Review of Amansara

On the outskirts of Siem Reap but at the same time, just a ten-minute journey to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat, Amansara is around a 15-minute drive away from Siem Reap International Airport (REP). Airport transfers by a fleet of cars including two of King Sihanouk’s former vintage Mercedes, are complimentary. 

Vintage jeeps and custom remorks (tuk-tuks) are on hand to take guests on a slew of adventures either to the ruins, the city or further afield into the countryside where hidden temples lay just waiting to be rediscovered and villagers tend their rice paddies, collect sap from sugar palms and weave baskets in time-honoured tradition. 

Siem Reap is Cambodia’s second largest city and is the country’s cultural capital. Angkor Wat was the seat of the Khmer kingdom from the 9th to the 15th centuries and is the country’s most visited tourist attraction.

The room styles echo the peace and serenity of the entire building with a beautifully imagined simplicity and a restricted monochromatically neutral paint palette contrasting with the brilliant green of the surrounding foliage. Custom furnishings are in keeping with mid-century modern style with dark wood bookcases filled with books and ornaments, hand-picked and styled as a residence rather than a hotel room. Floor to ceiling glass doors lets the sunlight pour into the open plan living space whilst the indoor/outdoor living includes a walled private garden courtyard with sun loungers, a reflection pool and, in 12 of the suites, a private plunge pool. The exquisitely carved sandstone wall reliefs complement the heritage of Angkor Wat. 

With just 24 stylish suites, each features a sofa and writing desk; an informal dining table and chairs; a minibar; a personal safe; a ceiling fan and air conditioning. On the tech side, there is Wi-Fi and a sound system whilst the bathrooms feature twin vanities, separate bathtubs and large showers. 

Suite amenities include return airport transfers; daily excursions to the Angkor temples with an English-speaking guide and transport; transportation to Siem Reap town; daily breakfast and a choice of lunch or dinner; nonalcoholic beverages; daily seasonal fruit and a selection of cheese; freshly baked cakes and biscuits; laundry (apart from dry cleaning) and Wi-Fi. 

The entry level Suite offers around 75 square metres of indoor and outdoor living, moving on up to the Courtyard Suite’s 100 square metres of living space, with more outdoor space including a cushioned banquette, perfect for peaceful meditation up to the spacious 141 square metre Pool Suite with its 6 x 5-metre plunge pool with sun mattresses lying alongside.

On site facilities include the curved 17-metre main swimming pool, a replica of the original, situated in the heart of the property’s mature and beautifully tended gardens whilst for serious swimmers, there is a 25-metre separate lap pool available hidden in the vegetation.  

For communing with nature and being at one with your body, head to the Aman Spa with its tranquil reflecting pool and 43-metre bas relief inspired by Angkor. A wide range of treatment therapies is available combining Cambodian techniques with Aman’s own natural blends, practiced within four treatment rooms each enjoying an attached relaxation area with a private steam bath and shower. Perfect for soothing mind and body, the spa also offers a range of activities in its movement studio inspired by Khmer tradition including Apsara dance classes, Khmer kickboxing and aerial yoga. Other experiences include forest therapy immersed in nature, monk led forest walking meditation, Angkor Forest bathing, sound healing and ritual water blessings. The well-equipped gym looks out through floor to ceiling windows onto dense bamboo forest and includes strength and cardio equipment by TechnoGym and free weights. 

For a quiet moment, enjoy the peace of The Library, full of interesting books about Khmer history and culture, travel books and fiction alongside magazines, newspapers and board games. Regular talks on archaeology and history lectures, cultural performances and exhibitions take place here too. 

The hotel’s boutique sells a selection of objets d’art from Cambodia and the Indochina area with locally woven silks, lacquerware, sculptures and jewellery. There are several items created by organisations helping support the local communities too. 

Custom rickshaws and vintage jeeps take guests on varied guided adventures to the ruins of Angkor, everyone’s key destination when visiting Siem Reap. Transported on the hotel’s remorks with driver and English-speaking guides, guests will be conducted around the Angkor Archeological Park, even investigating the ancient forests surrounding the complex with a guide knowledgeable in regional wildlife, herbs and forest fruits. The hotel can also arrange private access to the Conservation d’Angkor, housing more than 6,000 pieces of Khmer Art including pieces hidden from public view. 

When the day’s experience becomes overwhelming, head for respite within the Khmer Village House, housed in a garden within the Angkor site and for the exclusive use of Amansara guests. A traditional stilted pavilion, take a lazy breakfast, enjoy an interactive cookery class or simply enjoy a candlelit romantic dinner to the backdrop of traditional music. 

Other experiences include an Angkor jungle hike and sunset boating, trips to the jungle to explore forgotten temples, countryside picnics in the countryside amidst rice fields and villages, bird watching expeditions and Tonle Sap Lake cruises on the hotel’s renovated local motorboat – all accessed via the hotel’s vintage jeeps. Cyclists will enjoy pedalling to the jungle temples and out into the countryside.

With an assured modernist style that would not look out of place in Palm Springs, Amansara feels more like a private home than a hotel. Impeccably styled, beautifully restored, even down to using King Sihanouk’s vintage private cars for transfers and tours, Amansara showcases the culture and heritage of Cambodia with sensitivity and grace, diving deeply into its history. Private tours, bespoke adventures – these are part of the everyday activities undertaken by Aman’s incredible friendly and efficient personnel who cosset their guests anticipating their requests before anything is uttered. 

Like all Aman resorts, Amansara is an oasis of tranquility, sitting back from the centre of town, located just on the fringes but within easy reach of all Siem Reap and Angkor Wat has to offer. A stay here is for affluent, sophisticated and knowledgeable travellers who understand travel at this level and look for more than just a luxury abode, they want curated experiences unavailable elsewhere. Happily, they will have found it here for this retreat is simply hotel perfection in miniature.

There are three dining experiences available to guests staying at Amansara. The all-day dining Restaurant is a stunning circular venue at the heart of the property with a seven-metre ceiling and two shaded pergolas, overlooking the pool and manicured gardens. Serving a mix of Khmer and international favourites, guests may help themselves from the walk-in cheese and wine cellar or select freshly baked cakes from the lounge section. 

The rustic Khmer Village House set within the perimeter of Angkor Wat, offers a unique, traditional dining experience within a Cambodian stilted house overlooking the royal reservoir of Srah Srang. Enjoy breakfasts, cookery lessons and candlelit dinners cooked over charcoal. 

For an historic occasion, book the Angkor Temple Dinner, an immersive cultural event amidst the evocative 10th century temple Prasat Kravan, lit by over 1,000 candles. There is music, shadow puppet and circus performers from Phare, the Cambodian Circus. 

The seasonal Roof Terrace is the perfect venue for custom events such as private dinners in the gardens or cocktail hour with local fresh ingredients, herbs and indigenous spirits enjoyed until the wee small hours.

Aman as a brand is highly aware of, and sensitive to, the sustainable well-being of its guests, staff, suppliers, the environments and communities that surround their properties, society in general and the planet. Their sustainability strategy encompasses all the projects of their hotels and resorts around the world and sorts them into four tenets - local heritage, local culture, environment protection and social responsibility, as recommended by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). 

Their Environmental Protection plan respects and preserves native milieus and ecosystems with tree planting, protection of mangrove, coral and sea turtles, clean beach initiatives, and preservation of open lands. They are also committed to waste management by reducing, recusing and recycling rubbish; composting food waste; preserving water with low flow equipment and use of grey waters; using LED lighting in all properties for energy efficiency; eliminating single use plastics; providing education programmes for young guests at Aman’s Nature Discovery Centers and growing organic producing within kitchen gardens at resorts.

With local heritage, 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites are on or close to an Aman property and the group supports them actively either in kind or financially and well as protecting man-made, natural or spiritual landmarks and supporting them.

With local culture, all the hotels support local artisans through purchasing and encouraging guests to do the same. They also celebrate local cuisine in at least one restaurant in every property with cooking classes dedicated to the local cuisine; activities for guests in the kitchen gardens and at local farms where they choose the produce to cook and then eat.

Their social responsibility programme promotes gender equality and diversity; protects children; have programmes to tackle issues for women, children, against poverty and hunger. All properties support local school programmes and orphanages and offer support for female led businesses to create economic independence. Hotel employment priority is given to locals, supporting local agriculture in culinary art, purchase of local products, fair trade and using only cage free and free-range products. All properties offer healthy, sustainable, organic, seasonal food for guests and staff as well as proving the healthcare of employees and local communities.

With Amansara Siem Reap, the hotel has a community assistance booklet which details the ways in which guests can help Cambodia’s post-war recovery by supporting the local charitable organisations which focus on helping local children and their families. There are opportunities for young guests to take part in a food drop or to visit a local school created for children who would otherwise be working in the rice fields.