The Magical Kingdom of Cambodia

It was 2015, Me and hubby were in discussion of where to visit next.

Cambodia!? We had spoken about it many times before, spent much time browsing photos on Instagram and Pinterest with so much curiosity.

We had read a few things on line, and of course we’ve all seen Ange in Tomb Raider!

This time it seemed right so we started to research hotels, location, flights etc.

We took our route via Singapore which seems to be our regular path whilst visiting South East Asia now.

Stopping off at Changi after our flight with Singapore Airlines, and staying overnight at The Crowne Plaza Hotel we also got to explore some of what Singapore offered which mostly involved shopping and sight-seeing near the Bay.

This gave us a good rest before our next leg to Siem Reap.

Once we arrived at the airport, I already had a sense of comfort, a sense of calm.

The airport is so cute! Small but well organised and apart from the fact we didn’t prepared our visas, which you should do beforehand (you need a passport photo of yourself which we forgot) it is all straight forward and the airport staff are friendly.

We headed to our hotel-  Golden Temple Residence. via a transport service organised by the hotel in advance.

We arrived and were greeted by extremely friendly staff with a serving of welcoming refreshments and food. Absolutely yummy!

Once settled in our rooms, we relaxed by the pool for a bit to go over our itinerary then we explored the local area for a while.

In a nutshell, I cannot praise this beautiful country and its people enough.

The food and accommodation was great, service even better, the people are like none I’ve ever met, the landscape, temples and nature is out of this world!  and I can say Cambodia stole a piece of my heart.

I would defiantly like to visit again and it remains on the top of my travel list.

Cambodia I love you.

Kirsty

x

My top activities for Cambodia , Siem Reap area are:

1. Temple hoping- You cannot come to Cambodia and not see most of the incredible, historical and breath-taking temples and shrines. Grab a taxi (TUK TUK) and head over to the Archaeological Park to see – The Bayon, Thommanon, and the famous Preah Khan (Tomb Raider) to name a very few.            

2. Sunrise at Angkor Wat- A early morning wake up call but totally worth it! An incredible experience that made me feel like I was in a dream! This magical place has so much spiritual impact and makes you appreciate this earth more than ever.A Bucket List MUST. This trip can be arranged with your hotel, Or a local tour guide (recommendations below).

3. Quad Biking– One of my most favorite things I’ve done on a vacation.

The fun and excitement of driving around Siem Reap’s surrounding villages, rice fields and dirt tracks was awesome! We stopped off to eat lunch with locals, visited temples and other local attractions, truly seeing authentic Cambodia which I love!

www.quad-adventure-cambodia.com

4. Zip Wire Jungle Adventure– A fun-filled activity and a must! Not only did we see the beautiful jungle canopies whilst ‘flying’ but we got to see some local critters too (on our request) ! Don’t be put off, it’s totally safe and the whole experience is set up by an Australian company and has lots of safety regulations – www.treetopasia.com

5. Shopping and Spas! Of course, I never go anywhere without bringing back some memorabilia for my home or some locally made clothes/goods. Siem Reap has some great market stalls, shops and spas. I like to have traditional spa treatments wherever I go and it’s great for relaxing in between all the exploring and physical activities we do I bought some locally made clothing – I love a pair of patterned trousers! Some bags, and art.