Return to this showpiece city, next to a world wonder, before everyone else does

Like most tourist-dependent destinations, pandemic lockdowns brought the Cambodian city of Siem Reap to its knees. Guides at the nearby ancient temples of Angkor lost their jobs, hospitality workers were forced to look for employment elsewhere, and many hotels, restaurants and bars closed permanently. And despite the Cambodian government claiming that the nation welcomed 3 million visitors in the first seven months of 2023, the empty shells of mega-hotels, the deserted bars of Pub Street and the lack of queues at Angkor Wat tell a different story.

There’s still a noticeable lack of queues at the UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat ancient temples.Credit: iStock

But while the tourists may be slow in returning, the enforced shutdown during the pandemic transformed the city of Siem Reap into a shimmering showpiece, as Chinese-funded infrastructure projects forged ahead. As well as a new international airport (which opened on October 16, 2023), there are now wide new highways, 20 new traffic lights, pothole-free streets and underground electricity, ridding the city of the South-East Asian scourge of tangled spaghetti overhead wiring.

Charming cafes and restaurants of Psah Chas Alley in Siem Reap.Credit: iStock

Siem Reap is ready for business and for those savvy enough to visit while the destination remains under the radar, there is not only easier access and smooth travelling, but also plenty to keep them occupied in the city between temple visits.

For information on what’s trending and quirky, my private butler at Shinta Mani Angkor’s Bensley Collection Pool Villas is an enlightened local source, providing walking directions or securing the services of a fixed-price tuk-tuk with an ear-piercing whistle.

Laps of luxury: Bensley Collection pool villas.

At Son’s suggestion, I stroll to nearby Kandal Village, a low-key arts and dining precinct peppered with local designer boutiques, leafy cafes and shops selling sustainable crafts and kampot pepper, while across the river, the streets surrounding Wat Bo – named the coolest neighbourhood in Asia by Time Out in 2022 – is home to the social enterprise organic cafe, Tevy’s Place, as well as speakeasy-style cocktail lounges So 26 and Miss Wong, which offer chic after-dark alternatives to the rowdy scene of Pub Street.

Siem Reap’s famous Pub Street remains largely deserted.Credit: Getty Images

While there’s a certain charm to pulling up a plastic chair at a riverside street stall to devour a $2 bowl of noodles, I don’t have to travel far to find the best food in Siem Reap. Located in the main wing of Shinta Mani Angkor, Kroya by Chef Chanrith showcases modern interpretations of the locally trained chef’s family recipes.

Chanrith’s four- or six-course tasting menus are innovative, plant-forward and popping with flavour: think a duck breast soup with mangosteen and tamarind, sprinkled with red tree ants, or Khmer pumpkin and mushroom with crispy tofu and garnished with cashew nuts. The menu is cohesive and always surprising and at just $US40 ($61.30) for the six-course degustation ($30 for the four-course), it’s remarkable value for those seeking an authentic culinary experience.

Bensley Collection pool villa.

Also paying homage to the past is the burgeoning arts scene in Siem Reap, drawing inspiration from the artistic achievements of the Khmer empire while empowering young creatives to find a voice.

For an intimate peek into the life and achievements of one of Cambodia’s most renowned visual artists, a visit to Theam’s Gallery is as inspiring as it is fascinating. Home to the French-trained Lim Muy Theam – a refugee of Pol Pot’s genocide who returned to Cambodia to help revive the country’s craft sector – this gorgeous teak home set among tropical gardens includes a gallery space and workshops where young apprentices learn traditional craft techniques such as lacquerwork and gilding, as well as Theam’s personal painting studio where his bold, polychrome paintings feature haunting monochromatic portraits of monks and children set against fiery dreamscapes.

Display pavilions surround a series of gardens and courtyards at the Theam’s House complex.

Cambodia’s recent tragic past continues to loom over its tourist industry, but nowhere is dark tourism given a more positive spin than at Siem Reap’s latest attraction, APOPO. Here, African giant pouch rats are trained to sniff out landmines, and with 25,000 amputees and more than 64,000 landmine-related casualties across Cambodia since 1978, the work these rats are undertaking is crucial to the commitment to clearing Cambodia of all remaining mines by 2025.

A visual feast at Theam’s Gallery.

At the APOPO Visitor Centre, I watch as a furry rodent named Glen demonstrates his incredible ability to sniff out TNT, before he snuggles up to four-year-old Jenny, a recent retiree from the field who is happy to pose for the camera in return for a tickle under the chin. It just goes to show that not all superheroes wear capes … and some smell like rats.

THE DETAILS

Fly
AirAsia flies from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, then onto Siem Reap in Cambodia. See airasia.com

Stay
A three-night stay at Shinta Mani Angkor is part of the 12-night Ultimate Luxury Tour of Cambodia. From $US12,900 ($19,763) for two, valid until October 31, 2024. See shintamani.com

Visit
Entrance to Theam’s Gallery costs $US5, under-12s free. See theamsgallery.com

A tour of the APOPO Visitor Centre costs $US10 a person, see apopo.org

The writer was a guest of Shinta Mani Angkor.