A heaven of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap
We were looking for a hotel with a great design, located within walking distance of the lively Pub Street, but still away from the ears of the partying tourists.
With the Shinta Mani Resort [ad] we found exactly what we wanted. Heavenly peace, a great pool, perfect service and an outstanding location. The Shinta Mani Resort exudes a family charm and was our heavenly haven of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap..
LOCATION OF THE SHINTA MANI RESORT
The hotel is less than ten kilometers from Siem Reap International Airport. Either you book a transfer through the hotel or take a driver at the airport who will take you to Shinta Mani.
Shinta Mani Resort is about seven kilometers from the legendary Angkor Wat temple ruins. It offers ideal conditions for a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage.
It takes around ten minutes to walk to Pub Street and Siem Reap's Old Market. If you don't want to walk back anymore, just take one of the waiting TukTuks for little money waiting for guests all over Siem Reap.
Equipment and design
When you walk through the entrance area of the Shinta Mani Resort, you leave the lively and dusty street of the lively city and enter a courtyard, which is closed on all sides and has a wonderfully large pool in the center. A heavenly tropical garden grows around the pool.
The property Shinta Mani Shack designed by Bill Bensley inspires with attention to detail and a clear line in design, but look at the pictures for yourself.
Small water basins with floating flowers, delightful water features and elaborate floral decorations await at every corner. A feast for the eyes of anyone who likes to take pictures. The flower decorations are handcrafted daily by the staff at the Shinta Mani Resort. Watching them impressively.
This loving design continues in the rooms of the Shinta Mani Resort. Depending on the category booked, the spacious rooms are designed in a colonial style or in a kind of industrial style. In any case, as in the rest of the hotel, the design is consistent with the concept.
The rooms are equipped with a minibar, safe, WiFi and flat screen TV. There are many amenities in the bathroom such as shampoos, creams and shower gels. Depending on the category, you have your own living room and a balcony.
In the middle of the four residential buildings with 66 rooms, which surround the inner courtyard, is - as already mentioned - the pool area with plenty of loungers and large towels.
Several times a day you can enjoy a free massage at the pool.
Cool water and delicious ice cream are always at your free disposal. The pool bar with the attached Bajtong restaurant serves snacks, coffee and cool drinks throughout the day. During happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. there are two alcoholic drinks for the price of one - which we of course used ;-). Nothing is really missing.
But what sets the hotel apart from other high-class hotels is the family atmosphere that the employees create here. You will just feel welcome. The employees can see genuine joy and interest in the eyes. The restaurant staff, the ladies from the SPA, the boys and girls from the reception and the management is really awesome and the big plus of the hotel.
In addition to the Shinta Mani Resort Shack, there is also the Shinta Mani Angkor and the Shinta Mani Villas within walking distance, as well as the Shinta Mani Wild, which is located in southern Cambodia.
The three properties in Siem Reap serve different price ranges, so that there is an opportunity for every budget at Shinta Mani.
CULINARY OFFER AT SHINTA MANI RESORT
If you want to spend the day in the temple complex of Angkor, you should be well strengthened.
For breakfast, the small boutique hotel Shinta Mani Resort offers salads, sweet pastries (e.g. donuts, muffins), as well as fresh juices, jams, muesli, yoghurt and teas. Of course there is also bread, cheese and some super delicious local dishes for breakfast.
If you travel to Cambodia in the hot season, it is a good idea to get up early and have a good breakfast, enjoy some sightseeing in Angkor and return in the early afternoon and enjoy the pool during the worst heat.
At lunch or dinner, the Bajtong leaves nothing to be desired. The restaurant is right next to the pool. Khmer cuisine finely prepared and attractively presented. We enjoyed the 3 course meal and it was just delicious. The first Khmer dishes of our trip ... Unforgettable.
The restaurant Kroya, which is located in the opposite property Shinta Mani Angkor, is absolutely fantastic. Here you dine on swinging sofas that are attached to the ceiling with four steel cables. The quality of the 7-course menu offered here ($ 45 excluding drinks) surpasses everything we've experienced in Asia so far. A very special experience. At certain times, the Kroya offers a happy hour with fantastic cocktails.
The rooms in the Shinta Mani Resort are prepared for going to bed again in the evening. The little sweet attention that was brought to our room made us extremely happy every evening. Mostly it was a delicious chocolate candy. We haven't had anything like that before.
Activities
The reason why so many people come to Siem Reap is the Angkor temples and that's what you should do. Because the temples are really incredible.
The staff at Shinta Mani Resort will be happy to help organize trips to the temples. You check the weather forecast, book the TukTuk driver and provide cool drinks and cold towels for the journey. The prices for tours are fixed and payable at the hotel (from $ 30 per tuktuk for the day). We really enjoyed the service.
After an exciting day of sightseeing, the pool offers a refreshing change. Just perfect.
However, the staff is just as helpful in advising on SPA activities. We had the Shinta Mani signature couple massage. Really recommendable. It is washed, massaged and finally creamed with fragrant oils. The ladies also get a very pretty Asian braided hairstyle. They just think of everything.
OUR CONCLUSION ON THE HOTEL SHINTA MANI RESORT
We stayed at Shinta Mani Resort for three nights and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately the stay was much too short. We felt so incredibly comfortable.
This little boutique hotel will spoil you in every way. Its location also makes it an excellent starting point for visiting the world-famous temples. At the same time, the airport can be reached in a few minutes and the restaurants and bars can be easily reached on foot in the evening.
We fully recommend the hotel.
If you want to know more about Cambodia, click here and read our Cambodia Travel Tips.
