Where to stay

Luxury and Premium hotels

Our favourite hotels and private villas, all a short distance from Angkor. In no particular order.

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Maison Polanka Sala Lodges Shinta Mani Phum Baitang Jaya House Villa Ni Say FCC Raffles Amansara Park Hyatt Viroth's

FCC Angkor by Avani

A former French governor's mansion in the Old French Quarter, later a journalists' haunt, now an 80-room hotel with two pools and the Scribe bar at its centre. Steps from the river, and one of the easiest places in town to lose an evening.

Akim's note

I go for the riverside at dusk. And if you care about wine, the list at Scribe is one of the best in the city.

80 rooms2 Pools2 restaurants2 barsSpaPet friendly

1 Michelin Key ↗

From FCC Angkor, Angkor Wat is about 17 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to FCC Angkor for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Spacious hotel restaurant with woven rattan chairs, wooden dining tables, and arched ceiling in Siem Reap

Poolside lounge area with white umbrellas, sun beds, and tropical plants at a Siem Reap resort

Night view of a hotel courtyard with wooden decks, dining areas, tall trees, and guests gathering under umbrellas

Spacious hotel suite with dark wood furnishings, coral bedding, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking trees in Siem Reap

Maison Polanka

Visit site ↗

Three old Khmer wooden villas in a quiet six-thousand-square-metre garden, furnished from the owners' twenty years of collecting Asian and Cambodian art. There is a pool, a small bar and restaurant, and a spa, and never more than three villas' worth of guests.

Akim's note

You feel like a house guest here, not a hotel guest. The art alone is worth the stay.

3 Villas6 000 sqm estatePoolTropical gardenBar & RestaurantSpa

From Maison Polanka, Angkor Wat is about 17 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Maison Polanka for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Hotel bedroom in Siem Reap with olive-green walls, wooden bed, golden Buddha statue, and traditional Khmer furnishings

Wooden walkway leading through a lush tropical garden to a villa at Maison Polanka resort in Siem Reap

Hotel suite in Siem Reap with purple patterned chairs, wooden bed, and garden view through French doors

Illuminated resort pool at dusk with thatched pavilion, wooden decking, and palm trees in Siem Reap

Jaya House River Park

Visit site ↗

An intimate 36-room hotel by the river park, wrapped in greenery, with two pools, a rooftop bar and a plastic-free policy the rest of the city could copy. Local community projects run through how the whole place operates.

Akim's note

The warmest service in Siem Reap. Their breakfast is my reason to keep coming back.

36 rooms2 PoolsRestaurantRooftop barSpaPlastic free policy

From Jaya House, Angkor Wat is about 14 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Jaya House for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Modern hotel lobby with striped armchairs, wooden sculptures, and contemporary furnishings in Siem Reap

Modern hotel suite bedroom with wooden canopy bed, sitting area, and garden view in Siem Reap

Elegant dining room at Jaya House with white tablecloths, wooden chairs, and a crystal chandelier under coffered ceiling

Jaya House River Park black infinity pool surrounded by palms and tropical planting in Siem Reap

Sala Lodges

Visit site ↗

Eleven genuine wooden stilt houses, each one different, set around a saltwater pool eight kilometres from Angkor. Sala Lodges was one of the first properties in Cambodia to earn a Michelin Key, and it feels nothing like a chain hotel: weathered wood and open verandas, with the owners' hand in every detail.

Akim's note

You wake up under a wooden roof and there's no doubt which country you're in. That's the point of Sala Lodges.

11 Wooden HousesPoolRestaurantBarSpa

1 Michelin Key ↗

From Sala Lodges, Angkor Wat is about 22 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning breakfast is usually in the park, because the drive back is a little longer. You'd rather come back to Sala Lodges for it? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Sala Lodges pool with palm trees, lounge chairs, and stone terrace overlooking a reflective water channel in Siem Reap

Wooden stilt house surrounded by tropical vegetation and palm trees in Siem Reap

Wooden deck with black lounge seating, umbrella, and wicker chairs overlooking palm trees and traditional Khmer buildings

Spacious bedroom with wooden beams, draped mosquito netting, and traditional Khmer furnishings at Sala Lodges in Siem Reap

Raffles d'Angkor

Visit site ↗

The grand old hotel of Siem Reap, open since 1932, with Charlie Chaplin and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the guest book. Fifteen acres of gardens, a pool modelled on the royal bathing pools, and the original timber cage lift still running.

Akim's note

The staff go above and beyond, and the pool is pure heaven. I'm a repeat offender here.

119 rooms20 SuitesPool2 restaurants2 barsSpa

1 Michelin Key ↗

From Raffles, Angkor Wat is about 15 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Raffles for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Doorman in white tunic and gold-trimmed hat opens ornate door at Raffles Siem Reap hotel

Four-poster bed with cream draping in a colonial-style hotel suite overlooking palm trees and pool in Siem Reap

Upscale restaurant dining room with black chairs, white tablecloths, pendant chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Siem Reap

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor reflected in its tropical pool courtyard in Siem Reap

Shinta Mani Angkor

A Bill Bensley hotel in the French Quarter: 115 rooms, ten private pool villas, the Kroya restaurant, and Bensley's Bar for the evening. Part of every stay funds the Shinta Mani Foundation's community projects in the villages around Siem Reap.

Akim's note

A design lover's dream. Bensley put something worth looking at in every corner, and you notice it within a minute of walking in.

115 rooms10 private pool villasPool2 restaurants2 barsSpa

From Shinta Mani, Angkor Wat is about 17 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Shinta Mani for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Shinta Mani Angkor hotel courtyard at dusk with illuminated pool, palm trees, and white colonial-style buildings in Siem Reap

Modern pool villa courtyard with geometric tile patterns, woven bar counter, black staircase, and tropical plants in Siem Reap

Modern restaurant interior with hanging green plants, orange cushioned seating, pink floral installation, and black dining tables

Spacious hotel suite with canopy bed, white linens, red accent pillows, black pendant lights, and large windows overlooking Siem Reap street

Phum Baitang

Visit site ↗

Forty-five stilted villas among real rice paddies on the edge of town, twenty of them with private plunge pools. There's a 50-metre infinity pool, and the cigar and cocktail lounge sits in a century-old farmhouse. Minutes from the temples, yet it barely feels like Siem Reap.

Akim's note

I've watched some of my favourite sunsets from that deck, rice paddies to the horizon. You forget the city is there.

45 Villas20 Villas with poolPool2 restaurants2 barsSpa

2 Michelin Keys ↗

From Phum Baitang, Angkor Wat is about 22 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning breakfast is usually in the park, because the drive back is a little longer. You'd rather come back to Phum Baitang for it? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Wooden deck with lounge chairs and umbrellas overlooking a rice field at sunset in Siem Reap

Aerial view of a thatched-roof villa with small pool, wooden deck, and tropical gardens in Siem Reap

Phum Baitang hotel pool at dusk with illuminated wooden pavilions and palm trees reflected in calm water

Spacious hotel suite with neutral linen furnishings, wooden doors, and dark hardwood flooring in Siem Reap

Viroth's Hotel

Visit site ↗

A 35-room boutique in the Wat Bo quarter, its white slatted facade planted with vertical gardens and the whole place styled to a sharp 1950s brief. TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice has ranked it the best hotel in the world twice, in 2018 and again in 2020, ahead of grand names many times its size. There's a long pool with a bar beside it and a spa. Ask, and the airport pick-up arrives as a vintage Mercedes.

Akim's note

This one is almost a neighbour; our office sits in Wat Damnak, a few minutes down the river road. For all the awards, it still feels like a neighbourhood place, not a trophy.

35 roomsWat Bo quarterPoolPoolside barSpaRestaurantVintage-car transfers

From Viroth's, Angkor Wat is about 18 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Viroth's for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Viroth's Hotel entrance in Siem Reap with vertical gardens on the white facade and a vintage Rolls-Royce parked by the sign

Overhead view of Viroth's Hotel pool at dusk between palm trees and rows of loungers in Siem Reap

Viroth's 1950s-style lounge and restaurant with crimson and coral velvet chairs, green ceiling fans and terrazzo floor

Guest room at Viroth's Hotel Siem Reap with dark tiled floor, artefact shelves and a private balcony seating area

Amansara

A royal retreat from the 1960s, and still the most discreet address in Siem Reap. Twenty-four suites, twelve with their own pool, two Michelin Keys, and a stay that runs all-inclusive, with guides and meals arranged around your days at the temples.

Akim's note

The most exquisite hotel in town, honestly. I tried the spa once and I still think about it.

24 Suites12 Suites with poolPoolRestaurantBarSpa

2 Michelin Keys ↗

From Amansara, Angkor Wat is about 15 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Amansara for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Amansara resort courtyard with reflective pool, modernist architecture, and tall trees at sunset in Siem Reap

Modern hotel suite with lounging area, white cushioned seating, and reflection pool overlooking interior courtyard at night

Man standing beside a black vintage Mercedes sedan in a shaded garden courtyard with tall trees

Modern resort courtyard with reflection pool, stone columns, and wooden furniture under a pergola in Siem Reap

Villa Ni Say

Visit site ↗

A private seven-bedroom villa twelve minutes' walk from the town centre, inspired by Vann Molyvann's New Khmer Architecture. You book the whole house: a sixteen-metre saltwater pool, an open-plan living room with a stocked bar, dining for fourteen, two staff who come daily, and a private chef on request.

Akim's note

The whole place is yours, and staff still make the beds. House privacy, hotel service. For a big family or a group of friends travelling together, I haven't found better in town.

1 Private Villa7 BedroomsSleeps 1416 m saltwater poolBarPrivate chef on request12 min walk to town

From Villa Ni Say, Angkor Wat is about 20 minutes by road. We pick you up at the villa door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning breakfast is usually in the park, because the drive back is a little longer. You'd rather come back to Villa Ni Say for it? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →

Bedroom with wooden bed, desk, pendant light, and glass doors opening to garden views in Siem Reap villa

Modern Siem Reap villa living room with gray sofa, coral cushions, teal accent wall, and open glass doors to garden

Swimming pool at Villa Ni Say with loungers, umbrellas, and lush green surroundings in Siem Reap

Modern dining room with wooden table, red chairs, and open kitchen with wood paneling in Siem Reap villa

Park Hyatt

White colonnades, a banyan-tree courtyard, and 108 rooms in the middle of the city. Some rooms come with private balconies or plunge pools; a few have bathtubs sunk for two. Everything in town is minutes away on foot.

Akim's note

The city-centre crown jewel. Don't skip The Glasshouse cafe, that's all I'll say.

108 roomsCity centre2 Pools2 restaurantsBarSpa

1 Michelin Key ↗

From Park Hyatt, Angkor Wat is about 17 minutes by road. We pick you up at the hotel door: 4:45 AM for sunrise, or any time you choose between 7 and 9 AM. On a sunrise morning we bring you back to Park Hyatt for breakfast and a shower, then the temples continue. You'd rather eat in the park? Just say so. See how to visit Angkor from your hotel →