Sarai Resort & Spa

Donald L6 months ago

The two of us had a wonderous fifteen day stay at the Sarai Hotel and Spa Resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia in December 2023. The Sarai Resort and Spa is a five-star establishment, and more, located away from the party scene in the quieter Wat Damnak neighborhood. There are a few good restaurants close by (our faves were Fellini’s and Khmer Poliart), and everything else is accessible for $2 a ride by the ever-present tuk tuk drivers. A quality laundry is found on the street behind the hotel. The hotel earns its five stars for the superb quality of the facility and the above and beyond attentive service of the well managed staff. There are two swimming pools, one huge one off the lobby and an infinity pool on the rooftop next to the workout room. The serene spa will take your worries way. The full-service restaurant provided bountiful breakfast and a quiet happy hour was our daily first stop for a gin and tonic and Mojito before heading out for evening dinners. The breakfast menu offered ten Western dishes and about the same number of Asian entrees. In addition to menu choices, there was a continental buffet that offered assorted cereals, vast fruit choices, yogurts, breads, pastries, juices and coffee. Breakfast was included in our room charge. |As we booked for 15-days, there was a 10% reduction for a long-term stay. After the discount was applied, our daily room charge was at $90. Compared to other high end hotels in Siem Reap, the Sarai is a bargain. Our third floor pool view room included a couch and a king bed. The room was certainly large enough for the two of us for that amount of time. The bed was dreamy, and the linens were changed quite often. Like clockwork at 11 am, our room was thoroughly cleaned by a joyful team of young men and women who provided fresh shower towels, washcloths, and hand towels, along with two bottles of water and replenished the paper products. The special touch provided by the evening turndown service was a surprise snack plate which could be either fruity brown bread, sweetened sweet potatoes or sweet, salted taro chips.|The front desk took care of arranging excursions to the temples, area attractions and a departing airport transfer. A most memorable experience was the cooking class hosted by the hotel’s chef. We first traveled to the local market and then under the tutelage of the expert chef, prepared a three course Khmer cuisine lunch for ourselves. |Earlier in this review, we wrote that the Sarai is a five-star establishment and more. Now for the more part. We cannot put into words, without welling up a bit, how much care and love we received from our Sarai hosts. Coming to our room on our last night to present our gift to us was magical. Thank you for your smiles, your “welcome home”s, and your hugs when we had to leave to make our way back to the USA. The memories we made with everyone at the Sarai will be cherished in our hearts forever. Thank you, thank you! |