Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
We couldn’t stay forever, of course. But it’s no hardship to drag yourself away when your next destination is Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor.
Wow. Like Hotel Le Royal, this Siem Reap landmark oozes history: it’s where the early tourists to the Angkor temples would stay. Also like Le Royal, it’s gleaming from a recent major makeover. Over 100 rooms and suites have been refurbed along the lines of the Phnom Penh property, and everything has been lightened and brightened.
None of which mattered too much to our girls: they just wanted to ride in the wrought-iron cage elevator (a preserved original from the hotel’s earliest days), roam the endless gardens of palms and frangipanis, and swim in the pool.
Not just any pool: the biggest in the country. It’s so big, there was a blissful moment when I could no longer hear my daughters’ constant appeals of “Dad, watch this!” as they splashed and frolicked.
Oh, and the pool bar serves a smashing banh mi sandwich.
Also on the food front, brand new restaurant 1932 (like in Phnom Penh, named after the hotel’s year of opening) serves dishes that will turn any preconceived notions you had about Cambodian cuisine on their head. The modern takes on home-style favourites and Royal Khmer cooking are brilliant. One of many highlights? Beef cheek slow-braised in a local aromatic herb called ma-om.
Breakfast each day was perfection, too, of course. And there were more of Raffles’ super-friendly staff to look after us. One fellow, Enyeng, said, “I have two daughters as well. When I go home after work, I’m often tired; but when I see their faces, I’m suddenly not tired anymore!”
Meanwhile, his colleagues looking after our suite would fashion the girls’ towels into cute elephants while we were out, and leave daily goodies by our beds.
Temple Time
Plenty has been written in Expat Living about the remarkable temples of Angkor – giant tree roots snaking through mossy pillars; massive, expressive faces chiselled into towering spires. For a change, here are my tips for tackling the temples with kids. They won’t work for every family, but they did for us.
• Half a day will do it. Or a couple of half days. (For the latter, you’ll need to buy a three-day pass for US$62 per person, rather than a one-day pass for US$37. Children under 12 are free.)
• Hit the morning sweet spot: that is, after the sunrise-seeking hoards have left but before the big tour groups arrive. Leave your hotel by around 6.30am or so and you’ll nail it.
• Go to Angkor Wat first, and do it relatively quickly. It’s amazing, but the smaller temples with all the roots and rubble are more atmospheric. Plus, our younger one couldn’t climb to the top of Angkor Wat because of a height restriction – boo!
• Politely ask your guide to keep the historical and architectural blurbs to a minimum. I’m interested to know that the city of Angkor was known as Yaśodharapura in the 12th century and ruled over by Suryavarman II. My 10-year-old? Not so much. Happily, our guide – the eternally upbeat Juedy – knew exactly how to handle things.
Oh, and my final bit of temple advice is: do your tour with Raffles, if you can! Aside from being seamless and informative, it includes a “coffee break” that was arguably our family’s Cambodia highlight. The coffee was served (in an embossed silver pot, along with cold tamarind juice, freshly baked croissants and slices of chilled mango) at a rustic table in the shaded courtyard of a local farmhouse, away from the temples and tourist trails. Our view was to somnolent buffaloes wading through a low-lying lake of lilies. The quiet was all-encompassing. And we were entirely happy and serene.
I don’t know about you, but “entirely happy and serene” isn’t how I’d describe many family moments – especially with a couple of near-teens. So, this one was memorable.
Out & About
With temples to explore and a glorious hotel to hang out in, we didn’t spend a lot of time in Siem Reap town. But we loved the couple of quick visits we made for massages, markets and more.
If you’re a shopper, don’t miss Kandal Village, just south of the Old French Quarter. It’s less a village and more a single street of funky shops and cafés: men’s and women’s fashions at Maison Sirivan (the owner went to a design school in France), woven items at Soieries du Mekong, ethically made fashion and accessories at Wild Poppy, plus eclectic homeware boutiques and craft stores. Tip for non-shopping Dads: At The Little Red Fox Espresso, I listened to the café’s Black Sabbath soundtrack while downing a coldpressed coffee or two, and using the super-fast Wi-Fi.