I want to go to Cambodia at xmas time.... Any advice on flights, accomodation, visas, or anything else?

Question

I am going on a university travelling study program, ending in Hong Kong a few days before xmas. I have no restrictions about where to go after (except I need to be back in the UK by 7th Jan), and was looking at going to Cambodia.

I have looked at Visas, and they are valid for three months, so I wouldn't be able to apply for this until I am halfway across the world - Ecuador.

Is it difficult to arrange accomodation in Cambodia on arrival at the international airport?

How would I go about arranging flights to Cambodia from Hong Kong - I can't really find anything online that does so.

Any help and guidance would be much appreciated - What is the climate like there at that time of year? Costs of trips and Excursions? Tourist friendly?

Also, if you do think its a bad idea for me to go to Cambodia, any suggestions for other travel after Hong Kong?

Web links will be much appreciated, thanks in advance !

Answer 1

Cambodia is great, but Siem Reap is too crowded for my taste. I prefer Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

In PP, its easy to find accommodation. Sihanoukville and Siem Reap may be a bit crowded during Xmas (high season).

Answer 2

Hi Thx for stopping by to answer my question about Fiji.
You are in luck I have a lot of friends from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines.
First, Cambodia is very dangerous for both Americans and Englanders (they don't care to know the difference). If you are white there is about a 50% chance you will at least get mugged. If you could go anywhere you should look into the Philippines and Vietnam. They are very warm people as a whole. Again if you get uncomfortable with a lot of attention South East Asia might not be the place for you.
As far as places to stay you can look into hostils but I personally would rather stay in a Hotel.
Cambodia is hot almost year round althought Sept the muggyness wears off.
All in all if you go somewhere after Hong Kong look into Tokyo and Manilla. They are my favorite places. Good Luck!

Answer 3

I have been to Cambodia many times and never been mugged. and, I don't know anyone else that has been mugged either. You can get your visa at the airport so no problem there. Are you going to enter the country through Phonm Phen or Siem Reap? I would recommend Siem Reap and starting off with Angkor Wat. Truly amazing and one of my favorite places in the world. I can hook you up with just about any type of hotel you want. from very expensive to $10 a night. The food is great and the people are nice. The country is very tourist friendly because tourism is a major source of income for the country. Trips or excursions vary in price depending on the level of luxury that you want. Generally when I go to Angkor I just hire a Tuk Tuk driver to guide me around. Make sure you get one that has a good command of English. If you are staying at one of the pricey hotels they will provide one for you.

for food in Siem Reap. The Funky Monkey has the best western food, Viva the best Mexican, A dozen places have Khmer food and local type dishes. Dead Fish cafe is really worth looking at and like their sigh says, "we don't serve no dog, cat or worm" this place is an amazing structure built on multi levels. the price is right. I always stay at the Enjoy hotel. Its about 2 blocks away from down town and Craig and Lexy run and own it. Tell them Randy from Vietnam said high.

On that note Vietnam is wonderful. here is a comment that I wrote for a friend.
Vietnam is the new place to go. The country is absolutely beautiful. With miles of white sand beaches, cool mountain hideaways, Great city night life and cozy country inns. It’s very inexpensive. You can get nice hotel rooms for $10 and beer is 15 cents a glass. The people are wonderful. I have traveled just about everywhere and I ended up buying a home here because I like it so much. Flights from almost any where are around $1000 USD. You more than make up the difference with the inexpensive lodging etc. Also, you are close to Thailand, Cambodia , (Angkor Wat) Lao, Hong Kong, A ticket to Kuala Lumpur is about $50, Lots to do and plenty to see. Check it out.
You will never regret it if you come to Vietnam. . Great food, amazingly wonderful people. We stopped our bikes at the end of the road by the river the other day. Out in the middle of no where. In minutes we were surrounded by kids saying "hello, Where you from?" the mothers came out a few minutes later and they are bringing out food and laughing. A few minutes later the men came out bringing the rice wine. We had a full on party going and didn't understand much of what was going on. But... we knew that they were really friendly and they treated us like Rock Stars. Just amazing. Don't miss Vietnam. It will be your best trip ever. I promise.

So south East Asia is a great place to visit. I have been just about everywhere here and can answer any questions that I have prompted with my, somwhat confusing answer here. Just email me if you have any more questions.

http://www.siemreapairways.com/timetable/?destination=hkg

www.asia-expatsforum.com/phpBB

Answer 4

Cambodia is a wonderful place, and not dangerous, as the first answerer said. The crime rate in Phnom Penn is slightly higher than most other places in the country but if you stick to well lit areas at night, and remain aware of your surrounds, you will be fine. The main risk is NOT of violent crime, but of pickpockets and bag snatchers on the street. I travelled extensively in Cambodia and NEVER ONCE felt unsafe, and the same can be said for my British and American friends.

Anyone who tries to quote you some made up, alarmist statistic about having a 50% chance of being mugged is: a.) A moron. b.) Obviously hasnt even been to the place. Outside of Phnom Penn, Siem Reap and Battambang you pretty much have more chance of being trampled by an elephant than you do being involved in some crime.

Cambodia has a bad reputation for crime and civil war, but it's undeserved. Phnom Penn is a beautiful city (many parts are far nicer than places like Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City). Sieam Reap is also very nice, and the smaller towns in the north are so friendly, it's unbelievable.

Check out Tales Of Asia which deals with safety in Cambodia if you're still worried. It's a great place and does NOT need it's reputation besmirged by people who dont know what they're talking about like the answer above saying that you have a 50% chance of being mugged.

Now, onto other matters:

Visa on arrival is available at the airport. It costs US$20 and takes about 20 minutes to arrange (depending on how busy they are.) You need one passport photo for the form, or they will ask you to pay a "fine" (bribe) of about US$1. This is the easiest way of getting a visa. Dont bother pre-applying because it's a waste of time. So long as you have 6 months validity on you passport and a few blank pages, you will get one.

Getting from the airport to the city can be a bit of a pain because you have to deal with the usual taxi scams and the like. Cambodian taxi's dont use meters so you have to haggle before getting in, and at the airport, the drivers can charge pretty much anything they want. The easiest way to avoid this is to pre-book your first few nights accomodation at this website: www.hostelworld.com. This website will list several cheap guesthouses in Phnom Penn, and many of them offer airport pickup for a nominal fee. Just book at one and email them and they will pick you up at the airport.

Last year, I spent Xmas and New Years travelling in Asia. I spent new years eve in Phnom Penn, and it's a pretty big event. If you're there at that time, check out a place called The Foriegn Correspondents Club. It's this great 3 level bar with a view over the Mekong River. You can see the fireworks really well from there.

It's a great time to visit Asia, but do remember that it will be pretty busy. For the most part, you can easily find accomodation by just turning up in a city, but after New Year this does get a little tougher and you need to aim to have found a place to stay by mid-morning or you risk missing out. Many guesthouses do have partner guesthouses in other cities though, and are willing to book you a room ahead in another city if you ask them. Costs for rooms are around:

US$4-7 for a single room with fan, TV and maybe a private bathroom.
US$10-25 for a single room with air-con, cable TV & private bathroom.

Getting around is very easy. Bus tickets are cheap and the buses are pretty comfortable, but crowded. You can buy bus tickets that day before departure at travel agents or your guesthouse will sell them to you. As an example of fares you are looking at:

Phnom Penn to Siem Reap - US$3.50
Phnom Penn to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - $US3.50 - 7

If there is one tip for travelling on the buses, it's: Take your own music player. The drivers have a love affair with Khmer pop music and play Khmer karaoke DVDs on the trips, which can be really, really terrible!

Have a great trip, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Answer 5

Visit http://www.theskilledtraveler.com they specialize in travel around the world, if they cant find you discount travel, they can find you great insured excursions via their specialty travel agency. Go to the site, and email the author, who puts his email at the bottom of each blog. They helped me do a trip to Sapporo(Japan) last year

Answer 6

Better contact a local travel agent, book your hotel or accomodation online. Do not attempt to book yourself and walk-in, rack rates can be more expensive. Depends on the city you're going to, there can be many tourists.

Why not travel to Thailand or the Philippines instead?