Kids: Big Sister 5y10m, twins 3y4m
Flights: Hong Kong - Ho Chi Minh City v.v. on Vietnam Airlines and Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap on Siem Reap Airways International
Booked through: Lastminute in Hong Kong and hotel in HCMC directly on Marriott Reward points
This was a slightly unexpected, last minute trip after some issues at my husband's former work. Since most flights from Hong Kong to Siem Reap go via HCMC, we decided that a stop over in former Saigon was a must. Especially after having visited Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An just before in October 2009. Through Lastminute in Hong Kong (had email contact with them) I found a good package to Siem Reap via HCMC which is much cheaper than booking the flights separately. However, because of the planned stop over I asked them to book our return flight to Hong Kong 2 nights later on the way back and I would take care of the hotel in HCMC myself. That way we could still benefit from the great package price and have some flexibility at the same time. For the hotel we used our almost expired Mariott Reward points and I was able to get 1 night free in HCMC's Rennaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon. Not the greatest option, location is good, rooms were large, we had connecting rooms (one was actually a large corner room) but everything looked a little tired and dull (the typical standard, not so new Marriott that could have been anywhere in the world). It did have a nice roof top pool and service was fine, so for the price we paid, it was still worthwhile. I was able to stay at the Asiana Saigon twice afterwards (no kids though) and it's definitely a nicer, more modern option with a very nice pool area as well. Will post some more ins & outs on Ho Chi Minh City in a separate post as I have been back twice afterwards with friends and family, but no kids.
On our way to Siem Reap we simply changed planes in Ho Chi Minh Airport which is small but has plenty of facilities (and after a recent visit I noticed things even improved further with free wifi in the coffee bar area, a Burger King and a few other food options as well including fairly decent shopping). The connecting flight is only an hour or so and Siem Reap is a small and easy airport to navigate through (the departure area even has some decent souvenir shops, though it gets very crowded). We were lucky to be seated in the front of the airplane being one of the firsts to get in line for immigration, which obviously makes a difference at 8 pm at night with 3 small children. Application for a Cambodian visa can be done online, then upon confirmation (takes 2-3 days), simply print out the visa and keep it with your passport. Cost: US$25 per person (including $5 processing fee) and for children under 12 years old it's only US$5.
We stayed at the Victoria Angkor Hotel & Spa in Siem Reap after having a good experience at the Victoria Hotel in Hoi An (Vietnam) in late 2009. The Victoria Hotels are very child friendly with small kids' club facilities, connecting rooms, kids' menus, etc. The hotel had a nice pool which is a necessity with young kids after being outside in the heat at the temples of Angkor. It's only a small Asian chain with a few hotels, fairly luxurious (but nothing fancy or over the top) and with a cosy, local feel to it. We stayed for 3 nights and visited several temples, including all the main ones like Angkor Wat, Angkor Tom, Ta Prohm and Bayon over the two days (we bought the 3-day pass for Angkor, currently US$40, I am pretty sure we didn't pay for the kids back then) including a few slightly further away, e.g. Banteay Samre which was so quiet and serene while we were there, so definitely worth visiting a few temples slightly off the beaten path and soak in the amazing atmosphere. Just a kiddy tip, we did bring our fold-able and portable potty (with its plastic bags) as toilets are not always easy to find at the various temples. And with two 3 year olds you won't always have time to make it to a toilet, so it made things a lot less stressful, knowing we had it with us (we hardly used it of course ...).
One afternoon we did a carriage ride through the Cambodian country side at Happy Ranch, which was a nice change from all the temples and an opportunity to see something different. We had friends who had been to Tonle Sap Lake, but they found it so touristy and not worth it, that we didn't risk bringing the kids out. The city of Siem Reap has plenty of lunch and dinner options. We had lunch at Blue Pumpkin, and dinner at Chivit Thai and Red Piano, but I remember the kids were still little, quite tired, the days long and it was a hot time of year! The day we left we visited the Cambodian Cultural Village in the morning as we had a few hours to spare. It sounded great, though a little kooky, but after being there I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It was very quiet, super touristy and we were hassled non-stop with all kinds of kitsch souvenirs nobody really wants to have (the lack of having other people to haggle didn't really help either). Shows were not running, everything looked tired and old, it was quite painful to watch. The biggest mistake was entering the Tunnel of Judgement, it was distasteful and it scared the hell out of the children (no warnings outside of course) to the extent they talked about it weeks and months later (but luckily no nightmares!).
Siem Reap is a great place to visit with some magnificent temples, but do try to visit some smaller, less popular sites as it will be way more quiet, and you actually get to enjoy the temples and the surroundings a lot more. You can easily organize a tuk tuk driver (or car) for the day and have them drive you anywhere you want to go. For the further temples you may be better off with a car though. A great little guide book I can highly recommend is the small and light LP Angkor Wat & Siem Reap Encounter, especially for those staying only a couple of nights in Siem Reap and not visiting other places in Cambodia. We used it a lot and have lend it to others several times. Have various destinations as it easily fits in your bag and you don't have to lug this heavy guidebook around, which is great when travelling with children as there will be plenty to carry already!
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