Saline Angkor Villa

The pool was a lovely way to unwind after temple visits, and the rest of our stay was pleasant. We had booked two rooms with an airport shuttle included, but at 5am on departure day the hotel-arranged tuk tuk dropped us off and then said we had to pay for the ride. We had tried to confirm the transfer with the hotel staff, though their English was limited. I can’t say whether it was deliberate. Without that final problem, I’d have rated the stay four stars.

The rooms were clean, the staff friendly, and the pool lovely, so we got what we paid for. It’s a bit of a walk to the main tourist area, but I felt very safe during the day and there were plenty of cute places to stop along the way, especially the French bakery. At night I’d take a tuk tuk since the streets have little lighting. There’s a stormwater channel behind the hotel that smells a bit, though it wasn’t very noticeable.

We only stayed one night, and I immediately wished we’d booked a week. The room was spacious, very clean, and decorated in a tasteful Art Deco style. The staff were probably the kindest and most accommodating we’ve ever met, spoke pretty good English, and gave useful advice for Siem Reap, including how to avoid getting ripped off. The hotel is a little out of the way, but they’ll arrange a tuk tuk into town or elsewhere for $2, day or night. It takes only a couple of minutes.

The room was large, and breakfast was delicious despite the limited selection. But the place felt remote, down a dirty road, and we wished we were closer to the main street. The combined bathroom and toilet meant everything got wet when we showered, and having the bathtub in the room felt strange to me. The room wasn’t clean, including on top of the closet, and there were mosquito blood stains on the wall. Staff had limited English. As Genius members, we were supposed to get free airport transfers, but arranging the return ride was a problem, and they even laughed at my suggestion. We felt like nothing more than ATMs to them.