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Le Meridien Angkor, Siem Reap Cambodia, 2019

In December of 2019, I took my third trip to the Angkor temples and once again booked my stay at the Le Meridien Angkor down the road from Angkor Wat and up the road from the party district of Siem Reap.

Arrival

I had flown into Phnom Penh because honestly, flight options to Siem Reap from Kuala Lumpur were pretty terrible at the time. I arranged with my good friend, and perennial driver, Lucky, to pick me up at the airport and drive me the 6 hours to Siem Reap.

I arrived around 2:00 pm from a 7:00 am flight (we stopped at his home town, I met his family, and we also stopped for lunch along the way).

As I checked in, they thanked me for being an Ambassador and the general manager of the property came by to take care of my check-in personally. Sabreena then took me through my upgrade to the deluxe family suite, and the engagement with the local children for the Christmas activities on the property. They are invested in the quality of the community also.

They had a "build your own gingerbread house" thing for kids, I was too old

The Room

They have 2 deluxe family suites on the property, one facing north, and one facing east overlooking the entrance to the property. Last time I was in the north facing one, this time my suite faced east.

It's a large room with a dressing area, large bath (with a strange French door opening to the bedroom over the tub), lots of closet space, a guest bathroom, and a spacious living room.

Yes you can see in from the bedroom with this open. If that is your thing

I didn't try my luck, they provided ample bottled water

Delivered every day as part of my Marriott benefits

Also delivered every day. I didn't eat any

The Restaurant

The Angkor Royal Cafe is open for all meals with mainly buffet for breakfast. The food is very good, and reflects the true international makeup of the guests. Alfredo for breakfast?.

Another perk of Marriott status, free breakfast. Continental here means pretty much anything on the continent

The Naga Bar is a nice little bar in the hotel. It is enclosed so the noise from the rest of the hotel doesn't bother you. The alcohol is mid-shelf at best, but they do mix good drinks.

L'Angelo Italian restaurant. I have eaten here twice. The wine list leaves a lot to desire, and is very expensive due to the remoteness of the hotel. The food though, this is quality, tasty, Italian fare.

Facilities

The swimming pool area is quite large, but weighty, hairy European men hanging out there did turn me off. The spa is pretty good. They have well trained traditional masseuses, who can crush a knot out of a walnut tree. The gym is sparse, but does have the minimums required to do your workouts (hey you're going to be walking miles and miles through temples, this isn't even close to a deal breaker).

The courtyard is pretty, but usually too hot in the day and too humid at night to just sit in it

Summary

It's an excellent 4 star hotel with great food and an ok bar (you want a great bar, have your driver take you to Raffles down the road). Ideal location for the temples and far enough from the downtown and Pub Street to be calm, yet close enough to walk if you really felt like it (you will be accosted every 12 feet by drivers offering 'tuk tuk?'). Definitely the best Marriott hotel within 6 hours of the temples, and I think #3 on the list of hotels in general.

Tips: Look for a room package that includes breakfast if you do not have status. It's like $10 more and totally worth it. If you want super quiet, ask for a room on the south side.

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