HaveShoesWillEatandTravel: Cambodia

We stayed at Viroth's Hotel. I can't say enough about Viroth's. It was small, well-designed, beautiful, affordable, and quite a sanctuary from the heat of Cambodia. They have a pool and an outdoor area surrounded by curtains to be massaged in as well as a bar/breakfast area.

Breakfast every morning is prepared made to order. In the evening the area turns into a bar that overlooks the pool and we had relaxing drinks there every night.

I also had 2 massages while I was there. Swedish massages cost $14 for an hour. Thai style massages are even less. They were wonderful although the coverage they do with the towel is not on par with what I've had at spas in the US if you're a modest person. Parts were hanging out all over the place. It was very relaxing to be massaged in the open air with a breeze blowing. And of course for the price I'd have one every day if I had the time.

The rooms were great. The showers were open with no curtain in case you're travelling with friends, kids, or extended family members that you may not want to see you naked. We had 2 lizards in our room one night but they said that was rare when we mentioned it and they ever so nicely said they'd get them out while we were out at dinner. We just thought it was one of those things that happens in a tropical climate. We put a rolled towel in front of the door at night and didn't have any more problems.

The hotel is located near Pub Street, where most tourists go to eat dinner while in town. It's a short walk or tuk-tuk ride for $2. There's a lot of nightlife - mostly cheap bars that all the backpackers go to. Since a night of drinking followed by a day of tromping around temples in terrible heat sounded like our idea of hell, we skipped the nightlife and headed to bed early every night. We found food to only be so-so. We had a great lunch one day at Viroth's restaurant which is a couple streets down from the hotel and not near Pub Street. We had a terrible meal another night at the Red Piano which was apparently Angelina Jolie's hangout while in town. Cambodia's not exactly known for their food.

Siem Reap is a small town but has a lot of tourists. As such, nearly everyone in town works in tourism in some way and the town is really geared towards tourists. You won't be getting an "authentic" Cambodian small town experience. You will also be approached by many people, including a lot of small children, trying to sell you items. It's quite heartbreaking and they are quite insistent so be prepared.