Malita Angkor Villa — Hotel in Siem Reap

We stayed for 3 nights and were very much looking forward to it as it looked like one of the nicer places we would stay on our South East Asia trip. ||||They emailed us beforehand asking for details of our arrival so they could arrange for a free pickup. We were catching the overnight bus from Phnom Penh and were due to arrive at 6am. This didn't seem to be an issue for them and was easy to arrange and we were told they would have a tuk tuk driver waiting for us at the bus station with our name and the hotel name on a sign. Our bus arrived almost an hour early and we decided we would wait for the hotel tuk tuk as we didn't think a room would be ready for us/didn't have anywhere else to go at that time anyway. We didn't have any minutes on our phone to call them and say we were early. We did have some data so we emailed them but never got a reply. We spent over an hour being constantly harassed by the insistent and pushy tuk tuk drivers who didn't seem to believe us that our hotel was coming to pick us up, and they were right.... We were supposed to be picked up at 6am and we waited until about 6.45am before we decided that they probably weren't coming. We then realised that we didn't have any small change (only had $50usd notes as we hadn't prepared to pay for a tuk tuk) and therefore couldn't pay a driver. We were stranded. With no phone to call anyone and no money to pay for a tuk tuk our only option was to walk. Between two of us we had 3 suitcases, 2 backpacks and a tote bag and we had to walk over 2km in 30+ degree heat. There were no footpaths and the roads were not well paved (and in some places not paved at all) and there was a lot of early morning traffic. It was a dangerous and absolutely exhausting walk which took us over 30 minutes. Unacceptable!!||||When we finally arrived at the hotel the young man at the desk was friendly but his english was poor. We must have looked awful after our walk and after we told him that we had waited over an hour and then walked from the bus station with our luggage he looked at the computer and asked us if we had a "6am appointment" (it was after 7am at this stage) and simply said "sorry" before continuing with the check in. ||||To put the cherry on top, on our check out day we asked if we could have a free tuk tuk to the airport since we didn't get our free tuk tuk to the hotel. Our booking confirmation simply said "free one way transfer" and since we hadn't had our arranged free pick up thought that this request was fair enough. He just kept saying "no, no only free pick up, $5 for tuk tuk". We went around in circles for a bit saying we hadn't got our free pick up but eventually gave in and paid the $5.||||We did like the room, it was nice and big and very clean. Location was good, not too far from Pub Street/the restaurants etc but not right in the middle of it. Free bikes were excellent and it was just a few minutes bike to everything - not far at all. One night we walked to and from Pub Street which was around a 10 minute very easy walk. Whilst it's quite a quiet street we never felt unsafe at all, even when walking at night. ||||We did have an issue with noise though, there was dogs which would bark at each other in the middle of the night and somebody near by was blasting Khmer music from very early in the morning to late at night every day. One of the neighbours was also doing DIY or something in their yard with machinery which was annoying also. While the hotel grounds look very tranquil and serene, the loud noises (while not the hotels fault) meant it was hard to relax. ||||Breakfast was literally only 2 tables in the garden, no desk or restaurant staff or anything. We had to go to reception and tell them we wanted breakfast and suddenly the receptionist became wait staff. Breakfast was simply eggs and bread which is fine, but the bread was very sweet (almost like a cake). We paid for breakfast the day we arrived as it was so early but then went elsewhere for breakfast the next 3 mornings even though it was included. ||||Our final issue was with housekeeping. The first morning, housekeeping knocked on our door - we answered and told them we didn't want the room serviced that day. They said "yes" and moved along to the next room. We then left shortly after and left the do not disturb sign on the door. When we returned an hour later our room had been serviced and our belongings moved around the room as we had not prepared for it to be serviced!! The next morning we left early on a tour and again left the do not disturb sign up. When we returned in the afternoon, our room had once again been serviced. What is the point of having a do not disturb sign if they are going to be ignored?!||||Overall this is a nice hotel with lovely rooms and in a good location to Pub Street etc. Our only issues arose with staff/service which need to be looked at. Would probably stay...

PROS|- location: on a quiet street away from the "popular area". 2 minute bike ride to restaurants, 5 minute bike ride to night market and pub street |- free WiFi (although unreliable and slow most of the time)|- linen and towels are included |- strong AC in the room|- essentials are included. Shampoo, body gel, hand soap, toothbrush, comb, cotton swabs|- a tastey and filling breakfast is included|- free each day: 2 water bottles, coffee, tea|- TV, fridge, kettle, hairdryer, balcony in room||CON:|- really bad WiFi on 2nd floor. For the first week I was here, it worked less than it worked at all but after constant asking, what's wrong with the WiFi, they increased speed and bandwidth. It should be better now for you to use|- many bugs on the floor. More than likely caused by the slight gap from the balcony door||STAFF:|- friendly and quiet, probably due to the language barrier for some but they were all willing to help anyway they could and always with a smile on their face. A very lovely family||- there were 3 times where I asked for my room to be cleaned (where I even had the "Make up the room" sign on my door knob outside, but I came back and the room wasn't cleaned at all. A bit frustrating to go back down to ask for toilet paper and shampoo, but since there were only two housekeepers for the whole grounds, I sort of understood.||MISC:|- tours and transportation can be planned with reception desk (if you're going to hire a tuk tuk, I suggest adding for Mr So, he was knowledgeable, friendly, and charges less than other drivers)|- free bicycles to use ||Note: there is an open air volleyball club right infront of the property, and if you're in a room near the front (where I was) you hear the noise from the gym. A but inconvenient...

We stayed at Malita Angkor Villa for 7 nights and were happy throughout this period. The aircon was cold, the beds comfy, and the room itself clean and tidy. We were also grateful for the tuk tuk airport transfer that was included in our stay, as it eliminated the need to navigate the city late at night. Situated in a relatively quiet area with a lush, leafy garden, yet only a five or so minute walk from the bustling heart of Siem Reap, the villa also projects an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that is rare to find in such a thriving tourist zone. Breakfast is tasty and adequately filling, consisting of various meals prepared by order (omelettes, scrambled eggs with toast etc.) and your choice of tea, coffee, ice coffee, juice etc. The staff were kind, friendly, and always willing to help out, as demonstrated by their prompt attention to both our leaking air conditioner and the brief power outage that occurred at one point during our stay - although they unfortunately weren't at all responsive to my emails prior to arrival. The only slight disadvantage with this accommodation pertains to the mosquitos that constantly seemed to find their way into our room, although this goes with the territory of rooms that front a tropical garden and never occured in significant enough quantities to really bother us. All in all, I'd recommend Malita Angkor Villa if you're after a cheap, simple, and quiet room that ticks most...