SiemReapRooms Guesthouse

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Siem Reap Rooms Guesthouse is a small family run guesthouse located very near the Old Market area. In fact, it is one of the closest guesthouses to the Old Market in Siem Reap.

Although the guesthouse is very close to the Old Market area, it is far enough away from the late night noise of Pub Street. Although Siem Reap is generally a very safe place to visit, lone travellers may like to know that the road from the guesthouse to Pub Street is well lit in the evening unlike some other guesthouses in town.

We have 11 immaculately clean rooms which are cleaned daily. The rooms are ideal for visitors looking for an excellent location in a friendly atmosphere, where you can get honest and reliable information about the area.

Siem Reap Travel information

Travel to Siem Reap is getting easier every year as Siem Reap and the rest of Cambodia develops with new roads and better infrastructure. Tourism in Siem Reap is growing every year, so there are more and more flights going to Siem Reap each year and also more buses doing the overland routes from the main cities and towns. Overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap is now a pretty smooth ride, apart from a few small stretches of road which are still to be complete. Most of the main roads in Cambodia have been replaced now with nice new roads to make travel easy between major towns and cities. A lot of Siem Reap is seeing major road works being carried out in many parts of the town with new roads being built and existing roads being widened. Buses from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh leave and arrive regularly and there are also now a number of buses to other parts of Cambodia from Siem Reap. There are normally daily boats to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh and Battambang in both directions as long as the water levels are high enough.

Poipet Border Crossing

The border crossing is open from 7:00am to 8:00pm.

When crossing the border into Cambodia the guys doing the visas will try to charge you more than US$20. The price is US$20, no more, and there is no express service. If you are nice to them, do not get angry with them and just calmly give them a US$20 note, then they probably will not say anything. However, if they insist you pay more then just tell them that the official Cambodian Embassy told you that it was only US$20 for a visa at the crossing, and they should let you through.

When you cross the border there will be people trying to get you onto a free bus which takes you to the taxi station, so you can either take one of the taxis from there or where another bus waits to take tourists to Siem Reap. You will also have a number of touts asking you if you want a taxi to Siem Reap. These touts will make a commission from the driver. If you do want a taxi to Siem Reap, then you can either negotiate a price with the tout or you could just try to speak to a driver directly, although many of them will not speak English. In our experience, it is normally ok just to negotiate with a tout and as long as you are happy with price then it is worth paying him a few dollars, because it saves a bit of hassle trying to find a taxi by yourself.

Road Condition from Poipet to Siem Reap

The new road between Poipet and Siem Reap is near completion, so you can now enjoy a pretty smooth ride from Poipet to Siem Reap on a nice new road. There are still a few stretches to be done, but most of the road has now been completed, so no more crazy bumpy rides. A taxi will now take around 2 to 2.5 hours for the 150km trip, but in the rainy season it might take slightly longer.

Getting to/from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

You now have the option of taking a bus direct from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap with Mai Linh bus company for around US$18 each way or with Mekong Express bus company for around US$22 each way.

The trip takes around 12 hours including a few stops. The buses leave around 7:00am in both directions. If you are traveling to Vietnam from Cambodia then you must obtain a visa from an Embassy before you travel.

Getting to/from Bangkok via Poipet

To/From Khosan Road Bangkok

Taking the bus from Khosan Road (leaves around 7:00am) to the border is not too bad and if you do it this way you will arrive at a restaurant (the bus will wait here for around 2 hours) about 4km from the border. If you only go to this restaurant near the border then take your bags off the bus and take a 80 Baht tuk tuk from the restaurant to the border crossing. From the border we suggest you take the taxi to Siem Reap Although we do not recommend it, taking the bus to Bangkok from Siem Reap is not too bad, but it still takes at least 10 hours and costs between US$10 and US$12. The bus leaves around 7:30am daily.

If you are taking the bus all the way to Siem Reap you will have a 2 hour wait at a restaurant, another few hours spent getting across the border, then at least another 4 hours getting to Siem Reap.

To/From Morchit bus station Bangkok to Border

Morchit bus station is in the northern part of Bangkok and from here to the town (Aranya Prathet) near the border by local bus takes around 4 to 5 hours. Aranya Prathet to the border is 6km, and you can get to the border crossing by tuk tuk for around 60 to 80 Baht in 20 minutes.
To/from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet by train

There are trains from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet, and there are two trains daily leaving at 5:55am and 11:35am which take around 5 hours and cost less than US$1.50. The train station is 15km from the border and you will need to get a tuk tuk to the border crossing for around 100 Baht. There are two trains daily going from Aranya Prathet to Bangkok which leave at 6:40am and 1:55pm.

Getting to/from Poipet

By Bus

The tourist bus from Poipet to Siem Reap leaves around 2:30pm, if you are lucky, takes at least 4 to 5 hours and you will be sold like cattle to a guesthouse who is paying someone to drop you there late at night, so you will not want to go anywhere else. And for that whole experience they charge US$10, double the price of the other direction.

Neak Krohorm and Capitol bus companies both have buses which leave from Siem Reap to Poipet at 7:30am, but there are no buses from Poipet to Siem Reap apart from the tourist bus.
By Taxi

The taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap costs between US$40 and US$60 depending on your haggling skills. You can also take a shared taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap for US$15 per person and usually you will not have to wait long before the taxi fills up. You will do well to get the taxi for less than US$45. The taxi from Siem Reap to Poipet costs between US$30 and US$40, but a shared taxi is around US$8 per person (unless you want the front seat then you pay double the price). Your hotel or guesthouse can arrange a taxi for you and it takes around 2 hours.

Getting to/from Phnom Penh

The road condition from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is in good condition and it is a pretty smooth ride.

By Bus

There are many bus companies that run between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh with the most popular companies being the Paramount Angkor, Mekong Express and Cambodia Angkor bus company, but there are a number of others that do the same trip. Prices for a one way trip cost between US$4 and US$12 depending on which bus company you use. The Mekong Express bus company is the most comfortable with good air conditioning, a toilet on board and also a light breakfast or dinner depending on the departure time. The Mekong Express takes around 6 hours. The Paramount Angkor bus company is probably the best value and is very popular with many tourists now and takes around 5.5 hrs. Your hotel, guesthouse or a travel agent can arrange bus tickets for you.

Mekong Express bus leaves Siem Reap to Phnom Penh at 7:00am, 7:30am, 8:30am and 12:30pm and Phnom Penh bus to Siem Reap leaves at 7:30am, 8:30am, 12:30pm and 2:00pm.

Paramount Angkor bus leaves Siem Reap to Phnom Penh at 7:30am, 8:30am, 9:00am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm. The buses from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap leave at similar times.

The last bus from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is 2:00pm.

During busy holidays there will be many more buses running different times and the prices also go up.

Please note that there is more than one bus station in Siem Reap and not all buses stop in the same place. When you make a booking with us then please tell us what bus company you are using and what your departure time is, especially you would like to arrange a free pick up.

Money Matters

We recommend that you bring US dollars to Cambodia, as Cambodian Riel is only used for buying small items and for tipping. There is approximately 4,000 Riel to 1 US dollar. You can use ATMs in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville to withdraw US dollars. The following cards are accepted at the ATMs; Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus and Plus. Major credit cards are accepted in the larger hotels and in restaurants. Traveller's cheques can be exchanged at banks, money exchangers and most of the bigger hotels at a charge of 2%. Cash advances are also available on Visa and Master cards from most banks and money exchangers. Banks are open from 8:00am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday and some banks are also open on Saturday mornings. Money exchangers open early and close around 10:00pm. All major currencies are easily exchanged especially Thai Baht and the Euro. Western Union and Moneygram transfers are available in most major towns and cities. If you want to transfer money, then bank transfers are the cheapest way to do it.

Please be aware that there is a lot of counterfeit US dollars in Cambodia, so you should check your US dollars before you arrive and also when in Cambodia, even from banks. Also make sure that your US dollars are in good condition, because most places will not accept torn notes even if they are very small. There is NO need to change your money into Cambodian currency when crossing the border, do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise. You do need U.S though, so having some small denominations and a 20$ note for your visa is useful when crossing borders. Remember they are plenty ATMs in Siem Reap and other major towns.

Visas

All visitors require visas except nationals of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos. Tourist visas are single entry and are US$20. You will need to bring a passport sized photograph with you. Tourist visas are valid for a one month stay, but can be extended for a further month in Cambodia. However, they are expensive at around US$45. Children under 14 years of age do need visas but they are issued free. The minimum length of stay is 24 hours and your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on arrival. An onward ticket is very rarely asked for.

Business visas are single entry and are US$25. They can be extended for single entry for 1 month or 3 months and multiple entry visas for 6 months or 1 year.

Overstay of any visa is charged US$5 per day.

You may be able to obtain an e-visa. For more information see evisa.mfaic.gov.kh.

Getting around Siem Reap

Tuk Tuks (motor bike drawn carriage) are all around Siem Reap and are probably the best mode of transport. You will see many Tuk Tuks parked on the streets where their drivers wait for customers. Tuk Tuks are great for getting around the town centre and for getting around the Angkor Temples, especially for the main temple area. Tuk Tuks should not cost more than a few dollars for short trips around town. We can easily arrange tuk tuks for you for trips to the main Angkor temple area from 12$ to 15$ depending on which temples you would like to see, these prices are fair whether you use tuk tuks we know and trust or whether you use other tuk tuks we do not know. We use tuk tuk drivers we know as a security precaution, but most tuk tuk drivers are no problem and are just trying earn a living.

We can normally arrange free pick up for most of our customers but if you are coming overland from Bangkok or Poipet then it is more difficult for us to pick you up because there is no official place where buses or taxis stop in town. If you coming via this route we suggest firstly you ask your driver to drop you at the SiemReapRooms Guesthouse then if they do not know then tell them to drop you at Old market in front of the river as we are literally 200m from there on the Phsar Krom road which every tuk tuk driver should know. Do not believe any driver who tells you we very far from town, or we have ghosts, dead bodies, snakes, crocodiles or anything else in our guesthouse just you go stay at their cousins guesthouse (normally somewhere that they are getting a commission). If you have any difficulty finding us please call myself (Phil) direct on 012208472 so I can arrange for our driver to come and pick you up.

Once you made reservation we will email you back to confirm your arrival details.

Accommodation Information

We have both air conditioned rooms and fan rooms to suit many budget travellers, but it will also suit the upper end budget travellers or should I say flashpackers. Continental breakfast is included within the price of the room. We have free internet available in the reception area and we also have free WIFI available. If you just want to chill out in the evening, then we have a small bar which also serves a small range of food. We also have a communal balcony where you can also chill out in the evening.

Please note:

All of the Superior rooms listed are air conditioned rooms with private bathroom. All of the Private rooms listed are fan rooms only with private bathroom.

Location Information

Siem Reap is best known for the ancient city of Angkor, which was built by the Khmer Empire over 1,000 years ago. Since Siem Reap is receiving more tourists every year, the development of the area continues with more hotels, guesthouses, villas, apartments, restaurants, bars and many other attractions springing up all over town. Most of the major overland tourist routes are easy accessible now with nice new roads and bridges been built.