Amansara

This property, and this destination, are so very special, it felt magical. From the moment we arrived at the airport and were expedited through immigration, to the moment we left and the entire staff gathered to wave goodbye, Amansara was perfection. The service here is next level and the property is beautiful. There are only 24 (I think) rooms and the service is highly personalized. When we arrived very tired from our journey, we were immediately brought to our room and check in occurred there. The woman who assisted us with check-in, presented us with a proposed itinerary that thoughtfully took into consideration our late arrival and likelihood of being tired the following day. Even though it was already 9 pm, she assured us the itinerary was only a proposal and we could change anything we wanted, including the excursion suggested for the following day. We decided to go with what was suggested. Excursions to Angkor Wat are included in the price and we were assigned a tour guide who would be with us at Angkor Wat and whatever else we opted to see. I wish I could remember his name, he was phenomenal both in terms of being informative and very personable. In addition to AW, we took a boat tour on the Tonle Sap lake, which I cannot recommend highly enough. We were driven to the boat in the hotel's special car (a vintage mercedes that formerly belonged to the king), along with our guide, and saw such an interesting and beautiful part of Cambodia. The room was a cool and relaxing refuge from the heat and was very well designed and laid out. Every time I laid on the bed, I said "Oh man, this bed!" It was so comfortable. We did have a private plunge pool, which was nice to look at but oddly enough we didn't use it much. Laundry was an included service, which was really nice. We had been traveling a bit by the time we arrived so it was great to get some of our clothes washed. The heat also made it impossible to re-wear anything without a wash so this service was meaningful for us and we used it everyday. Every night when we got back to our room, there was a nice little gift for us! I don't want to ruin the surprise but these gifts were lovely, not junky. The food at the hotel was excellent and two meals a day are included in the price. We are not foodies by any means but everything we had was delicious and the menu is wide-ranging. The entire food and beverage staff was made aware of my dietary restrictions and once when I ordered something, the waitress advised me that it had ingredients I do not eat. I was surprised since I had not said anything to her but apparently my dietary preferences had been documented and committed to memory by all the F&B servers. That's the kind of personal service you will get here. The gym was very nice and completely empty when we used it. The grounds are beautiful. There are tuk-tuk type vehicles to take you around town (included) whenever you want and the hotel is very well-located to nightlife and shops of Siem Reap. The general manager of the hotel spends a lot of time making sure guests are happy and he even sat with us (at our request) for a late breakfast one day and chatted with us for almost an hour. This was our first stay at an Aman but it won't be our last. If you are thinking about where to stay and this is in your budget, don't hesitate. it's worth every penny.

This legendary property offers privacy in an exclusive secluded place in the center of Siem Reap. We had a room with a private pool. The private pool had a decent size and is larger than a plunge pool; really nice. So nice that we only used the main pool of the hotel once. The water is warm. Perfect! The room is large, clean and quiet. The service is perfect. Extremely well trained staff. Very friendly and service oriented. The hotel offers great activities, such as but not limited Angkor Wat with excellent guides. We used both car and the hotel rickshaw for our visits. Both are comfortabel. We also were driven by the old Mercedes limousine of King Sihanouk; an unique experience we strongly recommend. There is a beautiful SPA that transpires zenitude. Our therapists gave us an excellent relaxing massage in the couples room; sooooo good. Every day a gifts waits in your room; thank you! One of them is a Cambodian scarve which I still wear with pride in recognition of the Cambodians. A flower blessing by a local monk was another one. The bar is a must; one of the best Bloody Mary we ever had an a large offer of Whisky. The bar is located in the dining area which used to be the movie theater of the King. Exceptional architecture. That’s also the place where a very beautiful apsara dance was performed. So what was missing: - well the request for the anniversary of my wife to celebrate on the rooftop was denied arguing the weather. However, we discovered that evening that the manager had reserved it for a large loudy crowd of tourists. And guess what … the weather gods did take revenge with the only heavy rain and wind we have had during our entire stay causing the group to shelter inside. Nevertheless my wife was pretty upset! - The food misses true flavor. It’s far from being bad but the ingredients miss true taste. It’s as if they lost it in the fridge due to the cold.

We have just had another wonderful stay with the Aman group, this time at the Amansara on their 4-night Discover Angkor package experience. The location of the site, approximately 20 minutes from the airport, is central yet secluded; an oasis of peace and calm. Once a private residence for King Sihanouk’s most special guests, it is now a 24 suite resort. The site is modern, with subtle cultural touches, beautifully maintained and effortlessly sleek, everything you would expect from the Aman brand. Our Courtyard Suite was spacious, well equipped and wonderfully comfortable. The complimentary laundry (and cleaning of trainers after each tour) was a wonderful touch that was much appreciated. There is only one restaurant on the property but the menu, offering both local and international cuisine and a number of dishes which change daily, was expansive enough that we did not tire of it during our 4 day stay. Everything was delicious and of the highest standard. In true Aman style, all our activities were flawlessly organised, the goal always being to provide each guest with the best experience possible. We left around 6.30 am most mornings to access the temples before the onset of all the crowds. We were usually the first to arrive and enjoyed the changing morning light and the opportunity to take unobstructed photos. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. Both him and the driver were highly attentive and ensured we were extremely comfortable during our tours, providing us with cold towels and refreshments at every stop and pillows (if needed) for longer journeys. We thoroughly enjoyed all of our visits and want to give a special mention to the traditional breakfast at the Khmer Village House in terms of both the food, which was sublime, and the service, which was excellent. The staff at the Amansara made our trip extremely special. We found everyone to be gentle, warm and friendly. The attention to detail in terms of service was incredible; nothing was too much trouble. We could not recommend this hotel more and wish to thank all the staff again for a wonderful stay.

We were thrilled by our stay at Amansara. Cambodian service at its best, they treat each guest to make a unique experience. We had some of the most amazing massages in their spa, probably the best we had during our entire trip. They also helped us to organize some activities.

The experience was sublime. June is a great time to visit as it is less crowded. There appeared to be genuine joy with all I encountered. The staff were a finely tuned machine and made this such an exceptional stay. The boat trip on Tonle Sap was a surprise and not to be missed. We spent three nights and now are on to Amantaka.