Sarai and Wander Resort — Hotel in Siem Reap

Disappointing Service at a Stunning Hotel||I recently stayed at this hotel, and while the property is undeniably stunning and Instagram-worthy, the service has been far below what I expected for the price and supposed five-star rating. ||So where do I start? We booked an 8-night stay with a one-way airport transfer, breakfast, a once-off high tea, a bottle of wine upon arrival, and a 30-minute spa treatment. They also offered 15% off any food and drink purchases and spa treatments. ||We booked the Presidential Suite with an in-room pool, which sounded perfect on paper. The pool area is open-air, located on the roof, at the end of the block. We had the most beautiful uninterrupted sunrises. This led to an issue on our second night when we received a noise complaint before 8:30 PM, simply for talking in the pool. Considering the price we paid for this suite, the lack of privacy and restrictive atmosphere has been incredibly disappointing. The complaint was that in one of the lower floor rooms, a baby went to bed at 7 pm, and they could hear us talking, which kept the baby awake. The hotel's solution was to move us from our Presidential Suite to a different non-presidential suite facing the main road. But this was only for 2 days, while the baby was sleeping, after which we would need to vacate the new room and return to the room we paid for. i.e the Presidential Suite. This was an massive inconvenience as we had to move twice…. Both during our valuable holiday time, considering “Check out times”. Seriously badly handled. ||Breakfast, which starts at 6 AM, has been another letdown. When we arrived at 6:45 AM, the staff forgot to turn on the coffee machine, causing a 15-minute wait. The breakfast experience continued to disappoint. Remember, they market the restaurant as a Fine dining establishment, and they charge accordingly for a fine dining experience. It is a large restaurant seating approx. 40 – 50 people. We were seated by the door staff at a dirty, unset table in an otherwise empty restaurant. To add insult to injury, coffee is an extra charge (at a price four times higher than local options), despite this being an all-inclusive breakfast. Additionally, we were told when paying for the coffee that the 15% discount doesn’t work with breakfast. Breakfast options included a small buffet of local and Western foods and an a la carte menu. I wasn’t keen on the buffet and asked to see the à la carte menu available—only some staff seemed aware of it, which is baffling, and after a couple of minutes, they appeared with the menu. We elected to order from the à la carte. ||When our à la carte breakfast arrived, it was not as expected. I ordered egg benedict. The eggs benedict was made with a form of mayonnaise instead of hollandaise and served on pancakes instead of muffins; all was fridge temperature cold. My partner ordered from the à la carte the full breakfast option with boiled egg, pork sausage tomatoes, etc., and we were served two boiled eggs on a plate. We asked the waitress about the rest of the meal. She was at a total loss, and we had to request the à la carte menu again and show her what the meal was meant to consist of. The response was that we needed to find the rest of the food items ourselves from the buffet. Again, this is marketed as a fine dining restaurant. We highlighted that the rest of the options were not available in the buffet. Adding to the frustration, we were told that the chicken sausage was “the same” as pork sausage and that was in the buffet. ||This raises serious concerns about how allergies or dietary preferences are handled, let alone basic quality standards, or customer service…. |We chose to accept our breakfast experience as a once off and after a long day of discovering the many beautiful temples of Siem Reap we decided to try the restaurant again. This time with our travelling companions. ||Unfortunately, our dinner experience was equally disappointing. From the start, there was confusion among the staff about who would speak to us and seat our table of four. Once seated, the service became stranger. We ordered starters and mains, as you would at a FINE DINE restaurant. The wait for the food was normal. However, when the food started to arrive, we received some starters and some mains, and at the same time…. 10 mins later, the remaining starters arrived. We had to ask for two mains again because the kitchen hadn’t "fired them" the first time. While the food was visually appealing, it was bland and uninspired. To top it off, the staff never offered us dessert—though, given the lackluster service throughout the meal, we weren’t sure we would have risked it. The overall experience felt disorganized and disappointing.||Regarding the other inclusions – specifically the “one way airport transfer”. We opted to make our own way from the airport to the hotel, with the anticipation that we will use the included prepaid hotel transfer to get back to the airport at the end of our stay. When I went to book the transfer, I was told that they only do airport collection and it was my own fault. This was not stated anywhere, and I asked the front desk to show me where the hotel stated this to be the case. This lack of transparency felt like a “gotcha” moment and left a sour taste.||For the spa treatment – you get two options. A foot massage or a head and shoulders massage. We opted for the foot massage. The treatment room is located just off the hotel's main atrium on the ground floor. One wall of the treatment room is a 20-meter glass wall. This glass wall has no curtains, privacy screens, shades, noting… This glass wall also looks directly into the hotel bar area and atrium, which is not what I was expecting….. this made the treatment lack the privacy and luxury that you would expect from a spa. As a price comparison, the hotel charges US$50 for an hour massage, and the local spa at the end of the street charges $US9 for the same treat, but with a bit more class. The moral of the story here is to shop around for other options. ||When I raised my concerns with the hotel, the staff were initially unable to help me, and after 45 mins of discussion, I gave up and went to my room. The next morning, another more experienced manager approached me to discuss my complaints and expectations. He listened to what I had to say and was embarrassed about the treatment we received. He did honour our airport transfer back to the airport and offered to provide us with a complimentary meal to make up for the poor dining experiences we have received not once but twice. He did, however, make the decision to move our room to accommodate the baby, who likes to sleep with open windows. ||If we hadn’t already paid upfront for what we believed would be a five-star experience, we would have checked out and walked across the road. There are several boutique and chain hotels in the area that offer better customer service, higher-quality food, more transparency, and overall superior experiences.||While the staff have been polite and eager to help, they often seem inexperienced and unable to provide clear answers to basic questions. Although the hotel offers turn-down service, it feels premature to focus on such extras when fundamental services, like cleanliness, food quality, and communication, are so poorly executed.||Overall, the hotel’s visual appeal is its strongest asset; it is Instagram-worthy, but the service and quality of experience fall far short of what is expected at this price point. I would not consider staying here again unless I could be certain that these significant issues had...

I am writing to express my utmost satisfaction and gratitude towards the impeccable services provided by your hotel, The Sarai. I have had the opportunity to stay in numerous hotels during my travels, but The Sarai has truly left a lasting impression on me.

First and foremost, I would like to highlight the outstanding level of service that your staff exhibited throughout my stay. The entire team at The Sarai, especially Rose, David, and Anna, went above and beyond to ensure that I had a delightful experience. Their dedication and willingness to assist me were truly commendable. I must add that all the other staff members were equally helpful and contributed to making my stay exceptional.

Apart from the exceptional service, I was particularly impressed with the hotel's amenities. The comfortable beds ensured a restful sleep, the delicious breakfast provided a great start to the day, and the fabulous pool offered a refreshing retreat. Furthermore, I was thrilled to receive a complimentary 30-minute massage, which I decided to extend due to its immense relaxation benefits.

I also want to express my appreciation for the assistance I received from your staff in various other aspects. From arranging transportation to and from the airport to helping me mail out postcards, their support was invaluable. I couldn't have asked for more.

In terms of location, The Sarai's proximity to the main shopping and restaurant area is incredibly convenient. The short tuk tuk ride or 10-minute walk ensured that I had easy access to all the attractions and amenities in the city.

Additionally, I would like to mention the excellent tuk tuk drivers that your hotel has partnered with. These local drivers were not only knowledgeable about their beautiful city, but they also provided exceptional service and were readily available to show me around. Their passion for Siem Reap was evident, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city with their guidance.

My experience at The Sarai has been nothing short of extraordinary. The combination of exceptional service, top-notch amenities, and a dedicated staff has made my stay truly memorable. I am grateful for the outstanding hospitality and will not hesitate to recommend The Sarai to anyone visiting Siem Reap.

Thank you once again for providing me with a...

I stayed at Sarai with a group of 15 ladies for 5 nights and we all wish we could’ve stayed longer!! I’ve been travelling to Siem Reap for 14 years and The Sarai Resort is by far the most beautiful and luxurious hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Firstly location:- far enough out of town that you feel like you’re in a secluded quiet paradise, but close enough that you’re only a 5 min tuk tuk ride to the city centre. Tuk tuks are at the front door constantly. ATM across the road and laundry services, plus pharmacy is at the end of the street. Cute cafes line the street if you’re looking to go for a wander. Staff:- The staff can not do enough for you! Super professional, friendly and accommodating to any request. The manager is a delightful woman who completely understands what guests need for a luxury relaxing holiday! Spa:- The spa rooms are super clean and relaxing. The entire spa/massage experience was so good that I had to rebook immediately for the next night! Food:- my group loved the food in the Goat Tree restaurant. We ate dinner there one evening and everyone raved about their meals. I also had room service which was delivered super fast and delicious. Again the staff were always efficient, kind and friendly. Happy to accommodate my endless requests of ice to my room for drinks. My room was in the original building, such stunning Moroccan inspired architecture. I loved the room, felt luxurious and had everything I needed for the week. I spent many hours in the bay window seat looking out onto the main pool area. My friends had rooms in the brand new beautiful wing, absolutely beautiful rooms and a stunning new lounge area for functions or gatherings. You have a choice of 2 stunning pools. The main one as you enter reception and another on the roof of the new building. Both completely different but equally picture perfect. The best place to relax after a day of shopping or temple exploring! I can’t say enough about how wonderful this hotel and staff are. It’s the epitome of luxury by western standards!! I’ll be...