{"id":104522,"date":"2025-07-25T15:59:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T19:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/?p=104522"},"modified":"2025-07-25T15:59:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T19:59:21","slug":"temple-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/2025\/07\/temple-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Temple Run"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Sala
Sala Lodges \u2014 Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You should absolutely visit Angkor Wat when in Cambodia. Then, let the country\u2019s best hotels be your guide for where else to explore in this underrated Southeast Asian nation.<\/h4>\n

Everyone will tell you that there\u2019s a lot more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat, and they\u2019re absolutely right. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world, and it\u2019s only just one of the 300 temples within the 400-square-kilometer Angkor Archaeological Park. And the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Siem Reap, has a lot more than just temples; it contains the remnants of multiple capital cities of the Khmer Empire, ranging from the 9th through the 15th centuries. In modern pop culture, it’s perhaps best known for being the dramatic backdrop of the Tomb Raider<\/em> movie. <\/p>\n

Angkor is an astounding example of ancient urban planning, with an advanced network of reservoirs, dikes, and canals. With estimates of nearly a million residents during its peak, it\u2019s possible it was the most impressive city of medieval times. Some residents even remain. There are still more than 100 active villages in Angkor, where families have been living for generations. Exploring all of this is absolutely reason enough to justify a trip to Cambodia; it\u2019s that spectacular. But it\u2019s not the only reason. <\/p>\n

\"Angkor
Angkor Archaeological Park<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not that long ago Cambodia was effectively a closed country, struggling with the impact and legacy of the Khmer Rouge, the genocidal ruling party that came to power in the wake of America’s disastrous carpet bombing during the Vietnam War. The Khmer Rouge wasn\u2019t completely dissolved until the 1990s; since then, the popularity of Cambodia as a tourist destination has been on a sharp rise \u2014 from fewer than 500,000 visitors in 2000 to approaching 7 million today. <\/p>\n

Backpackers and adventurists made up much of the first wave. As the hospitality sector matures, however, travelers increasingly come looking for a less crowded, less expensive alternative to nearby Thailand and Vietnam, while still being able to enjoy the excellent beaches, jungles, wildlife, and cuisine the region is known for. What they find is a culture of kindness \u2014 Cambodians are notorious for their friendliness \u2014 and a burgeoning food scene that\u2019s on its way to more global recognition. Everyone likes to be first. Why not be the first of your friends to rave about the underrated deliciousness of Khmer cooking? <\/p>\n

We\u2019ll leave it to you to research the rest of Cambodia\u2019s appeal and attractions. For our part, it’s best we point you in the direction of the country\u2019s most exciting hotels, each one an advertisement for engaging with this rapidly developing nation. Don’t just take our word for it; some of the world’s top luxury hotel brands have set up shop here, like Aman<\/a><\/strong>, Zannier<\/a><\/strong>, Rosewood<\/a><\/strong>, and Park Hyatt<\/a>. Smaller, indie boutiques are sprouting up as well. Much of the action is in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s hip center of culture and creativity. There’s a lot to explore here outside of Angkor, from riverside cafes to the legendary Night Market and Phare circus to the traditional floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s perfectly wonderful to plan your Cambodia trip around Angkor Wat. For the remainder of your visit, plan it around these hotels.
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Sala Lodges<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Sala<\/a><\/p>\n

There was a time when Asia\u2019s luxury villa hotels were pretty uniformly modernist and minimalist. But lately the traveling public has developed a taste for something a little more rustic, a little more handmade, and Sala Lodges are precisely that. These houses are no reproductions \u2014 they\u2019re authentic handmade houses, some fifty years old or more, transported from all across the Cambodian countryside and reassembled here on this site.<\/p>\n

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Six Senses Krabey Island<\/a><\/h2>\n
Koh Krabey Island, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Six<\/a><\/p>\n

Six Senses Krabey Island, a private speck of a place, is a short boat ride from the mainland, in the spectacular Gulf of Thailand. And if you don\u2019t know Six Senses, take it from us: you can trust them to do luxury villas right. Here there are 40 of them. Bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms all look out over native greenery, and come with, at minimum, private plunge pools \u2014 many have ocean views as well. <\/p>\n

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Treeline Urban Resort<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Treeline<\/a><\/p>\n

First of all, don\u2019t fret about the \u201curban.\u201d While Siem Reap is indeed a busy city, the Siem Reap River isn\u2019t exactly Fifth Avenue, and a low-slung, compound-style hotel like Treeline Urban Resort can easily achieve a tranquil seclusion. Indigenous stone and wood are the predominant materials, and while the aesthetic may be minimal, the experience is rich and organic. The furniture is handmade and the hotel is packed with local contemporary art. <\/p>\n

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The Bal\u00e9 Phnom Penh<\/a><\/h2>\n
Phnom Penh, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The idea of a minimalist, modernist luxury resort in some idyllic Asian coastal locale isn\u2019t a new one. But the success of a hotel like The Bal\u00e9 Phnom Penh depends less on the element of surprise and more on pure execution. The design achieves the Zen simplicity it\u2019s aiming for, and the physical comforts of the place ensure that you\u2019re never shaken out of the blissful state that the architecture has induced.<\/p>\n

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Amansara<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Amansara\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Amansara was once the guest house of Cambodia’a King Sihanouk. No neo-colonial palace, this villa was built in swinging New Khmer style, a sort of staging ground for the visiting statesman-about-town. Vestiges of this Sixties architecture remain in the calming Zen-inflected minimalist style for which the Aman resorts are known. The two dozen suites are long on luxury, with king beds, lounges, private courtyards, and deep soaking tubs; half come with a private pool.<\/p>\n

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Zannier Phum Baitang<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Zannier<\/a><\/p>\n

Once upon a time, Siem Reap was a village, a far cry from the bustling resort destination it is today. So it makes sense that the 45-villa Phum Baitang would aim to recreate the simple charm of village life. Set just outside of town, slightly apart from Siem Reap\u2019s many, many hotels, espresso bars, and fusion restaurants, the resort’s thatched-roof wooden villas rise up on stilts amid landscaped gardens and paddy fields.<\/p>\n

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Raffles Hotel Le Royal<\/a><\/h2>\n
Phnom Penh, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Raffles<\/a><\/p>\n

This vanilla-colored confection was, in another life, the hotel of choice for jet setters like Jackie O, Andre Malraux, and W. Somerset Maugham. Later, journalists Sydney Schanberg and Jon Swain (of Killing Fields fame) would stay here while they were covering the Khmer Rouge. Today, following a hyper-luxe renovation, the elegance and extravagance of Raffles Hotel Le Royal has largely returned.<\/p>\n

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Song Saa Private Island<\/a><\/h2>\n
Koh Ouen, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Song<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s Cambodia, but it\u2019s not the Cambodia you\u2019re expecting. Song Saa Private Island is more the sort of thing the Maldives or Seychelles are known for. This wild speck of a place in the Gulf of Thailand is as close to a state of nature as you\u2019re going to find anywhere, and Song Saa\u2019s twenty-seven villas make the most of their secluded setting \u2014 if you\u2019re going to live as a castaway, this is how you do it in style.<\/p>\n

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Knai Bang Chatt<\/a><\/h2>\n
Kep City, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Knai<\/a><\/p>\n

Located in the seaside town of Kep, once known as the St. Tropez of Southeast Asia, Knai Bang Chatt is a throwback to the glory days. The hotel is centered around three renovated colonial villas designed by New Khmer architectural trailblazer Vann Molyvann, a student of Le Corbusier. Fully restored, each of the 18 photogenic rooms features a polished teak bed, ceramic lamps and vases, a spacious bathroom, and a private terrace. <\/p>\n

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FCC Angkor by Avani<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"FCC<\/a><\/p>\n

The FCC group is named for the Foreign Correspondents Club in Phnom Penh, and this chapter, in Siem Reap, is housed in the old French Governor\u2019s residence. But the FCC Angkor is anything but fixated on the past. Behind the walls of this Indochina Art Deco mansion is a sophisticated high-design boutique hotel, made of simple modern materials and decorated in a sedate contemporary-Eastern style, far indeed from the conventional picture of the colonial luxury hotel.<\/p>\n

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Anantara Angkor Resort & Spa<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Anantara<\/a><\/p>\n

A 39-room villa resort in a contemporary Khmer style, Anantara Angkor Resort is less a monument in competition with nearby Angkor Wat and, more appropriately, an inward-looking compound. The rooms are all immersive privacy, laid out like studio apartments, and the suites, all with butler service, are self-contained \u2014 the Queen Suites feel sequestered, designed for romance, while the grander King Suites feel geared toward entertaining. <\/p>\n

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Anjali By Syphon<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Anjali<\/a><\/p>\n

Roughly equidistant from Siem Reap\u2019s busy city center, Angkor Wat, and Siem Reap International Airport, Anjali by Syphon benefits both from convenience and from a more tranquil setting than the city\u2019s more urban hotels and resorts. It\u2019s the perfect place for a hotel whose mission is to offer a transformative experience: a small, stylish, contemporary boutique eco-resort whose meditative modernist architecture wraps around a green oasis of a central pool courtyard.<\/p>\n

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Hotel Vellita<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n

Thrilling as it is exploring ancient temples in the jungle, it\u2019s important to consider where to recharge after a day of sightseeing in a tropical climate \u2014 and it stands to reason that the area\u2019s best hotels are more like resorts. Hotel Vellita Siem Reap, set just outside of town, is no exception. This boutique hotel\u2019s central feature is a generously sized free-form swimming pool surrounded by banana and palm trees, as well as a few dozen cool, spacious rooms.<\/p>\n

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Pavilion<\/a><\/h2>\n
Phnom Penh, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Pavilion\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Set ten minutes\u2019 walk from the Royal Palace and a few more from the riverfront, the Pavilion can boast of a rather privileged location \u2014 fitting, given its history as a royal residence. It\u2019s built from a compound of four villas, one of which belonged to Queen Kossamak, King Sihanouk\u2019s mother. After a careful restoration, these villas now house a total of 36 rooms and suites in a style that\u2019s more or less equal parts contemporary and classic. <\/p>\n

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Heritage Suites Hotel<\/a><\/h2>\n
Siem Reap, Cambodia<\/h5>\n

\"Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n

Siem Reap is bursting at the seams with accommodations that range from backpacker hostels to magnificent five-star resorts. Somewhere in the middle (though a bit closer to the latter) is Heritage Suites, whose twenty-six guest rooms abstain from the kind of over-the-top opulence that defines many of its neighbors in favor of a quiet, secluded take on Indochine luxury.<\/p>\n

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