Kid Approved: Cambodia
Whenever anyone asks T what destination was his favorite during our year of travel, his answer (at least 80% of the time) is Cambodia! He still wears his (now 17 month old) bracelets given to him by a monk at Angkor Wat. He still craves fried rice from our hotel there and requests it often for dinner. He loves to recount our favorite memories from Siem Reap: crazy tuk-tuk rides, meeting up with another traveling family, our favorite Khmer friends and expats there, swimming near a waterfall. There was no question that T wanted to be the one to share all about Siem Reap.
So let’s explore all of T’s favorites in… Kid Approved: Cambodia!
WHERE & WHAT TO EAT
VILLA WAT DAMNAK - “My favorite place to eat was at the hotel that we stayed at. They served a lot of my favorite foods, like fried rice and ham and cheese sandwiches.”
DOLCE VITA - “I also liked to eat at Dolce Vita because they had really good food. It was mostly pizza and the pizza was delicious. I would get Hawaiian pizza and also we had friends that were there and we got to play with them.” We’ve recommended Dolce Vita to many traveling families and they have all confirmed how amazing it is. Sometimes, amidst delicious Khmer food, a pizza dinner is just what your family needs.
POMM - “Playing pool (billiards) was really fun because it was the first time that I ever did it. You can also go upstairs and watch a movie which was fun.” This hostel/bar/restaurant was a comfortable spot to hang out during and after dinner for our family. By the end of our stay in Siem Reap, it felt like an extension of our living room.
For all of our favorite restaurants in Siem Reap, check out our Destination Guide: Siem Reap Restaurants.
THINGS TO DO
RIDING IN TUK-TUKS - “Riding on a tuk-tuk was really fun. It was like they were driving a scooter but you were also in it. And they go really fast! Once me and my mom went to a circus and we went on a tuk-tuk there. They were going really fast and it was a really bumpy road. We were going crazy but it was really fun.”
SWIMMING - “I like to swim and eat.” This sums T up and, most likely, it accurately describes your kid too. Finding an accommodation with a pool is a must during the hot, muggy months in Siem Reap. We all loved our stay at the Banana Resort.
KIDS PARK - “There was a play place and it was really fun. it had a big ball space and you could load them into cannons and fire them at other people. There was also a zip line, slides, and a big ball pit. I liked the foam bricks that you can build things out of them.”
PLACES TO SEE
ANGKOR WAT - “Going to Angkor Wat was fun. it was kind of like a maze. There were trees everywhere and sometimes they would grow out of the building. Sometimes the monks would give you bracelets and I still have one. We saw a lot of monkeys there. It was pretty crazy! They were everywhere and it was kind of scary. My favorite temple was the one with the trees growing out of it because it was really big and there was a lot of plant life.” Our whole family had so much fun exploring the Angkor Wat Temples. While I could spend all day traveling from one temple to the next, we went at a much slower pace with the kids. Visiting one to two temples a day. Make sure to pack water and snacks! While adults need to follow the dress restrictions, authorities are more lenient with kids.
PHNOM KULEN WATERFALL - “I didn't want to go anywhere far because I heard that there were king cobras there. I was terrified. But it was fun. We got to drink coconut water actually from a coconut. Swimming under the waterfall was not that fun because there were sharp things in the water.” Swimming out to the waterfall is one of my favorite memories with T. Travel Truth: One person’s favorite activity can be another person’s least favorite!
Head to our full Destination Guide: Siem Reap for all of the details on visiting this beautiful city.
