Sokha Angkor Resort

At the Sokha Angkor Resort, a monstrous limousine sits out in front of the hotel, giving an idea of what's to come to arriving guests. The resort is big and brash, and is the only hotel in Siem Reap with a limousine. Inside the main doors, the lobby is palatial, with both tourists and business travelers filling it up, as the excellent conference facilities make the Sokha a popular spot. The lobby is filled with bronze statues, contemporary paintings, and other artwork, all of which is for sale. The Champa Cafe bar, which sits just off of the lobby, has a soaring open-air traditional Khmer roof, and from here, one enters the sprawling pool area, which sits under a replica of the Preah Vihear Temple, and looks like something out of ancient Egypt or Hollywood. The hefty price tag here doesn't seem to keep the masses away, as there are plenty of families and abundant tour groups -- so many, in fact, that the hotel feels far less exclusive than it claims to be.

The Sokha Angkor Resort sits at the central crossroads of downtown Siem Reap. It's the perfect middle location between the road to Angkor Wat and the downtown area with Pub Street, where there are hundreds of restaurants and shops. The hotel is a 10-minute drive to the airport, about the same out to the temples at Angkor, and a similar walk into the downtown center of the tourist area. The only drawback is that the Sokha sits on the national highway that runs through Siem Reap, meaning that there is lots and lots of traffic outside all day long, although street noise fortunately doesn't travel in.

The Sokha Angkor features spacious rooms, with even the standard Deluxe City View Rooms being quite large. All rooms have modern features like large flat-screen TVs with cable channels, electric hot water kettles, safe boxes, larger than normal minibars, free Wi-Fi, and bathrooms with separate showers and bathtubs, along with sets of snazzy robes and slippers. The Deluxe City View Rooms don't have terraces nor any kind of views, but all the room categories above this have both terraces with chairs and tables along with views of the impressive pool. Moving up to the suite category, one gets more space, larger beds, iPod docks, and Club Lounge privileges, which include private breakfast and free cocktail happy hours. The posh Junior and Executive Suites have giant whirlpool bathtubs and small kitchens with microwave ovens and toasters, and the Royal Sokha Suite even has a private sauna and massage room. All rooms also come with the free breakfast buffet provided in the Lotus restaurant.

The Sokha Angkor Resort has some of the best and most abundant set of features in Siem Reap. It has a stunning large swimming pool with waterfalls and a replica of the temple at Preah Vihear rising above it. There is a kids' section and the entire pool is not deep, making it very family-friendly. Whether for swimming, sitting around, or gazing at it from most of the rooms, it is one of Siem Reap's most impressive pools. There is also a large two-room fitness center with a sauna and whirlpool, and a sizable spa on the premises. For fine dining, the Sokha Angkor really excels. The Takezono Japanese restaurant serves the finest Japanese food in Siem Reap, with imported beef and fish from Australia and Singapore. It looks right out of Tokyo, with a traditional teppanyaki room, sushi bar, and elegant private tatami room for guests. There is also Le Chanthou, an elegant upscale Khmer and international restaurant that is filled with old photos of Cambodian royalty and early Siem Reap scenes, with plush upholstered chairs and finely set tables. The large Lotus restaurant is the spot for the free breakfast buffet provided to guests, and the elegant Champa Cafe bar with a Khmer-style teak roof and traditional live music rounds out the eating and drinking options. Additionally, the Sokha has some of the largest conference and meeting facilities in town, with a grand ballroom and several other smaller sized meeting rooms.