Cambodia

Siem Reap

The jumping off point to explore Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. There are a number of good restaurants and markets around town. People are very friendly and for the most part speak English. Learn how to say "hello" and "thank you" in Khmer before you go and you will have lots of friends.

Restaurants:

Embassy (fine dining) -
- In Short: Superb meal all around
- At Length: Truly delicious and beautifully presented food. Each course better than the last. Female chef with female waitstaff. Food service was extremely slow, so come with an appetite and patience. Surprisingly inexpensive for such a nice meal.
The Touich Restaurant Bar (casual) -
- In Short: Family-style Cambodian food
- At Length: Outstanding, authentic Cambodian meal with oldies American music in the background. We had the chef recommend the dishes and each was delicious. Filling, full of flavor, and very reasonably priced. The waitstaff was also really friendly; felt like being at home.

Hotels:

Park Hyatt -
- In Short: 5-star hotel conveniently located
- At Length: 5-star hotel through and through. Delicious meal at the restaurant too. If you are heading to Angkor Wat at sunrise, they can prepare a boxed breakfast for you to take. Convenient location.

Activities:

Angkor Wat - Go at sunrise, but know there will be a thousand tourists there too. Leave early and go up to the tip-top of Angkor Wat, get in line before it opens so you can be the first one up there. Totally worth the early morning for the view and serenity at the top.
Angkor Thom, Bayon - The one with the huge faces. Near Angkor Wat and cool to see. Also, note the friezes around the base; they depict daily life and are fascinating.
Banteay Srei (Lady Temple) - The pink one. Known for the carvings. It's gorgeous but bring an umbrella for shade because there's none of it there
Ta Prohm - Where Tomb Raider was filmed. Trees growing through the temple, but it has been somewhat restored. It's magical. The light is nice in the late afternoon.
Beng Mealea - Not restored at all. Nature is taking the temple back and it is awesome to behold. This temple is much further away but totally worth the drive. Because it is further, it is less crowded, which makes for a nicer experience.

Skip:

Tonle Sap ("The Big Lake") - We drove through a community and then took a little boat to reach this lake, which is just a massive body of water. It is quite far from Angkor Wat, and we felt very out of place. The village does not seem to be a tourist trap - it seemed like a nice thriving village and that we were interlopers driving through. The lake is vast but there's nothing really to see. Skip it.