Heritage Suites Hotel

Being the closest city to Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument, has turned the Cambodian provincial capital of Siem Reap into a boomtown of sorts. These days, the city is bursting at the seams with accommodations that range from backpacker hostels to magnificent five-star resorts. Somewhere in the middle (though a bit closer to the latter) there’s also the Heritage Suites, which abstains from the kind of over-the-top opulence that defines many of its neighbors in favor of a quiet, secluded take on Indochine luxury.

With twenty-six guest rooms, Heritage Suites is just the right size to justify the vintage automobiles parked in front of its stunning French Colonial façade. This is the predominant design motif for southeast Asian hotels of this caliber, so at Heritage it’s actually refreshing to discover that beyond the dark floorboards and slatted doors, the interior actually defies expectations. The rooms rely on a rather unexpected mingling of Khmer and Chinese décor, unified by the open floor plans and private gardens complete with palm-shaded Jacuzzis. At the higher end, suites are impossibly spacious, and finished off with polished designs that recall the best elements of Art Deco.

If the private backyard tub and in-room stone bath don’t fulfill your aquatic needs, simply transfer to the salt-water pool surrounded by lounge beds and a thatched-roof bar that serves western-style bar snacks — whetting appetites for the restaurant, which offers Cambodian specialties beneath a peaked ceiling of exposed beams.

How to get there: Heritage Suites Hotel is approximately 8 km from Siem Reap International Airport.