrating 2.5 metres above my head!

There was at least a 1cm gap down both sides of the front door in both rooms, so as you can imagine the mosquitoes loved that.

The curtain rail was set 4 inches out from the window. as a result there were a 4x4 inch light gaps filling the room with sun from dawn to dusk

The bathrooms were filthy with mould growing everywhere... easily fixed by some bleach

There was a 9 year old manning reception in the evening, nice way for him to practise his English... but not very practical from a security standpoint.

When we went to the bar the staff didn't know how to make a Vodka Tonic. Handed me a shot class of Vodka and a can of Tonic water!

To top it all when my friend complained about the faeces on the wall in his bathroom and the rubbish accumulating outside his bedroom window - he was advised that he should have booked a deluxe room... and this was by the owner!

If that's the owners attitude - then I will be staying away from all his "resorts" in the future and you would be well advised to do the same

Have also stayed an River Queen guesthouse in SR in recent years, whilst its far from perfect... its a million times better than the Golden Bananna.

The River Queen ex-owner certainly was an interesting character... and an interesting blog!
Reminded me of an extra from Priscilla Queen of the desert!
The new nae for the place is '84 hotel
http://year84.com/

It ain't the Ritz.... but its sure better than the 'Banana!

After we left SR we hit Phnom Penh and stayed at Saravoan Royal Palace www.saravoanroyalpalace.com, the welcome we received there was so vastly different to the Golden Bananna. The owner really cares about his hotel, his guests and their experience.

I can not sing the praises of Saravoan Royal Palace enough

[frequent]

The River Queen was also covered in this post http://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showth...rn-(Siem-Reap)

[FarangRuMak]

Re. Golden Banana.
I used to stay there in the early days of its existance.
Back then it was the leading place to be and the staff and management were great.
From what you have experienced it has now become the resort from hell.
The owners just kept buying out the nearby properties and now it’s all a bit confusing.
What turned me off was how quickly the management embraced the straight snow-white scrawny women and their boyfriends/girlfriends and thus turned their backs on their original customer base- the ‘gays’.
Manor House in PP did the same but now I hear it has reverted back under new ownership.

[colmx]

Re. Golden Banana.
I used to stay there in the early days of its existance

Same here, BF and I stayed in the GB on our first Cambodia trip back in 2003
My understanding is that the old GB is now the Rambutan resort, and the current GB is a neighbouring business they took over

straight snow-white scrawny women and their boyfriends/girlfriends

My experience in Cambodia was more of FWCs (Fat White Cows) who love to hang out with gay boys... but sneer down their nose at the farang the gay boys try to pick up, whilst whispering and tut-tutting "sex tourists" to each other!

[Dalewood]

http://year84.com/[/url]

It ain't the Ritz.... but its sure better than the 'Banana!

Is the '84 still gay?

[paulo15]

"its on the same alleyway as the Rambutan, and owned by the same people... but its a complete dive."

Lets's clear this up.
The Golden Banana B&B started life 17 years ago, built and run by a Dutch guy and his Khmer partner. As it became popular, Dirk built a Boutique hotel next door (Golden Banana Boutique Hotel). Several years later on the other side of the original B&B Dirk built The Golden Banana Resort. All three places were in the same lane.
Some years later Dirk and his partner split up and they decided to split the properties with Dirk keeping the Boutique and Resort and his partner keeping the B&B and some land they had acquired opposite the B&B.
Dirk rebranded his properties to Rambutan and the ex partner built 2 more GBs, the GB superior and there's a third overspill property.
The GB hotels are cheaper and Khmer owned and run, the Rambutan properties and not cheap and European owned and managed. There is a world of difference.