Zannier Phum Baitang

"Just a stone's throw away from UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor Wat, this hotel is surrounded by rice paddy fields and glorious gardens. There are 45 private terrace and pool villas (each pool villa has its own private plunge pool), but the star of the show is the main infinity pool, perfect for catching the sunset. If you need a break from swimming, visit the two on-property restaurants and the Spa Temple, or hop on a bike and explore the neighboring villages."

"Phum Baitang Why we love it: A serene stay just outside of town that captures the spirit of Cambodia The Highlights: - A breathtaking setting amid gardens and rice paddies - Standalone villas with private terraces or plunge pools - A cocktail and cigar bar with a perfect view of the sunset The Review: Most visitors to Siem Reap come for just enough time to see Angkor Wat, but Phum Baitang—a five-star property from Zannier Hotels—makes a case for staying longer. Set amid eight acres of lush gardens, lemongrass meadows, and fully functioning rice paddies, the intimate resort offers relaxation in spades but is still just a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride from downtown when you want to explore. Inspired by Cambodia’s traditional wooden houses, the 45 stilted villas are simple yet luxurious, with cool cotton linens, handmade wooden furniture, and lantern-style lighting. Some have private terraces and others have backyard plunge pools, but all include spacious bathrooms with stone sinks and oversized bathtubs. When not soaking up the serenity in your room, take the raised wooden path through the rice paddies to the outdoor infinity pool, passing the hotel’s resident water buffalos as you go. If you seek sustenance, repair instead to the Cigar & Cocktail Lounge, located in a century-old farmhouse furnished with rattan wing chairs and Oriental carpets. There are also three restaurants on site—the Pool Bar serves light meals and homemade juices, Bay Phsar highlights local ingredients and flavors, and Hang Bay offers international cuisine like seafood and steaks. For more relaxation, there’s the Spa Temple, where treatments incorporate coconut milk and local moringa oil to pamper guests after a day spent temple hopping."

"While Siem Reap traditionally attracted tourists for short, intense tours of nearby Angkor Wat, Phum Baitang has helped to change it from mad-dash cultural destination into somewhere well worth lingering (its name translates to “green village”). An eight-acre sprawl of lush jungle, lemongrass, and paddy fields hidden in the sleepy Cambodian countryside, Phum Baitang is a mere 20 minutes from the 300-plus Buddhist and Hindu ruins of Angkor Archaeological Park. If you don’t feel like venturing outside of the resort, however, that wouldn’t be totally unforgivable: there’s a 100-year-old Khmer farmhouse turned cocktail lounge, a jaw-dropping 50-meter infinity pool, and 45 stilted villas inspired by traditional Cambodian rice farmer houses built of thatch, rattan, and clay tiles. Each has sizable deck, and twenty of them have private plunge pools for cooling off in the late afternoon heat. Add in the resort’s gorgeous Spa Temple, two restaurants, and cooking classes with trips to the local market and we think we’ve found the perfect retreat."

"Housed in a century-old farmhouse furnished with rattan wing chairs and Oriental carpets, this open-sided bar is set on stilts over the vast rice paddies of Phum Baitang. Go at sunset, grab a seat on the deck, and sip your cocktail while watching the hotel’s resident water buffalos graze in the fields." - Ann Shields