Best of Siem Reap, Cambodia_An Article 2018 for only PHP 50,000/3-Day Tour

Saumosvakom Mokkan Siemrab !

(Welcome to Siem Reap !)
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This article aims to provide the reader on their way to Siem Reap, Cambodia cool, and jaw-dropping destinations.

But before anything else, I would like to share with you some tips when traveling.

Prior to flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia you need to make sure that you have your travel documents ready. For  Filipinos like me, all you need is your Philippine passport, travel ticket, and your destination lists where immigration might ask you. I have written down the lists of tourist spots in Siem Reap and I am ready for some questions they might ask. They usually ask what's the purpose of your trip and where will you be going.
Be sure that your passport is still valid at least six months. For ASEAN countries, Visa is available upon arrival. 

You may open thru this link below for lists of countries exempted from obtaining Visa. 

https://www.tourismcambodia.com/tripplanner/essential-information/visa-passport.htm

Ready yourself to some weird questions from the immigration as well. The immigration officer asked me,'' Why did you just buy your air ticket? and I was shocked! I froze and like, really? Do you really have to ask me about that question? Gosh, I am not prepared! So I just said that we just thought of traveling at the last minute. Clearly, it's none of his business. It's silly, it's quite offensive and inappropriate to ask such. And after completing the interview, I got bothered, I was walking and still thought of that person who asked me a nonsense question. Anyway, what's important is I am able to fly to my destination.

When booking a flight to Siem Reap, I suggest to also pay your travel tax online to avoid hassle, stress and a long queue especially.  Travel tax cost Php 1,620 or USD 30.

The flight from Manila to Siem Reap International airport is about 3 hours and 10 minutes.

I am traveling with my travel buddy.

The flight is in the evening so we booked a car to pick us up from the airport to the hotel that took us about 20-25 minutes. Taxis and Tuktuks can be hired at the ticket desk located just outside the terminal door. 

Before heading to our hotel, we stopped and bought a local sim that cost 5 USD for 4 GB, it should be enough for a short trip.   We booked a Deluxe villa type room at the Embassy Angkor Hotel Resort and Spa, a 5-star hotel in Siem Reap.

We arrived late at the hotel as we are looking for a money changer to get ready for the next days' activity.

We rested for an hour and headed to the busy street in Siem called Pubstreet and grab some dinner.

Day One (Mouy) 

*Pubstreet *Angkor Wat *Bayon Temple *Phnom Bakheng

Siem Reap city is just 15-20 minutes from the temples. The town offers a large and varied choice of accommodations, from boutique hotels and 5-star resorts to dozens of mid-range places and budget digs.

For my first meal here, I made sure to try their local foods, I ordered Khmer Som-Law Curry and Bird's Nest at the Temple Sky Lounge Bar situated here at the Pubstreet. Price ranges from 6 to 20 USD per meal.

Som Law Curry USD 6.50

I must say, the food is good tasting and is worth the value of your money.

Good thing restaurants are still open at this time at 2.00 A.M. and everyone is still up dancing and drinking along the Pubstreet. At 3:00 A.M. we headed to our hotel to rest and be ready for an adventure.

The hotel lends us their cellphone throughout our stay so we can call them whenever we need them.

Good Morning, Siem Reap!

Got up at 9 A.M finished breakfast then asked the hotel staff to get us a private car to rent for a day which only cost 45 USD for 8-12 hours.

First, we went to the ticketing station to settle the entrance or passage fees before heading to our lists of destinations. It cost 37 USD for one day pass and if you opt to get a 3-day pass you will only pay 62 USD. So since we have rented a private car and might finish the lists within a day so we preferred to only get a 1-day pass.

The premier destination was ANGKOR WAT, the most visited and well-known tourist destination in Siem Reap. Exploring Angkor Wat will take you 2-3 hours because there's a lot of magnificent views and especially that the temple is really huge.

For  ladies- if you go to the temple on sleeveless, please make sure to bring shoal to cover your shoulder then you can enter the Temple.

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world  (162.6 hectares).

There was a little boy named Phea, 12 years old, he came to me and sell some photos of Angkor Wat, I don't really need it but I knew this kid does. So I bought them and gave him extra, and I just got teary-eyed, I was happy but at the same time, I feel sad for him. 

Then, he shouted and said, I want to become a Doctor!

I was happy such ambitious little kiddo who sells postcards to support his studies. I can relate to this boy when I was a kid I tried anything and support my studies as well. 

The second destination is Bayon Temple, exploring this temple can be quite tough on the knees as the tour involves lots of narrow corridors, steep flights of stairs and towers. Depending on your pace, it takes about 40-50 minutes to see all of it. The ruins are big enough that you can always find somewhere cool and quiet to explore though. August month can be a bit crowded and you need to wait for some tourists to finished then you can take a picture without any photo bombers.

After finishing at Bayon Temple we look for a nearby restaurant and our driver, Mr. Ming suggested a good restaurant and drove 10-15 minutes from Bayon Temple and tada! Found this quiet restaurant called Tropical Rohal Village.

Amok Fish Curry

I ordered a local meal,  Khmer Amok Fish Curry, a platter of vegetable rice and local beer as well called Angkor Premium Beer. So far, local foods here are amazing, I absolutely loved it. It is worth the value of your money and the price is affordable as well.

After having our late lunch, we still have one destination before going home.

So we headed to Phnom Bakheng, a temple on top of the hill overlooking the town. You will need to trek about 20 minutes and be sure to keep your ticket or pass with you always as they are going to check before you climb and also your short pants should be below the knee. It is a Hindu and Buddhist temple in the form of a temple-mountain. Dedicated to Shiva, it was built during the reign of King Yasovarman. Ideal place if you love to see the beautiful sunset in Siem Reap but unfortunately it rained when I got there and there is no sunset too.

At 6:00 PM, we headed back to our hotel.

Let's call it a day! I am a bit exhausted and still got to have a night to enjoy at Pubstreet in the evening.

In the evening, let's capture the night market scenes at the Pubstreet. It looks like Divisoria in the Philippines. Bought some souvenirs and grab dinner at the Red Piano restaurant. I ordered Pan-fried chicken with french fries and a glass of wine, prices are middle range here.

After our dinner, we took a walk around the Pubstreet corners, see picturesque paintings, and look for a massage spa and found this  Blue Hatha Spa & Massage to relax from a very tiresome day. The massage cost 10 dollars or 40,000 Riels (PHP 530)  for 1 hour. The massage was great and you should try it. I have a certain person I can recommend, if you happen to be reading my blog please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Browsing and searching for a nice bar around Siem Reap, we found this bar called Barcode. They got drag queens and drags shows that start at 12:00 AM. Impressive and funny dancers too. I ordered my Gin and Tonic, Bombay Sapphire single. Had a few shots and the crowd is cool too, we get to dance on the stage, have fun and meet new friends. Drinks are affordable here and they have friendly staff too.

Distance from Siem Reap Town:

• 7KM- Angkor Wat
• 11KM- Bayon Temple

Bar hopping is life ! 

Day Two (Pee)

* KULEN MOUNTAIN

The second day, we headed to see the falls in the Kulen Mountain. This is a road trip and we're going to nature. Rented a car for two at 45 USD, the same rate we have yesterday. Before going to the mountain, we need to settle first our ticket or pass that cost 20 USD per person. Drove 2.5 hours from our hotel, the road is not so congested so you can get to your desired destination on time.

On our way to the mountain, we saw these military uniformed men in every station watching and keeping the tourists safe and I feel relieved as the rides were forestry and really quiet so seeing these uniformed men along the way was relieving.

We only spent an hour there as it does not look as good as what I have experienced in the Philippines. The water here is not crystal clear. Though this is part of an experience as a traveler, you cannot have what you want. With this regard, I won't recommend it as it is not worth the travel time you spent to come over and the falls have no cottages on the side as well and you will need to sit on the rocks and it's not so spacious and sometimes you need to wait for a queue.

Before going back to the Embassy Angkor hotel, we stopped at the Greek restaurant called Elias Greek Kitchen. I ordered Chicken and Beef Ahtarmas that costs 7.50 and 8.50 USD respectively.

Their soda cost only 1 dollar and Special juices from Greece cost two dollars.

After our lunch, we still got ample time then we strolled around pubstreet corners, tried their street fried rice ice cream that cost 2 dollars for two different flavors.

I returned back to our hotel and soaked in a warm tub, listen to music and relax. Take a bottle of Angkor beer and watch TV.

In the evening, before having dinner, we were intrigued by this restaurant called Miss Wong and is also top-rated online so we decided to come over and try their drinks and appetizer. The restaurant looks cool and fancy, more of a reddish ambiance all over. Ordered a glass of cocktail and grilled chicken.

Chill for a while and since we're a massage addict, we went to Blue Hatha Spa again. The massage I have was great and totally relaxing. Then you get to choose who is your therapist. By the way, it's a men spa so they don't have a lady masseur.

I'm famished and we headed to our fave place, Pubstreet, and grab dinner at the Japanese Restaurant. Japanese food to me is always good tasting and a bit pricey too but really worth it. I tried their Beef Lok Lak that cost only 7 USD and their  Salmon at 15 USD and a bottle of local beer on the side. After finishing dinner, we went back to Barcode and I was surprised because it's Saturday and fewer people compare the last time we visited that was Friday. Same as yesterday, danced with the crowd, have a few drinks, have fun, and merely enjoying the vacation. Just before the bar closes then we went home. I called the hotel to pick us up in Hard Rock Cafe a few walks from Barcode. In Pubstreet it is safe even it's late, there's a number of tourists and local tuk-tuk drivers who are still up. 

Distance from Siem Reap Town:

• 50 KM- Phnom Kulen

Day Three 

*Siem Reap Center * Pagoda * Pubstreet

On our third day and also our last day here in Siem Reap, we decided to just stay within the city. We just want to stroll and get to see more of its corners and also finishing our shopping as well and I should not forget to buy some souvenirs. We rented a Tuktuk for 20 USD to tour us around  Krong, Siem Reap and we headed to Pagoda Temple, took some photos, and prayed.

After the roaming and wandering, we dined at the fancy French Restaurant called Le Malraux. It is located in Psah Chas Alley 1, Krong Siem Reap. I ordered a steak (cooked medium), which is one of the best steaks I ever had.

A bit pricey but with its satisfying taste, it's really worth it.  You must try!

Thanks to my Asian look the locals usually thought I am a Cambodian then they were surprised when I cannot converse back to them as they expected me to be speaking Kmer too. Then, they cannot give me a higher price of fares, food, and souvenirs.

Our check out time is at 12 noon but our flight is at 9:55 P.M. so we need to extend for 7 hours at the hotel but our villa was already booked and cannot be extended, luckily they got a classic room available and it is the only room available on that day that cost 60 USD per night and since we are only staying for 7 hours, they charged us at 30 USD only. 

At 7 P.M. It's time to finally bye-bye Siem Reap. We headed to the airport, but the car that supposed to take us to the airport was not working so left with no choice, we took a Tuktuk from the hotel going to the airport. It was such a fun and wonderful experience. 

Indeed! This is really a vacation, a holiday!

There is a duty-free store at the airport and bought my travel collection which is  Snow globe. Aside from the Refrigerator magnet, I also like to collect snow globes per country per visit. 

Overall experience in Siem Reap was magical, had so much fun, a good place for escaping from the urbane world, enjoyed the local Khmer foods, the people are kind. Souvenirs here are a bit pricey as they are trading in US dollars and also they don't have a fancy shopping mall unlike the Philippines, wherever you go, there's a lot of shopping malls around. When you're here in Siem Reap, be sure too speak slowly to the locals and use generic English terms so they can understand easily. 

Total Expenses Incurred for the 3-day trip  below:

Airfare  via  Cebu Pacific-PHP 36,000 for two ( bought the ticket 2 days before the flight)

Hotel (Embassy Angkor Hotel, 5-star)- PHP 22,000 for 3 nights, Deluxe Villa  for Two

Tourist Destination Entrance Fees- PHP 1,961 OR USD 37- 1 day pass Siem Reap Temples

                                                             PHP 1,060 or USD 20 Kulen Mountain

Transportation- Day 1- PHP 2,385 or USD 45 - Private car rental fee for Two going to Temples

                            Day 2- PHP 2,385 or USD 45 - Private car rental fee for Two going to Kulen

                            Day 3  PHP 1,060 or USD 20- Tuktuk rental for Two around Siem Reap town

                           Tips and other transport fees PHP 3,000 or USD 57 

Massage Spa- PHP 530 x 3 times= PHP 1,590 OR USD 10, 1 Hour massage at Blue Hatha Spa

                         (male therapist only) plus Tip USD 15.00 for 1 person

Meals:

Arrival-Dinner at Temple Skylounge Bar- Khmer Som-Law Curry (USD 6.5)+ Drinks USD 4.00

Day 1: Lunch at Rohal Village Restaurant-Amok Fish Curry- USD 7.00 + Beer USD 3.00

Dinner at The Red Piano- Pan Fried Chicken with Fries (USD7.00) + Tomb Raider Cocktail USD 3.75

Day 2: Lunch-Elia Greek Chicken-Chicken Ahtarmas USD 7.00+ Juice from Greece USD 2.00

 Fried Rice Ice Cream USD 2.00

Before Dinner at Miss Wong Restaurant- Drinks QUEEN MUM, special Infused Gin, and Tonic USD 5.00 + Chicken as appetizer USD 6.00

Dinner at Japanese Restaurant- Beef Lok Lak USD 7.00 + Special Beer USD 5.00

DAY 3: Lunch at French Restaurant_Le Malraux-Steak USD 15.00 + Mango fruit shake USD 5.00

Dinner at Embassy Angkor hotel  meal at 10 USD/pax

Breakfast is FREE at Embassy Angkor where we checked in.

Total spent for MEAL for 1 person= Approximately USD 95.25 or 5,048

Souvenirs- PHP 5,300 or USD 100 (optional)

ESTIMATED TOTAL EXPENSES INCURRED FOR 3 DAY TRIP- PHP50,000 or USD 943.

If you have planned early for this trip, your PHP30,000 would be enough. 

And this is the end of my travel story!

I would like to add some other spots you may explore: I haven't been there but is also look amazing. 

• Ta Prohm Temple- another Temple under Angkor Archaeological Park.
• Book a Helicopter to Angkor's amazing temples and sights from the sky from USD 100 per person. Book at Helistar Cambodia. For reservation, you may contact them at reservations@helistarcambodia.com or call them at 063 9666 072 or 088 888 0017. 
• Tonle Sap- If you want to try boat rides in Siem.
• Baphuon Temple
• Bantay Srei
• Preah Khan

If you want to relax and unwind, try these Spas below:

• Bodia Spa- is just around Pubstreet.
• Blue Hatha Spa & Massage- a 10-minute walk from Pub Street.
• Baray Spa

Hotel Reservation: 

The Embassy Angkor Hotel Resort and Spa and is located at 7 Makara Road, Chonlong, Sala Kam Reak, Siem Reap. 

Email: info@embassyangkorresort.com,

Tel : +855 96 550 6677

Cambodia Fact File

Country Name: The Kingdom of Cambodia

Country Name in Khmer : Kampuchea

Capital City: Phnom Penh

Main Language: Khmer

Int'l Airports: Siem Reap (REP) & Phnom Penh (PHN)

Bordering Countries: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam

I wish you all enjoyed and have guided you in your future plans in coming to Siem Reap.

Other helpful URL you may check:

http://www.cambodia-hotels.com/siem-reap/

https://www.tourismcambodia.com/

Let us get connected at:

Email: khentaquiman@yahoo.com

Facebook Page: The Best of Me

Saum Arkoun!