Built in 1932 to provide accommodations for the first wave of travelers to whom the Angkor Temples were an obligatory stopover, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor is hands down the place to stay in Siem Reap. Spread over acres of landscaped French gardens, it exudes an old-world Cambodian grandeur updated with all the mod cons and comforts. Behind the unassuming façade is an understated elegance of art deco tile hallways, languorous ceiling fans, colonial style furnishings, and what must surely be the country’s most magnificent swimming pool, surrounded by fragrant frangipani trees. This hotel has style to spare – and the steamy weather only adds to the atmospheric allure. I keep expecting to find Somerset Maugham in evening attire, smoking in the Elephant Bar or Bette Davis peering through louvered shutters, clutching a scandalous letter. I’m in heaven to say the least. They don’t make them like this anymore.
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