Looking for an excuse to disappear for the weekend, somewhere warm and culturally invigorating? You’re in luck fella – the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap has just emerged from an extensive six-month-long renovation and she’s looking better than ever.
When the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor opened in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 1932 she regularly welcomed celebrities and powerbrokers from across the globe. Everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Jackie Kennedy, and more recently Michelle Obama, has graced the hotel‘s hallowed halls and manicured gardens. Now, after a painstaking facelift, this historic landmark hotel is entering a new chapter.
With a refreshed façade that retains the colonial-style synonymous with the Raffles brand, and a new look for all 119 rooms and suites that includes hardwood floors, lighter and brighter interiors, Segafredo coffee machines, USB charging stations, Simmons pillow-top mattresses, and bathrooms with Italian tiling, rain showers and in some cases, claw-foot tubs, the hotel has reset the luxury benchmark for the gateway city of Angkor Wat.
After a day exploring the ruins of Angkor Wat of Siem Reap’s emerging local art and jewellery production scene by tuk-tuk on one of the Raffles Curated Journeys, return to the hotel for a tipple in the Elephant Bar, one of the country’s best, at home to Raffles 1915 Gin, the hotel’s own spirit, produced by Sipsmith.
Then move on to bold interpretations of authentic Royal Khmer cuisine at 1932, the hotel’s new signature restaurant, where the likes of Wagyu beef striploin with grape puree, pickled water lily and Lok Lak essence; and crisp Kroeung marinated quail with sweet potato fondant, long bean salad and authentic Khmer curry sauce are laced with local ingredients.
Think of it as a history lesson come to life.
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