Teaming up with ASMA, Cambodia’s brightest young architects, Viroth’s Hotel pays witty tribute to the country’s brief flowering of modernist architecture with a double-retro bow to the tropical Bauhaus revival. Think Kampala, 1958: diplomats’ wives, remittance men, a table of quiet, intent fellows plotting the overthrow of the regime. But the crisp white lines of the 2 wings are softened by drooping vines and burgeoning evergreens, while public spaces flow gently into one another, from lobby to lounge to bar to pool, all furnished with vintage-style Scandinavian furniture.
A bold winding staircase leads up to an equally bold walkway connecting the 2 wings, while underneath a pool, tiled pristine white, shimmers in the midday sun. The 35 rooms are little oases of Tropical Modern, with more clean lines and top-of-the-range fixtures and fittings, each decorated with a few well-chosen and fun pieces of bric-a-brac (chopped palm fronds, mounted sickles, door knockers). Ideal for the young and design-conscious, and surprisingly comfy for everyone else.
Highs
- Bright, witty, elegant design and lots of welcoming public spaces, with greenery sprouting left and right
- A sociable bar, decent restaurant and serene spa with fruity treatments
- Lovely staff and a lovely manager, all keen to make anyone feel at home without being obsequious. Many remember your name
- An easy 20-minute tuk-tuk from Angkor Wat, and you'll be given a breakfast basket if you want to go for sunrise
Lows
- Bathrooms are compact and functional rather than lavish, and the towels were a bit stale
- Lying by the pool puts you slightly on stagey display from the lobby and lounge areas, which sit on lower ground
- It's not the quietest place on earth
Best time to go
Winter - mid-November to February - is best and also the most popular time: it's dry and relatively cool. Avoid March to May, they fry you alive. The rainy season - June to November - is also an option, it usually only rains for an hour and the rest of the time it's bearably muggy, and everything is lush and green.
Our top tips
Wat Bo is up and coming, and a welcome alternative to the screaming tourist and backpacker ghettos of the Old Market. New bars and restaurants spring up all the time. In the afternoon, wander up the river: where the hotels stop is one of the most idyllic spots this side of Wiltshire, pretty much still in the centre of town.
- Boutique Hotel
- 35 rooms
- Restaurant and bar open daily
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Heated Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
Rooms
Rooms are furnished in clean Asian modern, with clean white walls and amusing bric-a-brac stylishly mounted or shelved. The Deluxe Rooms overlook either the street or the pool, with twin, triple or double beds and either an armchair or a small sofa that can be turned into an additional bed. All have a generous balcony and comfortable seating, protected from the sun and prying eyes by vertical louvres. Bathrooms have showers only. Flat-screen TV and bathroom lotions and potions are provided.
Suites feel double the size, with generous lounge areas and an iPod dock/media player. The balconies are also double-size, with plenty of room to lounge and great pool views. Bathrooms have a small bathtub in addition to their shower.
Features include:
- Air conditioning
- Bathrobes
- Coffee / tea making
- Fan
- Hairdryer
- Minibar
- Safe box
- Toiletries
- TV
- WiFi
Eating
The chic restaurant spills over into the lobby and pool area, so there are plenty of seating options. Food is a list of Khmer or international favourites and bar snacks, all well prepared and tasty. The tabouleh makes a refreshing light lunch in the heat; breakfast is a decent choice of a la carte options. Staff can sometimes get confused but take it in good humour.
The heart of the restaurant is an all-glass, air-conditioned, sound-proofed bubble that offers another slightly stagey place from which to see and be seen.
Nearby, Barrio is an unprepossessing French place with excellent Kampot pepper steaks and a French owner who'll give you a free glass of rotgut if he likes you. Several decent Khmer places are nearby, along the river or down the main street.
Features include:
- Bar
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Restaurants nearby
- Room service
Activities
- Visit Angkor Wat, the principal temple of this ancient capital and the largest religious building in the world (it's surrounded by a 5km moat). Don't miss Ta Prohm, where the roots of giant banyan trees hold temple ruins in their mighty grip as they soar towards heaven, and Bayon, the state temple of Angkor Thom, where 216 giant faces are chiselled into the stone
- Banteay Srei is a wonderful pink sandstone temple with exquisite stone carvings
- Tour the city and travel to temples in style in one of the hotel's vintage cars; they have a gorgeous collection of classic Mercedes and Rolls Royce models
- At Artisans d’Angkor you can watch the stonemasons and other craftsmen and -women at their tasks and buy their keenly priced work
- Visit the Tonle Sap, Asia’s largest freshwater lake, which floods with monsoon rains. It’s 10km south of Siem Reap, and boat cruises plough the waterways, taking in various floating communities
- Try exotic treatments in the hotel spa; perhaps a mango and honey body wrap or enzymatic pumpkin scrub
- Drink with the hordes in the Old Market/Pub Street. Miss Wong's is a great Old Shanghai-style bar down an atmospheric alleyway
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Nightlife
- Private guided tours
- Shopping / markets
- Traditional cultures
- Well being
Kids
Children of all ages are welcome, though we think it is more suited to teens who will make the most of the lovely heated saltwater swimming pool, but there are no dedicated facilities for them
Best for:
Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
All rooms can sleep up to 3 adults in either existing beds, rollaway or sofabeds. Deluxe Triple Rooms are good if you have 1 child and don't mind a single bed each yourselves, or book a Deluxe Twin Room for the teens separately.
Extra Beds Available, Family Rooms
Distances:
- Airport: 50 minutes
- Shops: 2 minutes
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Viroth’s Hotel is in a quiet side street in the Wat Bo area, a little north of the throbbing tourist ghetto, within walking distance of the river and plenty of restaurants and bars. Allow 20 minutes by tuk-tuk to the entrance of the Angkor complex, and around 50 minutes from the airport. Note that this is not Viroth's Villa in Street 23.
By Air:
Fly to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (45km). If you're flying in from abroad, aim for Bangkok, then take a connecting flight.
From the Airport
As a rule of thumb in Indochina you should arrange for your hotel to pick you up from the airport.
By Boat:
It's possible to take a ferryboat or speedboat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap via Tonle Sap lake (4-6 hours), but choose your vessel with care. The crossing can be extremely rough, the boats overcrowded, and the lifebelts non-existent. Some of slower cruises (2-3 days) are much more civilised.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.
More on getting to Cambodia and getting around
Airports:
- Siem Reap Angkor International 45.0 km SAI
Other:
- Beach 540.0 km
- Shops 0.2 km
- Restaurant 0.2 km
Our guests' ratings...
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