Best hotels and hostels in Siem Reap

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

This beautiful resort feels like a boutique Cambodian village. Rooms are set in spacious, elegantly furnished wooden villas, some with private pools, and all connected by extensive wooden walkways over the rice fields. The decor is very designer driftwood. Angelina Jolie stayed here for three months while shooting First They Killed My Father, and it's not hard to see what attracted her to the place.

Lodging in Siem Reap

Setting the standard for the homestay experience around Siem Reap, the Green Home is set up like a family guesthouse and offers beautiful garden views over the surrounding rice fields. Bathrooms are shared but meticulously clean and the downstairs rooms include air-con. Cooking classes are available, as well as village walks, farm visits and birding trips.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

A beautiful contemporary space from the team behind the uber-successful Brown Coffee group in Cambodia, the rooms are creatively decorated with a mix of modernity and traditional items from nature. The rooftop pool above reception offers great views across the Siem Reap River. Attached is Hok, a superb, and superbly affordable, noodle bar offering Asian fusion flavours.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

A beautiful boutique hotel that gives guests a real sense of Cambodia, Montra Nivesha is set around lush gardens and offers two swimming pools, one suited to laps and one for families. Rooms are decorated with collectables but include modern touches such as smart TV, minibar and safe. The property boasts an in-house drinking water system to cut the use of plastic.

Lodging in Siem Reap

This historic hotel has been welcoming guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Charles de Gaulle, Jackie Kennedy and Bill Clinton since 1932. Ensconced in opulent surroundings, you can imagine what it was like to be a tourist in the early 20th century. Rooms include classic touches and a dizzying array of bathroom gifts. It recently underwent a major refurbishment.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

Imagine a luxurious homestay that caters to your every need and Maison Polanka comes to mind, a lush private estate near Wat Polanka that offers a small number of traditional Khmer houses and artfully decorated rooms. The gardens are extensive and include a swimming pool and al fresco garden restaurant. It is a zenlike escape from the bustle of downtown.

Lodging in Siem Reap

From the Plantation group of hotels in Phnom Penh comes this Siem Reap masterpiece. Templation is spread over several acres on the west bank of the river, north of the centre, with a lake-sized pool and 33 sleek concrete-and-stone villas, some with private swimming pools. New Jungloo (jungle igloo) rooms are a cross between a cabin and caravan.

Lodging in Siem Reap

The original wood-finished rooms, among the most tasteful and inviting in town, come with verandahs or small gardens. The gorgeous swimming pool is perfect for laps. The newer wing is ultra-contemporary, as is the sumptuous Kong Kea Spa, but rates are some of the highest in town. Prices significantly lower from April to November (from US$280).

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

Winner of several 'Hoscars' (Hostelworld's Oscars), this is one of the smartest hostels in Siem Reap. Facilities include a huge cafe-bar downstairs, which acts as a giant waiting room for all those coming and going from Siem Reap. Dorms are a little more expensive than some crash pads, but prices include access to the rooftop swimming pool.

Lodging in Siem Reap

The original boutique hotel in Siem Reap (when boutique was still an upmarket shopping experience to most), Angkor Village remains one of the most atmospheric places in Temple Town. Rooms are set in beautiful wooden bungalows around a stunning pond with a central restaurant. Sister hotel, Angkor Village Resort, is even more opulent.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

One of the many 'super' hostels that have recently opened in Siem Reap, in an alternative universe it might have been a boutique hotel. Dorms are super cheap and include free access to the pool. Rooms are pretty swish for the money and some include free-standing bathtubs. Add two free beers from 7pm and it's the real deal.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

Set in a spacious Cambodian wooden house with a lush tropical garden, this is one of the most welcoming hostels in town. Air-con dorms are set behind the main building and include lockers and reading lights. The restaurant and bar attract guests and residents alike, as there is some home comfort food and nightly specials.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

An original concept, Sala Lodges offers 11 traditional Khmer houses that have been retro-fitted inside to bring them up to the standard of a rustic boutique hotel. Enter the resort and you'll think you have stumbled upon an idyllic Cambodian village; the pool and restaurant will soon confirm you have stumbled upon a gem.

Lodging in Siem Reap

With a contemporary chic design by renowned architect Bill Bensley, Shinta Mani Shack features an inviting central pool, while Shinta Mani Angkor offers more exclusive rooms. Shinta Mani has won several international awards for responsible tourism practices and is regularly cited in leading hotel lists.

Top ChoiceLodging in Siem Reap

Set in a grand old building near Psar Chaa (the Old Market) dating from, well, we'd hazard a guess at 1920, this is a thoughtfully presented budget boutique hotel with modernist touches in the rooms. The location is great for dining and drinking options in the gentrified alleys nearby.

Lodging in Siem Reap

The Pavillon offers charming colonial-chic rooms set around a small swimming pool. The trim includes Asian antiques, billowing mosquito nets and a safe. Also included in the higher rates is a remork driver for the day to tour the temples, making it very good value.

Lodging in Siem Reap

Viroth's is an ultra-stylish, retro-chic property with 30 rooms fitted out with classy contemporary furnishings. Behind the impressive facade lies a 20m swimming pool, a gym and a spa. The original seven-bedroom hotel is still operating as Viroth's Villa.

Lodging in Siem Reap

In a rambling villa 1.5km south of Wat Dam Nak, on the eastern side of the river, this training-school hotel for disadvantaged youth features six spacious, minimalist rooms with brushed-concrete floors and boutique bathrooms. The deluxe rooms sleep three comfortably.

Lodging in Siem Reap

Run by a friendly and helpful Australian clan, this place is a short walk south of Sok San Rd. It has great beds and bathrooms and a fine pool area, plus a lovely rooftop where yoga sessions happen at 9.30am on Sunday. Top-whack rooms have more design flourishes and easy rooftop access.

Lodging in Siem Reap

Set amid lush gardens in a sophisticated villa down a side street near the centre, Mulberry scores points for its generously proportioned rooms decked out with love seats, Jacuzzi-like baths and balconies. The well-furnished suites, many with pool views, are a worthy splurge.