Sala Lodges

There was a time when Asia’s luxury villa hotels were pretty uniformly modernist and minimalist. But lately the traveling public has developed a taste for something a little more rustic, a little more handmade, and Sala Lodges, in Siem Reap, just a few miles from the temples at Angkor, are precisely that. These houses are no reproductions — they’re authentic handmade houses, some fifty years old or more, transported from all across the Cambodian countryside and reassembled here on this site.

The houses differ widely in style and plan, though all of them are elevated at least a few feet, in traditional Khmer style. And though carefully preserved, they haven’t gone completely unmodified. The interiors, however atmospheric, have been quietly renovated to the latest luxury standard, which means modern rain showers and subtle comforts like air conditioning. The surrounding gardens are lush as can be, and afford the infinity pool a splendidly pastoral view. Meanwhile an upscale Khmer restaurant and a poolside lounge keep guests fed, watered, and entertained throughout the day and into the night — and, of course, no visit to Siem Reap is complete without a day trip to Angkor and the famous temples. Here they’ll see you off in style.