Excellent Stay at the Le Meridien Siem Reap / Angkor Wat


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This post is part of a larger trip report from my 16 day honeymoon in Southwest Asia!

Southeast Asia Trip Reports:

  1. Planning a Southeast Asia Honeymoon
  2. Park Hyatt Saigon Vietnam Hotel Review
  3. Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon Activities
  4. Le Méridien Angkor Hotel Review
  5. Angkor Wat / Siem Reap Activities
  6. Grand Hyatt Bali Hotel Review
  7. Bali Beach Town Activities
  8. Ubud (Bali) Hotels and Activities

After our two days in Ho Chi Minh City, we took an early morning flight to to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is about an hour plane ride on Vietnam Airlines. This is the only direct airline and it is an extremely expensive flight for getting to Siem Reap as they really have a monopoly on this route. The flight was about $200 and for those who are familiar with flying around Southeast Asia, that is expensive! They realize that flying in and out of Siem Reap is primarily catered towards tourists so they have jacked up the price. Nonetheless, the $200 flight was money well spent!

Upon arrival we took a taxi to our hotel, the Le Meridien Angkor. From the airport to the hotel we paid a fixed price of $7 per person. The taxi driver was trying to convince us to hire him for our three days in the city, but we were skeptical. His prices were cheap and he seemed like a nice guy, but we had read about the Tuk Tuk drivers. We did not want to sit in a regular 4-door sedan during our stay in Cambodia. We were polite by taking his name and number, but really did not want to make any decisions until we got to the hotel and checked-in. It is really difficult to make money in Siem Reap, so they can be pushy with trying to get you to hire them during your visit. Their primary source of income is tourists.

a plane on the runway

Upon arrival at the hotel, the General Manager, who was Australian, sat down with us to give us all his recommendations and general information about the area. It sounds like he typically does this with the Western tourists as Cambodia is new to the tourism game. He knew the in and outs of the area and wanted to ensure his guests did not fall into any tourist traps or eat at any local restaurants that have been reported to not sit well with tourists. He spent a good 20 minutes with us, which is amazing. After our stay, I even emailed Starwood to praise the GM at this hotel. Throughout our entire stay the GM could be found in the lobby and helping guests. The entire concierge staff was also incredible helpful and would even call your Tuk Tuk driver when needed.

As a Platinum member, I was upgraded to a huge suite and given complimentary breakfast. The breakfast is buffet style and very Western. While in the hotel, I did not necessarily feel like I was in a foreign country. It is a beautiful complex and they tried to incorporate the temple feel, but many have described it as Disney World. I actually was okay with it as most of my time was not spent in the hotel and out exploring the country. From what I saw, this was actually the case with all of the huge lavish resorts around the town.

a room with a television and a chair

a room with a bed and luggage

The pool at the resort is very nice in my opinion! We were there during the extremely hot and humid season and being able to jump in the pool was amazing. Since most people are out exploring the temples during the day, the pool area is pretty empty. For the few hours we spent there one afternoon, I thought it was very relaxing and a nice ambiance. They have tried to replicate the template feel and while it is kind of cheesy, I appreciated the effort.

a pool surrounded by trees

The hotel is a Tuk Tuk drive away from the town, but is only about $1USD to get to/from. You could even negotiate for $.50, but that extra money means a world of difference to them. There are many less expensive hotels walking distance to the town and if on a budget you can probably get a room for $30/night, however, I was pleased with the resort feel and being slightly away from the town. Overall, I was very happy with my stay at the Le Meridien and would highly recommend it to others. While this resort is slightly more expensive for the area, on average about $150/night, it is part of the Starwood Preferred Guest program and only requires 7,000 points for a free night or 2,800 points + $45 with the cash + points option.

Coming soon…. activities and things to do in Siem Reap!

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Michael
Michael
12 years ago

Been wanting to write up a trip report on this hotel. We had an AMAZING stay here! GM is by far the best of any property we’ve stayed at!

dealswelike
dealswelike
12 years ago
Reply to  Michael

@Michael – So glad you enjoyed the hotel. I loved it and more so LOVED Siem Reap. The GM was amazing!

dealswelike
dealswelike
12 years ago
Reply to  Michael

@Michael – Glad you enjoyed!!

Brad
Brad
12 years ago

I stayed at this hotel a couple of years ago as a Plat also and must say, I was very surprised that the GM came out to greet us as well and took his time to go over everything in the resort and in town. His recommendations were excellent and all the tours we organized through the Concierge were awesome!! I highly recommend this hotel to anyone going to Siem Reap.

D
D
12 years ago

As an SPG Gold I did not see and/or speak to the GM when we were there earlier this year. While I liked the hotel, I did not feel the “love” that you did. I enjoyed Siem Reap a lot. We had a wonderful driver and guide for three of the four days we were there. And we covered a lot of ground with them. I look forward to your description of activities.

dealswelike
dealswelike
12 years ago
Reply to  D

@D – I am sorry the GM did not sit down with you. I am not sure if this is something down with everyone or jut platinum members. Glad you enjoyed siem reap though, that’s the most important part!

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Li
Li
12 years ago

thanks for publishing this! i’m going here in 1 day, and was wondering what the platinum benefits were at this property.

dealswelike
dealswelike
12 years ago
Reply to  Li

@LI – Not a problem at all! The platinum benefit when I went included complimentary in-room wifi, buffet breakfast at the restaurant, and a free drink at happy hour (although I was never there during this time). I also received an upgraded room to a pretty decent size suite.

Enjoy!!

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