Bus tickets/hotel availabity

I understand that bus tickets and hotels are difficult to obtain during the chinese new year as people travel to visit relatives or go home during this period.

I also understand that the Chinese New starts on Jan. 26, 2009 and that the celebration will continue for a few days from that date.

My question now is: will I be able to easily buy bus tickets from P. Penh tp S. Reap on Feb.3,2009?

What about Hotel availability on this date. Will I be able to easily find a hotel in P. Penh or in S. Reap on Feb. 3, if I have no prior reservations?

Thanks.

Bus tickets/hotel availabity

Can you not book your hotel on the net now, and then get your hotel to reserve you a bus ticket?

Bus tickets/hotel availabity

Some of this will depend on what kind of hotel you will be looking for , usualy the bus ticket needs to be booked the day before to be safe .

Odball,

If I purchase a ticket on February 3 for a bus leaving for Feb. 4, would I or my hotel have aproblem obtaining seats for Feb. 4 dure perhaps to local people still traveling back home from the Chinese New Year Holidays?

Thanks.

Most people migrate out of the city back to their villages to be with family during holidays so you will be travelling in the reverse direction to them .We have a travel specialist who happens to live in Seam Reap who can give you a better perspective of conditions in SR at that time .

I will check with my tuk-tuk man and ask him about the hotel situation at that time , he also has a relative in SR who may come up with something , i will post again tomorrow evening .

ODBALL,

Thank you. Waiting for your reply.

Little late getting back to you , but tuk-tuk man says same thing , people migrate away from the city so you should have no problems , for a small fee he is always willing to help www.cambodia.wz.cz

phone 012 782 45 He gave me a contact in SR , this man operates outside of Sydney Angkor Hotel where good clean rooms are available from $15.00 a night .

sengdriver@yahoo.com , phone 092 557 293

Hope this is what you need , have a nice trip .

ODBAL,

Thanks a lot. Will keep your contact in file as my trip is still in February.

Viroth's

If you have stayed there which room do you recommend?

I%26#39;ve read numerous postings about the alternating nature (cold or scaling) of Viroth%26#39;s showers. Does anyone have a room that did not have that problem?

Frommers recommend Viroth%26#39;s room no. 3, as it comes with a large, poolside corner terrace equipped with cozy lounge beds. Didn%26#39;t say if it enclosed, so will we have privacy and noise issues - if staff or guests can walk by the room%26#39;s bathroom window or patio door?

Thanks!

urgent help please ,travelers cheques

I was in cambo last year and got by very happily drawing money from my nationwide debit card .However i have a holiday booked for december and it is very sad watching the pound keep falling .I have decided that if goes below 160 again i will not go .

however for this weekend i have 162 available to me commision free dollar traverl cheques ,slightly above the interbank rate .I think i should by as it is a rate I can live with .How ever what i need to know is, how is it cash to my dollar tc%26#39;s in pp siaem reap and shinouknile and very important how much will it cost me ,

i really would like an answer as i belive he pound will go down more and by monday i will miss this rate .I know it may go up again but i have to change it now while i can live with this rate .

look forward to any answers you can give me .

thank you in advance

urgent help please ,travelers cheques

what r u trying to say?

%26#39; How ever what i need to know is, how is it cash to my dollar tc%26#39;s in pp siaem reap and shinouknile and very important how much will it cost me %26#39; ???

tc%26#39;s stands for?

urgent help please ,travelers cheques

tc,s stand for travelrs cheques

I still dont really get what u meant.

Why cant u cash it before you go to Cambodia. Cash it to dollar would be wise, coz dollar is another legal tender in cambodia.

Make sure they will accept it there? Sorry if I dont answer your question.

if i wanted cash then i would of be buying dollars for the same rate in cash .Cash is not secure and cannot be insured and so I have bought dollar travelrs cheques ,at rate that i find exceptable .I am doing this in case the pound falls further against the dollar, and my trip may become too expensive .I have now prurchased dollar travelers cheques today at rate of 162 to the pound .so now i do not have to wrry about the pound falling further and making my trip unafordable .In more stable times i would just use my nationwide debit card ,but i am betting the pound will go down much more .It may go up but, i have bought now at a rate i can live with .

and 162 to i slightly higer than the interbank rate .the rate was as low as 151 the other week .

anyway i hope you get it now.I know they dollar is used over their and this is why I bought dollar checks with my pounds ,i will not be changing them just cashing them .and from what i can gather will be about 2% fee to cash .

You will pay 2-3% to cash them, most places charge 3%.

thanks mate ,so i hope to find the 2% places then .do any in pp sr and shinoukvile .

I am not paying 3% so anyone know of any palces charging 2 would apreciate the information thank you .

Getting to Siem Reap

Hello-

I will be traveling in Southeast Asia with my girlfriend at the end of March. I am an experienced SE Asia traveler and backpacker, but she is not. We will be spending a few days in Bangkok, Thailand and then will be traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

What is the best way to get to Siem Reap from Bangkok? What is the best balance of cost and speed? We have an entire day to make the trip.

Thanks!

-J%26amp;J

Getting to Siem Reap

best way between the 2 would be flying, but its not cheap as only Bangkok Air operates on that route.

If you have plans to go to PP too, you could fly there (the budget airline air asia does that route), and then take the mekong express caoach up to SR. For the return, could go back to PP and fly out, or fly out from SR to elsewhere

Overland travel between Thailand and cambodia is possible, not for faint hearted, try www.talesofasia.com for the best info on how to do this

Getting to Siem Reap

If I travel through PP, what is the likely time of the trip?

AirAsia only fly from KL to Phnom Penh, not BKK.

My apologies, BKK to PP is open. When we travelled the only option was from KL which was a very cheap flight ...about $50

If arriving via a flight you will be given visa forms to fill out on your inbound flights.....simple and easy.

Pics and stories of our trip here... www.thebobmarsh.com

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Currently air asia have one flight going to/fro bkk and PP

15:10-16:20 (going to PP)

16:55-18:10 (leaving PP) - a return comes in at around 132$ - with an ecconomy promo

mekong express leaves PP daily at 7:30 and 12:30, will take around 4-5 hours

That option would leave you with at least one overnight in PP

flying in/out with bangkok air will give you a return flight of around 400$, but with at least 7 flights availble each day - every 1-2 hours, and takes less than an hour

anyone travelling to siem reap dec 27-30?

Hi. I will be travelling solo on these dates to siem reap. I am wondering if anyone would want to meet up for coffee/drinks after the temple trips. It will be refreshing to share experiences/share notes with fellow travellers.

I%26#39;ve always been interested in meeting fellow travellers and simply talking about their experience has always been fascinating for me.

anyone travelling to siem reap dec 27-30?

I kept thinking my gf and I would be in Siem Reap on those days cuz our initial plan was to do Bangkok, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Mandalay, Bagan and back to Bangkok but we had to switch Siem Reap and Luang Prabang because of the flight availability. We would be on the way to Luang Prabang already by the afternoon of Dec 27th. It%26#39;s a shame.. We would have definitely loved to meet up with fellow travellers.

Heidi

anyone travelling to siem reap dec 27-30?

Hi. I%26#39;ll be in Siem Reap until the evening of the 29th. This is my fist post so I am not sure what else to write... thanks

great. if u wanna meet up for coffee or drinks, just tell me. i%26#39;d be glad to make quick chat with fellow travellers.

I am only in the planning stages of visiting South East Asia. So far I%26#39;m definitely going to Thailand around January 4th. I was thinking of going to Phenom Penh and Siem Reap. Looking for information now.

BTW, filipino ka ba?

yes I am and I guess u are too?

yes I am too.

It%26#39;s looking really tough for me to be in Siem Reap those dates. Sorry, the best I could do is arrive in PP on the 29th.

accept divorce papers

Where to Stay for a 1st time visitor

Hi forumers,

I%26#39;ll be going to SR next March for a few days and would like to know which area is the best to stay in. I would prefer a area with lotsa shops and things to do and restaurants so that I can find activities and restaurants easily espc at night. Any place to recommend? I am going on a budget and would prefer guesthouses.

Any idea? Thanks

How is the weather in March ?

~ J

Where to Stay for a 1st time visitor

It%26#39;s heating up that time of year, but the upside is that things are cheaper and less crowded.

The heat makes a pool worth a bit of an upcharge IMO for a mid-day respite from the heat. Some guest houses have pools, but not many. You need one with a lot of shade.

A good choice is the Bopha Angkor Hotel ($40-50 I think, maybe less in off season). Nice saltwater pool, lush gardens. Just across the river from the noise of Pub Street where you will find tons of restaurants, etc. A 5 minute walk away.

If you don%26#39;t need a pool you can move closer to Pub Street but I don%26#39;t know why you%26#39;d want to. Many great guesthouses all along Wat Bo and several right in the thick of it downtown.

You can check out all the options for guest houses at Canbypublications.com

Enjoy your trip!

Where to Stay for a 1st time visitor

Hi Thanks for the info

I think it will definitely be a great trip for me! so looking forward to it

I stayed at Ancient Angkor Guesthouse in Oct. They have a small pool, very clean and with free internet access in the lobby, cable tv, private bath, AC and free pickup at the airport with advance notice. Single room $10 with fan, double $15 with AC.

Very short walk to center of town, restaurants,shops and markets.

www.ancient-angkor.com

eye makeup

siem reap to bangkok

hi guys cant make up my mind on wheather to fly from siem reap to chiang mai or go over land to bangkok, whats the story with crossin the border by land is it much hassle and how long a trip would it be to bangkok cheers

siem reap to bangkok

Overland travel is generally not the easiest option, most wont attempt it, although it does seem a little easier from siem reap to bangkok, than the other way around. the best place for any info on overland travel is on the talesofasia.com website

siem reap to bangkok

I haven%26#39;t done the overland trip, but decided to fly, because every book or website I came across warned against the overland option and said that flying is highliy recommended if you can afford it. The overland trip is infamous for its horrible slow road on the Cambodian side and for its scams (esp. Bangkok to Siem Reap).

the overland travel is not as horrible as some people may tell, the roads have improved and there is usually no hassle when LEAVING Cambodia.

those horror-stories usually originate from naive people having booked ';unbelievably cheap bus tickets'; at infamous Khaosan-Road, only to find out later that the offer was indeed ';too good to be true';.

there are several decent companies offering (more expensive, but reliable) transport to either Aranyaprathet / Poipet or even all the way down to Bangkok.

flying is of course the most comfortable way, but since Bangkok Air is successfully bribing the over-corrupt Cambodian government since decades, they still have the monopoly on the route to BKK (and even caused delay in constructing new roads to REP)

There are no major problems crossing the border into Thailand. if you take a taxi from Sim Reap and public bus or train From Aryanaparathet it can take less than 12 hours and sometimes as quick as 8.

Those who take a package the other way BKK to SR almost always have problems and this happens regardless of price charged.

I traveled by bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok via Poipet in Oct and would recommend the trip. Many travel agencies selling tickets with different bus companies at different prices. I traveled with Capital Tour bus company. Ticket was $12.

Picked up at guesthouse by mini van and brough to AC 45-passenger bus. Bus left at 8AM, stopped 30 minutes for lunch. At the border we made our way through Cambodian and Thai border. On the other side we were to have large bus for trip to Bangkok, but we had 9 passenger AC van.

Dirt road from Siem Reap to Poipet with large ruts, so we went slow but steady. We went very fast on the Thai side. We arrived before 6pm in Khao San Road.

I much prefer the bus direct vs a 6 hour bus ride to PP and then a flight and transportation into town from the Bangkok airport.

Be sure and keep the stub of your ticket to provide at the border to get the pass you need for continuing on the Thai side.