We wanted our 3 nights at Siem Reap to be the highlight of our Cambodia trip. Our final shortlist was between an Accor and a Hyatt managed property and after much deliberation we decided on the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra, our second Sofitel of the trip. What attracted us over the Raffles and Park Hyatt was the spread of Sofitel Angkor property with a lake located inside. More than a month later as I write this, I'm still perfectly happy with our choice and whatever shortcomings they had with their hard product was more than made up by the exceptional service standards and the genuine warmth of the staff throughout our stay.
We had booked via an Accor HERA rate which apart from the usual inclusions and a $100 credit also was a 3rd night free rate. As we were celebrating our anniversary I got in touch before our travel and the GM Pascal Tadin responded immediately with a short note. A detailed response followed from Tharo, the reservations manager, who confirmed an upgrade to their Prestige Suite with Club Millesime. Our ALL Platinum status also perhaps helped. Kids were allowed at the club at all times.
I believe the service standards of any hotel is set by the GM. Here, Pascal definitely did that. He personally handled the communication, he was there to welcome us during our check-in but also present to hear our stories when we returned after our hectic all-day temple tour. Tharo was there too, to say hello almost any time we went past their grand lobby. The resort was not empty by any means but all the staff including the front desk, housekeeping, at the Citadel restaurant and at the club Millesime would recognise and wish us anywhere inside the property, throughout our stay. Although they didn't have a kid's club, our twins were especially looked after with great care, including arranging for two separate single beds in our suite, organising a treasure hunt exclusively for them and then the special treatment they always received at the club lounge.
As we reached their front porch via a Grab taxi, Tharo was somehow already there to greet us. We relaxed in the sofa, as the team checked us in. Our kids were welcomed with traditional hats, all of us got welcome drinks and then we were given a tour of the property. It was indeed very beautiful inside with the water body separating the rooms/suites and the lobby/restaurant areas. The suites were apparently located at a separate wing and our Prestige Suite was on the first floor, almost at the centre of the corridor, facing the lake outside. As we walked inside past the powder room on the left, a very traditional living room opened up with a 3-seat sofa, 2 more chairs around a coffee/centre table and another cushioned armchair with a footstool. Although the suite had a polished hardwood floor, this area was covered by a red carpet. A wooden cabinet had a small television and some books while another one near the entrance had the minibar. There was an old Nespresso machine which didn't work that well. There were a few artefacts placed in the cabinets along with some paintings on the walls, all of which were about different Angkor temples and their gods and goddesses. Being attached to a golf resort there was a fully-kitted indoor golf putting set which kept our boys engaged during the entire stay. The bedroom had a very comfortable king bed flanked by two end tables with traditional lamps. One of these tables had an analogue clock cum speaker with a built-in wireless charger. There was another armchair footstool set and a round table near the window. The rest of the room had a work desk, a chair, the luggage rack and a cabinet holding a slightly larger television. Connectivity options were quite poor with hardly any USB ports available except in the speaker. A large wardrobe and another luggage rack was inside a walk-in kind of closet, leading to the main bathroom. The bed had the anniversary decorations and towel art while a bottle of French wine and a small chocolate cake were waiting at the round table. The living room centre table had two sets of more extensive welcome amenities targeted toward our twins. There were numerous cards, welcome notes written by different people placed throughout the suite. Both the living room and the bedroom had their own separate balconies with seating arrangements overlooking the lake and much of the greenery of the property.
The bathrooms seemed to be relics of a bygone era and were in need of some kind of renovation. The main bathroom was a 4-fixture, not-too-spacious space but with a separate shower area and bottled toiletries. In contrast, the powder room seemed more generously spaced by today's standards.
Our access to Club Millesime was undoubtedly the highlight of our stay. This was hosted inside a nice secluded space surrounded by the lake with both indoor and outdoor seating areas. The same space became the Mahout's Dream restaurant at night. They had a small a-la-carte breakfast menu which was not very extensive while the Citadel breakfast options were more elaborate. Their evening spread along with the alcohol options were however truly outstanding including the level of service during those special hours. One day when there was not a buffet the chef made bite-sized portions of a large number of sweet and savoury items while on the other days there were extensive buffet spreads. Prosecco was available while there were extensive lists of cocktails too. Above all, the entire setting, including the dimmed lighting, soft background music, the quiet solitude and relaxing ambience after a hectic day's tour made this one of the best club lounge experiences anywhere.
As mentioned, the Citadel breakfast was spectacular with separate live stations for western selections and local selections including noodle soups, congee and even Hainanese chicken rice on one day. Because of various tour groups visiting the hotel, this place was packed during breakfast but we didn't find it very difficult to get things for ourselves. We also had dinner here on couple of nights. That experience could have been better and this was one of the underwhelming experiences at the hotel. The dinner menu was a mix of local, western, Thai and Indian cuisine, with nothing particularly shining according to me. Both the days we went for a mix of Cambodian and Thai options but neither the variety nor the taste reached our expectations. Thai options were at least interesting on paper. Curiously, on both occasions we were almost the only people eating dinner. We redeemed our drinks coupon at the Explorer's Tales which had a very classy ambience. This was a good place to have a drink only if someone didn't have access to the Club Millesime.
We redeemed ALL points for our entire stay and the process was smooth. Overall, this was a fabulous stay when coupled with our time spent at exploring the sights of the Angkor temples and the city of Siem Reap.
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