Our home away from home for two nights while in Siem Reap, Cambodia, surprised us with a wonderful nature vibe. The River Garden was the accommodation provided for me by Roomorama months before my trip. I remembered while planning my trip to Siem Reap, I told myself I would not mind sleeping on benches in a park just to visit the place at all costs. Though sometimes, surprises came in great packages, and I was able to book that place courtesy of Roomorama, which was the leading online provider of "quality accommodations for curious travelers."
A Tropical Retreat: The River Garden in Siem Reap
Our tuk-tuk driver had a hard time locating that place because of the wrong address I had written on my note. Where I got that incorrect address, I had no idea. But, when one actually wrote down the correct one, the place was very easy to locate, as it was conveniently nestled just a mere two kilometers away from the vast Angkor complex and across the road from the popular Le Meridien Hotel.
The Khmer Garden Cottage
We finally located the place at around mid-afternoon, and the friendly receptionist showed me and my brother to our room, which was called the "Khmer Garden Cottage & Bungalow," which came perfectly with a double-sized bed and traditional Khmer architecture made of woods with handcrafted and woven furniture. The cottages were surrounded by a lush garden with tall trees.
Traveling most of the time on a deprived budget, I had grown used to sleeping in dingy quarters, but that time it was a welcome change. I felt like jumping into the bed and just sleeping through the next day. Due to the long travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and the day before that, coming from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, the urge to just relax was discussed thoroughly by the membranes inside my brain. However, after settling for a few moments, we proceeded right away to the Angkor Wat ticketing outpost and got ourselves a day's pass for the next day.
After purchasing our tickets, we then went to Phnom Bakheng to catch the magnificent sunset. The River Garden was a boutique type of hotel that also offered in-house cooking lessons, massages, and a spacious swimming pool. A bar and restaurant served authentic Khmer cuisine such as "amok fish". They also provided trustworthy tuk-tuk drivers whom visitors could rent for a day or two in touring the vast Angkor complex. We had our dinner during our first night there and were able to have an interesting conversation with two of their restaurant staff, namely Awesome Anne and Nimol, who spoke fluent English that was even better than mine.
