Hotel Review: Amber Angkor Hotel & Spa, Siem Reap, Cambodia

We were recommended The Amber Angkor Hotel and Spa by our long-time travel consultant Club7 Holidays. There were plenty of other options, across the city, but we finally settled on this one. It turned out to be a good choice. It was right in the centre of town, a little set back from the road and just near the Wat Bo (temple), and near to the night market, a short tuk tuk ride away.

The hotel itself is quite large, which isn’t immediately visible when seen from the road. Spacious ground floor and a simple enough lift. We had a triple room, which was quite roomy, though the bathroom was a little on the cramped side, but quite ok. The single room we saw was neat but small. You may be hard pressed to put too many bags. 

The one thing I always dislike in hotels is that one needs to climb into and out of bathtubs for bath. That’s not a good idea for older people, or for that matter, any people in wet areas. Fundamentally, I don’t even know how many people really use bathtubs in hotels! But presumably, a lot do, as I have seen bathtubs in hotel bathrooms across the world. Would this be considered a water wastage?

The restaurant was simple and roomy, but the breakfast quality left much to be desired. It simply wasn’t good enough quality, and variety. It gave the impression that a majority of the guests were usually SE Asian or locals- and even the few locals we saw didn’t look very pleased either. This is one area this otherwise nice hotel needs to drastically improve. The quality of breakfast we had in Helsinki, for example, was top notch- prices were more or less the same ( Cambodia is not a cheap destination contrary to beliefs that Asia is cheap).  

Water dispensers are on the ground floor, and you need to go fill bottles yourself. Nothing unusual in this. The rear area that backs onto the Wat Bo road has the swimming pool, quite nice and well frequented. 

The best part was Daniel, the manager of this hotel. Quick, efficient and polite, he arranged all the taxis and tuk tuk that we hired during the stay. His replies on email before we arrived were also comprehensive enough ( he in fact told us in detail of the small circle and grand circle tours, and arranged the taxi and guide as well). Eased any concerns we had quite bit and other wise made the trip far more enjoyable. On the last day in fact, we had to check out by 11am but our flight to Hanoi was around 7pm- Daniel was kind enough to arrange a single room for us to rest in.

All in all, a good stay- recommended as on December 2022. Readers need to go thru the latest reviews and take their own decision.

Bakong Temple : one of the earliest in Angkor

Bakong Temple, Rolous Group

The Bakong temple is the Roulos Group, about 13-14 km from Siem Reap, and is generally covered as part of the day trip of Bantaey Srei (about 30 km away) and the group of temples called Rolous. These temples are the Bakong, Lolei,and Preah Ko and Prasat Prei Monti.

The Bakong is actually  one of the earliest temples made by the Khmer empire, about 1600 years ago (apparently the first temple ever made was Preah Ko, which is also visited as part of this tour).

Bakong temple is a “stepped pyramid” (see picture), and was the state temple of the city of Hariharalaya, established by the first king of Angkor, Jayavarman II. But later the capital of the empire moved to Angkor, leaving this site on the sidelines but not entirely abandoned. 

The temple is a nice, quiet place (when we visited, we were the only people there).This temple was also reconstructed using anastylosis method (as was done in The Baphuon as well, in Angkor Thom).  Don’t miss the lions that guard the entry, and the huge trees around the moat. Climb to the first level ( the stairs are a bit steep, as usual), and check out the elephants and lions at the corners.

The key aspect is the top spire looks like the Angkor temples, while the rest of the temple is a different style. The access road goes almost till the moat, making this temple one of the easier ones to visit by car.

The Rolous Group + Bantaey Srei is a very nice day trip from Siem Reap. The temples are clean and cleared, and its worth just wandering around in the silence and ever-advancing jungle, knowing that its ready to reclaim everything given the chance! These temples are also part of the three day ticket for US$67 per head. 

The Baphuon Temple : inspiring story of skill, persistence and passion!

The Baphuon Temple, Angkor Thom

Just close by to The Bayon, is another interesting temple, the Baphuon. This is just behind the terrace of the elephants and the leper king, and is worth a visit, for its sheer size, and its history. This temple is part of the Small Circle circuit.

The Baphuon is a very old temple, dated by some experts to around 1000 CE (nearly 1400 years old at this point). This temple is a three -tiered temple.  The unique part is not just the scale of the temple, but that it was reconstructed entirely by first dismantling the temple, and then reconstructing it, a process called anastylosis. The workers had labelled all the thousands of parts carefully but had to abandon the work in 1970 during the Khmer Rouge era.

The temple reconstruction was revived from 1996 under Pascal Royere and was widely called the “largest 3 D jigsaw puzzle in the world”. It was finally reconstructed fully in April 2011, after 51 years of work!

The temple has tremendously steep stairs, and not for the weak hearted! When we visited it, there weren’t many tourists. We went to the first level, as the stairs are quite hard to climb. But this temple is worth a visit for the efforts to reconstruct it, for the many people who worked so skillfully and tirelessly to bring it back to life!

The Bayon Temple : Enigmatic and dramatic centre piece of a vanished empire

 

The Bayon temple , Angkor 

The Bayon Temple sits at the center of the city of Angkor Thom and is every bit as impressive as Angkor Wat.  This is a must visit site when travel to Angkor. Its part of the Angkor Thom complex, which as I had mentioned in an earlier post, is the fortified city , and holds several of the main temples of the Angkor. This temple is part of the "small circle" tour. 

Do note that Angkor Wat, the main temple of the Khmer empire, is actually outside the walls of Angkor Thom. This city is itself surrouded by a moat, and crossed by five gates ( the gates of the victorious and and the gate of the dead are part of these five). 

This Bayon temple is famous for many reasons. Firstly, there is no clear knowledge as to why it’s called “Bayon”. The French explorers apparently heard this name from the locals in the early 20^th century when the discovery of Angkor was underway. Literature suggests it could mean “pedestal for sacred statues” ( https://smarthistory.org/bayon-temple-angkor-thom/).

The temple is built on three levels, to represent Mt Meru, There certainly are many “faces” in the temple, all show enigmatic smiles. These face-towers are on the inner most, or third level of the temple, and today only 37 out of the original 49 face-towers apparently exist (as heard from the guide). These faces, with eyes open, elaborate head dress, and broad smiles, could well represent The Buddha, or Brahma, and remain the source of much debate and discussion even today. Be that as it may, this is a sight to see. Really massive, and intricate.

It’s also generally considered one of the only Buddhist temples in Angkor, which was a Hindu site, and one the largest and last temples to be made. It was the centre piece of the royalty, the state temple as it were.  By the 12^th century, the prevailing religious belief was Buddhism ( King Javavarman VII), around which time this temple could have been completed.

Its walls depict many of the daily lives of Cambodia/ Khmer in the 12^th and 13^th centuries as well as depictions of the Angkor wars with the Chams.

Overall, this site inspires awe and reverence for the scale, and skill of the builders. A glimpse into the distant past. This temple is over 1000 years old. We must appreciate the time frame. Much of what we see, experience and use today did not exist when this monumental temple was already at its peak!

Cambodia has had a dark history in the 1970s-1980s, with the Khmer Rouge running amok in the country. 

The Killing well, Wat Thmey

One of the sites of their outrages is near Siem Reap , now an active Pagoda site, called Wat Thmey. This is a small museum just on the outskirts of Siem Reap, which one may visit for an understanding of this dark era. 

This place is also sometimes referred to as " the killing fields" in literature. The skulls and bones of the people who died here are displayed. Its a somber site, and we hope such atrocities never happen again anywhere. 

The larger Cambodia Landmine museum with the war materials and all is a bit further away and we didn't visit that. 

A somber reminder, in the midst of such beauty

Even as you gaze upon the wonders of Angkor and its temples, their intricacy, beauty, style and scale, do remember to look around beyond them, to more modern times. 

Cambodia has an unfortunate history of war and human carnage. While much of that, thankfully, is now in the distant past, the country has made efforts to make sure locals and visitors never forget about the landmines and the havoc they wrought then, and wreck even now. 

Media reports will tell you that even today, that up to 

6 million landmines remain in the land, and Cambodia has the highest rate of accidents caused by landmines. A lot of effort at clean up is on, but it isnt easy. Hopefully one day the land will be free of this scrouge. 

A reminder of the landmines and the havoc they caused is at almost every tourist site in Siem Reap. At almost every major walkway, there are small tents (See photo- this one was at Bantaey Srei temple) under which landmine affected persons sing or play music- they even play music depending on the nationality of the tourists passing by. Tourists can donate if they so wish, but never once did they ever solicit. 

Banteay Srei : an intricate masterpiece of a temple in Angkor

One of the most intricate, intimate and beautiful temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park area is the temple of Bantaey Srei, rediscovered in 1914. 

Its about 32 km (50min or so) from Angkor Wat, outside the city of Siem Reap. You need a vehicle to reach it. Tuktuks and taxis are available, though we preferred a taxi as the distance was a bit too much for an open tuktuk, and the roads outside Siem Reap tend to be not as smooth or well maintained as in the Angkor premises. Our taxi charged us US$ 40 for the day- it was quite worth it, as it become decently humid later in the day. 

This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati, and made in the 10th century, is quite unique, in its sheer intricacy and delicacy of its walls, temple decoration and surroundings. Its name apparently means "citadel of beauty or citadel of the women".  Not surprisingly ,its regarded as the highlight of the Khmer culture. 

Set in jungle land but with a very clean organized entry area, its a small temple as far as the other Angkor temples go. Its made mostly of red sandstone, giving it a very nice tint and colour. There are scenes from the Ramayana across the temple. 

There have been some thefts and damage to this temple over the years, but much has been restored. Each of the six staircases are guarded by human figures with animal heads, but apparently many of these were stolen and had to be remade. 

When we visited in December 2022, much of the temple was sealed off as reconstruction work was still on, but you could still see the temple , its entrances, libraries and with a good camera most of the temple sanctuary itself. 

This may be a bit out of the way from the main Angkor complex, but its a visit really worth making. 

The Circle Tours of Angkor - all together !

The temples of Angkor - Small + Big Circles 
map source: Google Maps

This route is most of the Small Circle and Big Circle tours put together. This is what you would end up doing if you do both these tours over 2 days (nor advisable to do all these in 1 day- and anyway gets too humid to travel / walk so much - nearly 30 km totally). 

That said, this map still doesn't cover the Rolous Group of 3 temples , 15 km away. 

And this map doesn't cover one of the prettiest and most intricate temples in Angkor- Banteay Srei. Its quite off the beaten track of Angkor, but its totally worth the visit. Will cover it later in this Cambodia series. 

The Rolous Group Tour (Angkor Archaeological Park)

 

The Rolous Group of 3 temples 
map from google maps

The Rolous Group Tour-3 temples

These are Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolie Temple. (See map).

This group of temples is a little off the rest of the temples, and you need a vehicle to reach them. But each of these are starkly different from the small circle and big circle temples.

Bakong claim to fame is the it was the first temple mountain design made by the Khmer Kings near today's Siem Reap. It was the state temple of the city called Hariharalaya, in the area called Rolous. Hence the name " Rolous Group of temples." 

Preah Ko means the sacred bull, and is over 1200 years old. Three Nandi statues face the temple structures, hence the name, 

The third temple of this tour is the Lolei Temple, This is the third and last temple made around 893 AD. There are four temples on a sandstone platform, and at one time apparently this temple was surrounded by water. Quite a nice place. 

The google map shot is of a larger area, to show where the Rolous Group is in relation to the main Angkor Wat ( about 15 km away). 

The Big Circle Tour (Angkor Archeological Park)

 

The Big Circle temples 
map source : google maps

The Big Circle Tour

Temples covered are: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup Temple. (See map). This is a nice tour with all temples unique in their own way.

Preah Khan is a flat straight line- quite different from other temples around.  This is a 12th century temple, This has been left mostly unrestored, which gives it a whole different feel! 

Neak Pean (means Intertwined serpents in Khmer) is in the middle of a lake ( Preah Khan is on the shorter side of this rectangular water body- see map besides. This temple was said to be built for medical purposes, as it was in the lake and the water would balance the elements. 

Ta Som is also a small temple, on the opposite side from Prasat Preah Khan, This is a relatively simple temple, but has now been restored. 

Pre Rup is a temple made for the Khmer King and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The name apparently means : "turn the body" - so it could have been used for funerals, This is also approx. 1,000 years old. 

Photos coming! 

The Small Circle Tour (Angkor Archaeological Park)

 

The "small circle" tour 
maps : google maps 

The temples in the "small circle tour" are Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom complex, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Beanteay Kdei and Prasat Kravan Temple. (see map).

The term small circle can be misleading to say it covers just 6 temples. Actually it covers a large area with all the major sites. 

The Angkor Wat complex itself takes 3 hours if you really want to enjoy it starting from the sunrise. 

Angkor Thom is an enclosed city area with its five gates, and the massive temple of Bayon in the centre. Apart from the Bayon, The Terrace of the Leper King, and Terrace of the Elephants,and  Baphuon temple and all near Bayon. 

Angkor Wat is situated outside the Angkor Thom complex.

The famous, and breathtaking temple of Ta Prohm (made famous by the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie) is between Angkor Wat and Bayon.  Don't miss Ta Prohm! 

The central question: how to visit as much as possible of Angkor?

The Bakong Temple, Rolous Group

First, it’s possible to see all the 75+ temples if you have the time, energy, inclination, interest, and money (yes, it’s expensive).  

Second : the tours are for the temples- the city expanse of roads and canals are not in the focus (if visible at all, as they are covered by jungle). 

Third : most people won’t want or need to visit all temples. So quite intuitively, there are specific tours of Angkor that cover much of the city, temples, and area. There could be others, and you could technically cover many more on your own with the tuktuk, but I took three tours and were quite satisfied with my coverage ( but still less than 15)

These are: Small Circle Tour , Big Circle Tour and the Rolous Group Tour.

I will explain all three in detail going ahead. 

Clarification: “tour” does not refer to group tourism. It refers to the collection of temples on a route designed such that a trip covers temples of a similar nature efficiently.

This tours 5-6 temples each, though the guide can do more if you pay more. This can be by car, tuktuk or guided tour in bus.

The City of Angkor

Most people today wouldn’t be aware of the immensity of the city of Angkor, the capital of The Khmer Empire. At over 1,000 sq km, it would be equivalent of today’s modern cities and certainly one of the largest pre-industrial ever. 

To put into perspective, modern-day Tokyo, the largest city on earth is 2,194 sq kilometers, Los Angeles is 1,300 sq km, New York in the USA is about 780 sq 

The Victory Gate to Angkor Thom

km, London is 610 sq km, and Mumbai is just 157 sq km. 

While these cities today are large, it must be remembered that Angkor was already 1000 sq km a thousand years ago. At that time, most of these cities quoted were either hamlets or didn’t exist at all. The economics, logistics and lifestyles were vastly different then, and running a city that large without modern appliances would have a gargantuan  administrative job, and one that would have needed intellectual capital far higher than may be that of today!

As would be expected, there was a large water body created near the city, and many scholars put the reason for the demise of the city to the changes in the water supply. There were canals and roads in place even then, but perhaps their management wasn’t as good. Whatever it may be, what is left for us to see today is still very awe-inspiring, and not a little humbling. 

There are five gates to the city of Angkor Thom, which houses many of the other temples in a square form. The one shown here is the Victory Gate, where soldiers victorious in battle would enter the city; the other is the Gate of the Dead, for losing armies, and three others dot the four directions. 

The throbbing powerful dynamos that are the cities of today could well be like Angkor, a thousand years hence. Sobering, and inevitable, much as we would deny it.

The Angkor National Museum

https://angkornationalmuseum.com/

This museum houses a nice collection of art, statues and glimpses of Khmer culture as well as some artifacts from the Angkor Complex. Its a short ride from the city centre. 

Don’t miss the Buddhas room. It’s a beautiful collection of 1,000 buddhas tastefully displayed and lit. Each of the notches you see in the walls is a buddha, each different. 

In December 2022, entry fee was US$10 per head. Could feel a bit steep, but it’s a nice enough stroll thru it, and you get to see many of the artifacts that have been moved here from Angkor to preserve them. Worth a look. 

 

 

Siem Reap surprises!

 

The city

This city has evolved into an organized tourist hub, and when we visited in December 2022, it was quite a revelation for its cleanliness, roads, the Angkor complex, and transport.

There are many hotels at all price points and all ratings and reviews, of course, as expected in one of the most visited sites in Southeast Asia. Quite a few in December 2022 were empty. Many suffered badly in the covid years, and in 2022, we heard that tourism had still not recovered, That may have changed now that China has opened outbound tourism, but in 2022, almost no Indians or Chinese were there, and there was a smattering of other nationalities in the city. Consequently, the city was quiet and not crowded, and it presented itself very differently!

Baggage left behind!

We landed, but one of our main bags didn’t- apparently it was still in Singapore and wouldn’t arrive in Siem Reap until the next day. This was a little odd as there was an evening flight as well from Singapore. But what was bemusing was the speed and readiness of the lost / delayed baggage counter. The moment we reached the counter, the person handed us a laminated paper with pictures of bags and sizes and once we identified the bag size from the pictures, the person filled in the forms himself and within 15 minutes handed us US$100 as compensation for the late arrival of the bag. The next morning, the bag was delivered to our hotel. All smooth and without any follow-up from our side. That’s one advantage perhaps of a world class airline like Singapore Airlines.

Apparently, this is a well-known occurrence, and everyone’s used to it! Or maybe we were just lucky as there wasn’t much traffic. Or maybe the person was just very efficient. Either way, while a bit inconvenient, we weren’t complaining. The main bags with the food came with us!

And as a happy consequence of lack of clothes, we had to shop – and found a store called Ten11 (on Sivutha Boulevard- recommended by our Tuktuk driver+ guide Bannu), with some good designs, quality and value for money, courtesy Singapore Airlines US$100! What we bought was very useful when we landed in Hanoi on December 25.

Cambodia , Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

 

The famed Angkor Wat. 

“Angkor” is the city and “Wat” means temple. This massive complex is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world, and part of what was once a huge city and civilization but today stands a somber reminder of what awaits everyone who consider themselves invincible. We wanted to visit it for its history, its fabled mystery and its scale- and there was no time like the present!

And what did we find? Angkor Wat is exactly what they all said it was, and more. We were extremely impressed. In December 2023, Angkor Wat was voted as the 8^th wonder of the world, and having seen it, it deserved to be.