Balmy nights, bustling streets, flavoursome food and temples steeped in history await during a stay at FCC Angkor by Avani in Siem Reap. Karryon Luxury Editor Kirstie Bedford reviews the property after a recent stay.
The sky is inky-black as we climb into our waiting jeep. The only sound two motorbikes that overtake us on otherwise quiet streets and the whistle of the wind as it whips around our open-air jeep, a welcome relief from the humidity that is high even pre-dawn.
Minutes later, we arrive, park outside a low barrier gate and walk a few metres along a path to the bank of a moat. Our tour guide, Sov Sothik from AdventuresCambodia.com, motions for us to sit as the darkened sky turns to a deep purple tinged in orange, the five spires of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat reflecting off the glassy water.
“This is the best view of the temple,” says Sothik – and he would know. This ancient temple was his childhood playground.
Sothik lived in a nearby village and played football in the grounds of Angkor Wat with his brother. Years later, he worked here cleaning the temple as a monk.
Now a tour guide, he takes us over the bridge so we can walk among the grounds, showing us a bomb crater from during Khmer Rouge rule, a time when he lost 10 siblings.
“I only have one brother left,” he says, “They all died from starvation.”
It’s a story he wants to share so this history is not lost, as painful as it is to tell.
Sothik smiles as he tells us of happier times when he could touch the top of the trees dotted around the temple grounds, which are now three times that height, and points out the parts of the temple he climbed for hours, sleeping inside when he grew tired.
Inside, walls are adorned with narrative scenes in bas-relief – important historic records and religious texts reflecting the fusion of Hindu and Buddhist influences in Khmer culture.
After several hours wandering the grounds (you’ll need at least that), Sothik takes us for a monk blessing and then onward to some of the other significant temples dotted around the region, including Ta Prohm, famed as the film location for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
The tour is a signature experience at FCC Angkor by Avani in Siem Reap – and it’s one that will stay with you long after you leave, helped by being in the hands of a local guide.
Luxurious living
Our afternoon is spent at Minor Hotels’ FCC Angkor by Avani, once The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, and home to the French colonial governor in the 1920s – and it’s the epitome of its colonial history.
Just six kilometres from Angkor Wat, and around the corner from the Royal Residence, where the King of Cambodia and his family stay when they travel to Siem Reap, its exterior harks back to its history, but inside it’s all luxe, with clever design elements that pay homage to its history.
Think vintage rotary phones and Remington typewriters in the rooms. A king-sized bed sits in a sprawling bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a door leading to a secluded balcony with loungers and deep stone tub.
The bathroom is equally as opulent with dual copper sinks, a standalone stone bathtub and oversized shower with rain shower head.
Most who come here spend days exploring the many temples (there are more than 1,000 in the region), and nights relaxing in the luxurious surrounds with plenty of spaces to sip cocktails and listen to the live music from Scribe Bar.
While away your day
From temple visits and monk blessings to a boat ride through Kampong Phluk’s floating houses, a market tour or quad biking beside rice paddies to local villages (made even more fun by a downpour of rain), there are myriad ways to experience the region.
A walk on foot trying the local street food will almost certainly see you offered multiple tuk-tuk rides for as little as US$2.
Back at the resort, cool off in the pool, or have a gin tasting at the spirits cart, where you can try spirits made specially for the property, including FCC Herbal Gin, from botanics grown at the foot of the Phnom Kulen mountain range.
When it’s time for calm, head to the neighbouring Visaya Spa.
A signature massage uses Eastern and Western massage techniques, combined with a signature oil blend to stimulate circulation, promote deep relaxation and restore energy flow – and it works.
Wine and dine
At The Mansion restaurant, we dine to soothing tunes as we watch Khmer Cultural performances while savouring dishes created by Chef Thai Samret of Western and Asian flavours.
Think halibut fish fillet with stew chickpeas and chorizo, and freshwater prawn tom yam soup with mushroom galangal and lemongrass coconut milk.
The following night we try a degustation at ‘Embassy by chef Kimsan’.
Executive Chef Kimsan Pol’s ethos at her fine dining restaurant is all about seasonal, local ingredients, and a slow dining concept.
She only hires women and says it’s because she wants to inspire women to work outside of their own kitchen, and because “women cook from the heart and they cook well”.
We dine on dishes of slow-cooked ‘eggscellent’ with crispy shallot and chilli paste; steamed seafood Shumai nestled in luffa with green Kampto pepper and coriander sauce, and roasted Bakong farm chicken with green jackfruit, served with Ratanakiri coffee and mushroom cappuccino sauce.
Each dish is paired with champagne, wine or organic herbal teas. You’ll leave feeling like you’re part of the restaurant family.
The verdict
A stay at FCC Angkor by Avani is a unique opportunity to immerse in Cambodian culture from the experiences to the food and wine – but it’s the local people who really make this region sing.
This trip will see you not only connect with a new culture, but this spiritual place will undoubtedly leave you more connected to those you love.
The details
Address: Pokambor Ave, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
Room type: Family suite
Check-in: 2pm
Check-out: Midday
Rates (Family Suite): $500 – $1,000
For more information, visit FCC Angkor by Avani.
