Tour Guides for Angkor Wat and Kuala Lumpur

September 20, 2015 11:05 AM

We're heading to Cambodia on holiday in 6 weeks or so. We have 3-4 days to spend at Angor Wat and would like recommendations for tour guides. Any additional tips that you may have about Angor Wat, Phnom Penh and KL also welcome.
posted by Jakey to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

We stayed at the seven candles guest house in Siem Reap for four nights last Christmas. They arranged for a guide and driver for us and the experience was great. Our room was 20 usd a night with a perfectly comfortable bed and ac and hot shower. Breakfast was billed separately (and quite good - the meat crepe was terrific and two dollars) but our stay, tours (they arranged for our tour and charged us) and breakfasts for our stay came to around 300 bucks.

Regardless of where you stay you should make sure to arrange to visit bang Malea a temple further from the central parts of Angkor wat that hasn't been rebuilt at all and you can walk amongs the piles of toppled stones.

In town (Siem reap) we had a great lunch at sister srey cafe - funky backpackery spot with great juices and coffee and sandwiches.

We also signed up for a Khmer Cocktail making class at Asana bar (in a traditional wood house off of pub street) which was great. Well worth the 15 dollars for a few hours of entertainment including several drinks.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:42 AM on September 20, 2015

I, too, had a tour guide and driver arranged for me by my hotel. It worked out great. Actually, my hotel (The Pavillon Orient) was offering a tuk-tuk driver assigned to each guest room from something like 8AM-10PM as a complimentary service.

My best suggestion for Siem Reap is to book a hotel with a nice pool with shade in the pool area. Temple touring isn't necessarily strenuous, but it is awful hot in Cambodia and spending a couple extra bucks to have a good cool down option at the end of your touring day is well worth it.
posted by GamblingBlues at 11:48 AM on September 20, 2015

When I was there in 2009, you could buy passes only for 1, 3 or 5 days. I did 3 and felt like it was the perfect amount of time. I rode a rented bike around and it was amazing.

One piece of advice you probably already know: even if you don't feel anything biting, liberally apply insect repellant!
posted by saul wright at 2:10 PM on September 20, 2015

I stayed in the Soria Moria hotel in Siem Reap in March and it was lovely - big airy rooms, fruit and pancakes for breakfast, a rooftop bar, and a small pool. The Angkor National Museum is possibly controversial but it's a nice air-conditioned place to spend a few hours.
posted by penguinliz at 3:57 PM on September 20, 2015