H5362LEpauld
Google
Approximately 8 years ago. I was looking for a hotel in Siem Reap that was located east of the Siem Reap River, away from the cacophony of Pub Street, and in an area that had a diverse selection of restaurants and services. I was lucky enough to find Sonalong Boutique Village and Resort on Street 27 in the Wat Bo area.|Since then, I have stayed at Songalong 10 times, a month at a time, most recently in November, 2025.|My room of choice is a garden view bungalow room. These large rooms come in 2 flavors: ground floor and upper. Regardless of the choice, each has a large outdoor porch (lower) or balcony (upper) with 2 chairs suitable for afternoon or early evening unwinding or reading.|The king size beds are comfortable. The Wi-Fi is good but may become a bit slow during times when the hotel is full. The housekeeping staff clean the rooms and make the beds and daily.|Each room is equipped with TV (which I have never used) and a small refrigerator (which I use all the time). There is a safety box which is easy to set up for storage of cash, travel documents, and other valuables. The rooms are equipped with air con and ceiling fans.|There is a pool large enough to be suitable for doing laps. It is cleaned daily in the early morning and the area around it is kept spotless.|The garden area was conceived by the owner, Mr. Hak. It was planted with local fruit and flowering trees. I have been lucky enough to have feasted on freshly cut jack fruit, starfruit, and bananas grown on site.|There is a good buffet breakfast with Khmer and Western selections starting at 6:30 am. I am advised by guests who travel with tour groups via Vietnam and Thailand that the breakfast here scores highly compared to the other stops on their itinerary. In addition, there are several suitable breakfast locations nearby for those who want to dine locally. People are generally very helpful at these venues and if you find that you need assistance with the menu selections, someone is often willing to help.|Sonalong’s manager and staff are all extremely friendly and helpful whether they are at reception, in the restaurant, housekeeping, or tending the garden. Tours and transport to the airport and other locations can be arranged at the reception desk.|There is a family owned and run laundry just across the street from the hotel, namely Seila Laundry. English is spoken and will give you an opportunity to meet some of the friendly residents of the area. Ditto, for the coffee shop (the name of which I have forgotten) just 2 steps west of the laundry. |I normally rent a bicycle for the duration of my trip at Bayon MTB Project which is located on Benoit Street in the northern part of Siem Reap. I have found that I prefer to cycle the extensive trail system in the Angkor Archeological Park. It has allowed me to visit several out of the way temples that otherwise I would not have found had I had relied on tuk tuks. The owner of Bayon MTB can provide guided bike tours of the area if that is your interest.