Just minutes from the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, Heritage Suites is an elegant boutique hotel surrounded by tropical gardens in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Let’s face it, the main reason to come to this part of the world is to stand before the beautiful temples of Angkor Wat, as you pretending you're living in the pages of The Jungle Book. It’s one of the worlds poorest countries, yet easily one of the most beautiful. Although cultural curiosity might bring you here, the friendly (and shy) hospitality of the Khmer people will keep you wanting to come back.
We spent a week exploring Siem Reap and were fortunate enough to spend a few of those days at the Heritage Suites hotel. The surrounding area is a typical village, with dirt roads and tuk-tuks weaving around the dirt roads. It's the perfect place to relax in comfort as you take in the culture of Siem Reap.
Located only 6 kilometers from the renowned Angkor temples and 15 minutes from Siem Reap international airport. It takes a fun (and a little scary at times) quick tuk tuk ride to reach the Old Market and lively Pub Street. It's location is ideal, it's service is the best and the style easily makes you want to consider living in Siem Reap.
Arriving in Style
Getting to the Heritage Suites is simple. It’s next to an important temple in the town so every tuk tuk driver and taxi know how to get there…however this is one time you should do things a little different. The owners of Heritage Suites love vintage cars and have quite the collection. So save the tuk tuks for a ride to Pub street and organize a pick up through the hotel. You’ll be whisked away to the hotel in style, traveling in a vintage classic car…and yes cold toilettes and fresh juice are included.
The first thought that entered my mind as we pulled up to the hotel was that we had arrived at someone’s private estate. Hidden through trees and past more classic cars parked out front, a sophisticated façade peaked through the gardens. As soon as we walked through the doors, we were greeted with more friendly faces as we were quickly checked in.
Our Suite
We were in a spacious open concept space, with the living room blending into the bathroom area and the bedroom. A large stone bathtub took center stage and the minimalistic furniture gave the entire area a contemporary yet chic feel. Bright green plants and trees peeked through the large floor to ceiling windows and offset the muted white and textured grey walls. Although some might call the design sparse, it was extremely comfortable and tastefully done.
The king size bed was incredibly comfortable with white sheets and a plush duvet covering us. After walking around all day discovering Siem Reap, it was heaven to come back to snuggle up against the soft crisp sheets. Although we did have a neighbor we never heard them or frankly anyone for that matter. We slept peacefully and comfortably and the floor to ceiling windows let it the perfect amount of morning light to wake up to. The room does come with black out curtains in case you need them.
Our room looked out into a small and very private outdoor area. There was only enough room for a few chairs and bright green plants and trees flooded the space. Although we never spent time in our private patio, we would leave the curtains open and wake up to the natural morning light…it was heaven.
Leave the Computers at Home...
Look at the below picture and then look at your computer. Exactly! Trust us, you would much rather explore Siem Reap than attempt to work. If you’re going to fly across the world to visit a place like Siem Reap – don’t work. But…if you have to, the hotel is completely set up to accommodate you. The suite we were in had plenty of space to sprawl out in and be comfortable for an extended period of time. There is no desk to work at, yet the living room has a comfy chair and small couch if you need to jump on a call or check some emails.
Heritage Suites also has a large pool which was a refreshing distraction from the climbing temperatures (30+ celsius!!). We would strongly urge you to make sure that you book a hotel without a pool if you visit Siem Reap. Plus they provide you with fans and hats to cool off :)
Dining at the Heritage Suites
Each evening the lobby area (which is more like a grand living room and doubles as a bar) turns into quite the chic scene. On Thursday evenings the space transforms into Siem Reaps only live jazz bar and the crowd is a pleasant change from the college students crowding Pub Street. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, come by to hear great music and have truly fantastic cocktails.
Breakfast was served in the restaurant area and was a simple menu selection of international dishes. It was nice not have a large buffet weighing you down and the food tasted fresh and absolutely delicious! We didn’t get the chance to have dinner at the restaurant but I wish we had! The menu serves Khmer classics with a modern twist and the setting is romantic and warm. We did have some cocktails and snacks by the pool and they were fantastic.
For more information about Heritage Suites, make sure to visit their website: