Grand Bayon Siem Reap Hotel

The staff were helpful and tried to assist, but I had a very poor stay. Noise was constant because there was almost no soundproofing, and the central pool seemed poorly placed and made it worse. On the weekend, groups of young people gathered at the construction site next door, made a lot of noise, and lit fires. Toxic smoke could be smelled in the rooms. Nobody seemed to enforce noise rules. I lost a night’s sleep because people in the room above kept moving chairs and furniture, and children were screaming at 3am. There were no hand towels unless requested, only bath towels. Some electrical sockets didn’t work. The hair dryer was broken, and reception had to bring a special adapter to make it work somehow, since the socket was faulty and wobbly. In the evenings, women I took to be sex workers were on scooters in front of the entrance. The air conditioning didn’t seem to work properly, or efficiently. It struggled to cool the room and ran constantly at maximum power. Shower pressure was very low, and the faulty mixer made it hard to adjust the water temperature. Breakfast selection was disappointing, although the fried rice and omelette tasted good. I could go on. My tour operator, a famous worldwide agency, will hear about this too. I know this is Cambodia, but I think the experience was bad even by local standards.

The location worked really well for us, about a 10-minute walk to Pub Street and only 3 minutes to the best Spa Massage parlor. The pool is a nice size for a few laps, with a pleasant layout and deck chairs, and breakfast had fruit, bread and toast, plus cooked choices like rice or noodles, baked beans, sausages and eggs made to order. The dining room is relaxing, with a view of the pool. Staff were very friendly and housekeeping was quick. Our ground-floor room was beside the pool. The one-way reflective windows gave us privacy, but the bathroom setup was disappointing for a 4-star hotel. There were no hand towels, just one short bar above the toilet, and the floor drains under the sink and shower were slow, leaving the floor very wet. More hooks, hangers and towel rails would help. We arrived to two hangers and both were defective in some way.

The balcony overlooking the pool was the best part of our room, and the area was pretty quiet at night. It’s an easy walk to Pub Street, the markets, cafes and spas. Breakfast was fine, with omelettes cooked fresh at the buffet. Staff were professional and friendly, and the front desk was always ready to help. There’s only one key card per room, so the power shuts off when you go out and you can’t leave things charging. Ask for extra pillows or blankets before nighttime, since housekeeping can’t get into the storeroom after they’ve finished for the day. The shower facilities were okay. A straightforward place to stay near the main strip of Siem Reap.

The road noise was noticeable, so earplugs may help. The room itself was generally clean and had air conditioning and a ceiling fan, plus a bathtub, mini fridge, safe and small terrace. The pool area was nice. There were only two large towels and no hand towels, and the plumbing and electrical outlets both had issues. The AC blew straight onto the bed.