The San Francisco Chronicle Travel Section

Cambodia is Catching On

By Jeanne Cooper
June 2004

As Cambodia’s appeal to tourists spreads, getting and staying there is becoming less of an adventure.

Malaysia Airlines began regular flights between Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap, the closest Cambodian city to the famed temples of Angkor Wat, earlier this month.

The new Siem Reap flights are Monday, Thursday and Saturday; the return flight from Sieam Reap includes a stopover in Phnom Penh. Service is on a two-class Boeing 737-400 aircraft with 144 seats. U.S. travelers can fly to Siem Reap via Kuala Lumpur from Los Angeles and Newark, NJ; fares begin at $1,120 and $1,070, respectively, including an overnight hotel stay on the Malaysian capital. For information, call (800) 552-9264 or visit www.malaysiaairlinesusa.com.

Don’t know where to sleep in Siem Reap? The Siem Reap Angkor Wat Hotel and Guesthouse Association’s web site, www.angkorhotels.org, offers information and reservations for a range of accommodations. Formed in early 2002, the association is “committed to the development of a responsible and sustainable tourist industry in the Angkor region.”

The industry is certainly growing: In 2003, the latest figures available from the association, Siem Reap had 57 hotels, 120 guesthouses, 27 resorts and 59 restaurants, with another 26 hotels under construction. Last year’s dip in tourism due to the poor U.S. economy and SARS fears, which affected many Asian countries, also appears to be reversing.

One of the newer lodging options is Journeys Within Bed & Breakfast, which opened in January on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Owners Andrea and Brandon Ross say they were inspired by their first visit to Cambodia in 2002 to create both the three-bedroom inn, which blends Western comforts and Cambodian design, and a “boutique tourism” company that focuses on Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. For information, visit www.journeys-within.com or call (877) 454-3672.