The Siem Reap Experience

This hotel does an amazing job of insulating you from the bustling streets outside. It's design is relaxing and sophisticated. The staff is very friendly and helpful, though like with most of Cambodia, you need patience when communicating with them as their English is not very advanced. Of course, this could be avoided if you learned some basic cambodian. I LOVED this hotel, and wish that it was available at every destination.
Oh, and i am not a swimming pool person, but their pool is AMAZING! I wish I had an extra day just to lounge around the pool...
They had the fastest room service I have ever experienced, and the food was always outstanding. My only complaint was that there was no ironing board in the room. However, laundry services were extremely cheap...and the humdidity of Cambodia helped relieve any wrinkles anyway.

This is a very fun restaurant! It is a multi-level eclectic place with lots of surprises. Live crocodiles and ducks, an impressive wine list, a very large variety of seating options, and some incredible (and very reasonably priced) food. They serve Thai and Khmer cuisine...order lots and eat family style, so you get to sample it all. Yummy!!

These ruins are amazing. A bit overwhelming at times. We had a guide, which was nice for the first few days. But it would have been good to take the next few days and explore them alone, at your own pace, perhaps with an informative book. Be aware that their are tour buses that swarm down upon the temples, and it is always a bonus if you can avoid them.
You will find venders set up outside all of the temples...I believe it is a good idea to patronize these vendors for refreshments and souveniers...think of it as supporting the local community. As far as the persistant children that want to sell you things while walking in/out of the temples, please be sure to say no with a smile. Often times, they will be more than happy to just talk to you, and smile and wave as you drive off. It makes for a much more rewarding experience.

We took a boat tour of the floating village on Tonle Sap. Before the trip, I had read a couple of negative reviews about doing this, saying that the village was horribly polluted and the people and animals exploited. None-the-less, we decided to give it a try. Yes, they do certainly have a sanitation issue. As far as the exploitation, I believe that buying the boat ride and beverages from the people in the village helps to contribute to their economy. All that aside, here is our experience:

The lake is immense, and the fact that these people have made a life ON it is amazing. Litterally, there are churches, schools, restaurants, and whole suburbs floating on this lake. We got plenty of smiles and waves from the locals as we passed by, so I did not feel like we were being intrusive. Once you are out in the open waters, you will get inundated by people in small watercraft offering to sell you everything. Women with babies, children out on their own, and the occasional pet snake. It is much like the kids at the temples trying to sell you stuff...in the end, most are happy to have their picture taken,give you a peace sign, and wave goodbye. Of course, having a cold beer delivered to your boat in the middle of the lake isn't the worse thing in the world!

In a nut shell, you should try to appreciate this society for what it is, and do not get caught up in judging by your own lifestyle standards. It was definately an incredible experience, and I would recommend it highly.

We spent one day taking a cooking class at the Shinta Mani hotel in Siem Reap. We learned some traditional Khmer cooking, in a fabulous outdoor setting. And the bonus, is that the procedes from this class go to help support the Institute of Hospitality located at this hotel. It is a non-profit organization that provides training in the hospitality industry to at risk youth in the local villages. A great day spent, and a great cause helped.