Angkor Wat Travel Forum

I am stuck in deciding which guesthouse to stay in:

1. The Villa Siem Reap - I really prefer this hotel as it gets real good reviews from this website. But my concern is that will it be inconvenient for a single traveller like me to go to old market for nightlife activities? Because it seems to be a bit far away from the old market area.

2. Golden Temple Villa Guesthouse - For this GH, it is much nearer to the old market area. But is this a good GH to stay?

And lastly, for a single traveller, is it better to hire a guide for my trips, or to join a tour packages available, or just hire a tuk-tuk driver will do? As this is my first time to travel alone, I really need advices from you all. Thanks in advance.

I stayed at the Golden Temple Villa for 4 days in June this year, walking distance to the old market and pub street, pretty convient, better book your room in advance (reservations@goldentemplevilla.com).They can also arranged a tuk-tuk to pick you up at the coach station if you requested it. During my stay, they hired a tuk-tuk for me on a daily basis, cost only US$12-15 a day,
the driver can also be your guide, just give him a little tip. Have no idea about the Villa Siem Reap.

I went there in 2005. Its a very small town. There were two of us - we cycled one day and hired a taxi the second - and then we were templed out! You get hassled alot in a taxi. You can pay for a lift on a moped - I'd do that if your traveling on your own . It was all very cheap two years ago.

I think that the best option moneywise would be to hire a tuk tuk. You should try to find one by yourself and compare prices before making up your mind. It really depends what you are looking for. Do you want an official guide speaking good English, do you want a non-official guide speaking English so so or do you want only a driver because you will have a book with you describing the main sites ?

Personally, I would choose a tuk tuk (with a minimum of English) that could accompany me whenever I need him (even at night), and I would have a book describing the main sites. This is what I do when I travel in Asia alone and am very satisfied this way.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think I might go with hiring a tuk-tuk driver and bringing my travel book along. I'm really looking forward for the trip. Thanks ya~

I stayed at the Villa, and had no problem getting around at night. I either walked, or had my tuk-tuk driver take me/pick me up. It's a small town, so nothing is really that far. Unless you really need an indepth explanation of the temples, a good guidebook will do for seeing them at your own pace. The planned group trips are convenient, but you don't have any say in how long to spend at a particular spot, when to stop, etc. For me, it was ideal to hire a tuk tuk driver for my entire stay, and see the temples, lake and town on my own schedule. I recommended a great driver in an earlier post.. Mr.Lin at the Villa (or can be hired independently) Let me know if you need more info about him or the Villa. Enjoy- you'll love it! It's an easy place to travel solo.

Hi, try this one and you will not be disappointment.

http://www.bopha-angkor.com

The reason of recommendation is because I had the dinner in their restaurant and their service was excellent.

Their room really gets some bontique style and reasonable price.

You may need to do the pre-booking as Feb in the holiday season for Chinese New Year.