Siem Reap has more good small hotels per square kilometre than almost any town in Southeast Asia. Decades of visitors to Angkor built a culture of garden hotels with pools, wooden Khmer houses and attentive service at prices that still startle people arriving from Bali or Thailand. The problem is choosing. We went through the town quarter by quarter — the Old Market core, the French Quarter, Wat Bo across the river, the temple road and the rice fields beyond — and picked the ten small hotels, all under fifty rooms, we’d book ourselves, plus three worth considering.
The ten, at a glance
- Mulberry Boutique Hotel, Old Market — 14 rooms, from ~US$49
- The Aviary Hotel, French Quarter — 43 rooms, from ~US$68
- Viroth’s Hotel, Wat Bo — 35 rooms, from ~US$79
- Treeline Urban Resort, Wat Bo riverside — 48 rooms, from ~US$129
- Rambutan Resort, Wat Damnak — 19 rooms, from ~US$53
- Heritage Suites Hotel, Wat Polanka — 26 suites, from ~US$111
- Maison Polanka, Wat Polanka — 6 rooms, from ~US$262
- Templation Hotel, Slor Kram — 49 keys, from ~US$105
- Jaya House River Park, temple road — 36 rooms, around US$230
- Zannier Phum Baitang, rice fields — 45 villas, from ~US$328
In the centre: Old Market and the French Quarter
Mulberry Boutique Hotel
Night Market, Old Market area · 14 rooms · from ~US$49 · guest score 9.5 from 425 reviews
Fourteen rooms a couple of hundred metres from the centre, with an indoor and an outdoor pool, open-terrace dining and a service score of ten out of ten. Reviewers are surprised by how quiet it is for the address.
Why we like it: tiny, central, cheap and stylish — the rarest combination in town.
Worth knowing: some street noise; limited parking.
The Aviary Hotel
Sok San Road / French Quarter · 43 rooms · from ~US$68 · guest score 9.4 from 580 reviews
A design hotel with two pools, one on the roof, a Japanese restaurant and Pub Street a few minutes’ walk away. The décor gets more praise than almost any other hotel in Siem Reap at this price.
Why we like it: rooftop pool, walk everywhere, serious breakfast buffet.
Worth knowing: construction and a nearby school can bother light sleepers; the odd housekeeping lapse.
Across the river: Wat Bo and Wat Damnak
Viroth’s Hotel
Street 24, Wat Bo · 35 rooms · from ~US$79 · guest score 9.9 from 2,000 reviews
Mid-century-modern lines, a beautiful pool, a gym, a varied breakfast and staff that two thousand reviewers describe as the most attentive in town. A quiet street ten minutes’ walk from the centre. If you book one hotel in Siem Reap on reputation alone, this is it.
Why we like it: the highest-rated hotel in the city, at a mid-range price.
Worth knowing: some outside noise; mosquitoes in the garden; limited accessibility.
Treeline Urban Resort
Achasva Street, Wat Bo riverside · 48 rooms · from ~US$129 · guest score 10 from 113 reviews · MICHELIN Guide
A contemporary art hotel on the river, three minutes from the Old Market, with a rooftop pool and bar, a spa and one of the better breakfasts in town. Listed in the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection.
Why we like it: riverside calm with the centre on foot; the rooftop at sunset.
Worth knowing: moody lighting that isn’t always practical; a few weaker buffet items.
Rambutan Resort
Wat Damnak · 19 rooms · from ~US$53 · guest score 9.4 from 860 reviews
Nineteen rooms in a quiet alley with two pools, a spa, a big breakfast and some balconies with outdoor baths. Not to be confused with the cheaper Rambutan Hotel next door. Long popular with LGBTQ+ travellers.
Why we like it: two pools and a spa for the price of a guesthouse.
Worth knowing: a few reports of worn fittings — outdoor baths, sinks, ceiling fans.
North along the river: Wat Polanka
Heritage Suites Hotel
Wat Polanka · 26 suites · from ~US$111 · guest score 9.6 from 320 reviews
Colonial-style suites, many with private plunge pools and steam rooms, a spa and sauna, two restaurants and bicycles to ride into town — about fifteen minutes on foot or five by tuk-tuk.
Why we like it: a private pool suite at a price that would buy a standard room in Bali.
Worth knowing: décor is dated in places; breakfast costs extra (about US$15); no lift.
Maison Polanka
Wat Polanka · 6 rooms · from ~US$262 · guest score 9.8
Six rooms in traditional wooden houses set in a private garden with a pool and cooking classes, run like a house rather than a hotel. The most discreet address in Siem Reap.
Why we like it: privacy, gardens, and the feeling of staying with friends.
Worth knowing: expensive for the town, and rates swing — get a live quote.
The temple road
Templation Hotel
Slor Kram, 1 km from the park boundary · 49 keys · from ~US$105 · guest score 9.8 from 170 reviews
Pool villas and rooms in gardens around a large pool, a Cambodian restaurant and a spa, ten minutes’ drive from Angkor Wat — the closest boutique-sized hotel to the temples, which matters at 4.30 am.
Why we like it: sunrise without the long drive; private-pool villas at a fair price.
Worth knowing: one or two reviews cite mosquitoes and cleaning lapses; the menu is short.
Jaya House River Park
River Road, near the Angkor National Museum · 36 rooms · around US$230 · guest score 10 from 285 reviews
A plastic-free design hotel with two pools and an all-inclusive philosophy: free minibar, unlimited laundry, a daily massage and a private tuk-tuk for the temples five to ten minutes away. Reviews are close to unanimous.
Why we like it: everything is included, and the temples are next door.
Worth knowing: the price is the only objection anyone raises.
Out in the rice fields
Zannier Phum Baitang
rice paddies, 15 minutes from town and the temples · 45 villas · from ~US$328 · guest score 9.8
An eight-hectare estate of stilted wooden villas among working rice paddies, with a 50-metre infinity pool, a temple-like spa, butlers, a free minibar and a free kids’ club. The definitive Siem Reap honeymoon hotel.
Why we like it: the setting, the pool, the service.
Worth knowing: breakfast repeats; the main pool has no shallow end; the hotel tuk-tuk to town is US$5 each way; the fact sheet’s “15 minutes to the airport” refers to the old airport — the new one is about an hour.
Also worth a look
Sala Lodges — eleven genuine Khmer wooden houses relocated to a garden with a pool on the edge of town, from about US$177; magical, but the houses are not soundproofed and are hard to keep cool. Check prices →
Navutu Dreams — a 28-room wellness resort with three pools and yoga programmes five minutes from Pub Street, around US$110; Wi-Fi and cleanliness scores trail the rest. Check prices →
Shinta Mani Angkor is 115 rooms, so not boutique — but its ten Bensley Collection pool villas are the town’s most lavish upgrade.
Practical notes
Angkor Pass (official 2026 prices): US$37 for one day, US$62 for three days (valid within a week, non-consecutive) and US$72 for seven days (within a month); the park opens at 5 am and buying after 4.30 pm gets you a pass for the next day. Airport: the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is 40–50 km east of town — 45–60 minutes and US$25–35 by fixed-rate taxi, so forget the old “fifteen minutes”. Visa: e-visa or visa on arrival, US$30 for 30 days, plus the free Cambodia e-Arrival card filled in within a week of flying. When: November to February is dry and busiest; March and April are brutally hot; May to October is green, quiet and cheaper. More in our Siem Reap area guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which area should I stay in?
Wat Bo for the best balance of calm, restaurants and walking distance; the Old Market if you want nightlife on foot; the temple road if sunrise matters more than dinner.
How many nights do I need?
Three is the sweet spot: one full day for the small circuit, one for the grand circuit and Banteay Srei, one for the town, the museum and a rest by the pool.
Are boutique hotels in Siem Reap expensive?
No. Several of the best-rated hotels in Cambodia cost US$50–80 a night here, breakfast included. The luxury tier starts around US$230.
“From” rates were seen on the linked booking pages in late October 2026, at the start of high season, and vary by date. Trioffe may earn a commission when you book through links on this page; our picks are editorial. Sources: Angkor Enterprise, Lonely Planet, B2B Cambodia, Hotels.com, Kayak, Expedia, Trip.com, Mr & Mrs Smith, Zannier Hotels.
