Turning into the corner of Taphul Road, our tuk-tuk takes us into a small street lined with guesthouses and residences. There's nothing much to see on this road, really, but on the morning of our arrival we were lucky to have encountered another wedding celebration in full swing, just a few houses across the road from The Villa.
Still on a cultural high that morning (we blame the airport for driving us crazy), we exclaimed in delight as we drove past the wedding tent, especially when we saw the newlyweds in their colorful Cambodian wedding garb. What added to our delight and amusement was the sight of the bride and groom dancing a lively traditional Cambodian dance, to the tune of what must only be traditional Cambodian music, with the guests sitting around them, clapping to the music's beat. To be honest though, we found it amusing because the whole scene seemed like a Bollywood movie being filmed right before our eyes (and we all know how *enthralling* those Bollywood movies could be).
As it was with our purple tuk-tuk, we instantly recognized The Villa from a distance because of the color purple that flooded the place. It was a homey little guesthouse fronted by plants outside its gate, and where everyone who entered was greeted by a quaint restaurant-cafe. Stuck to its purple walls were colorful gecko cut-outs, which blended well with the plants that lined those walls. Its rattan (or rattan-like) weave chairs, wooden tables, cloth placemats, thatch roof and small ceiling fans created a temptingly lazy atmosphere, just one notch below Hollywood's stereotyped depiction of cafes in third world countries. The only thing missing in the picture was muffled music being cranked out from an old music player.
Still on a cultural high that morning (we blame the airport for driving us crazy), we exclaimed in delight as we drove past the wedding tent, especially when we saw the newlyweds in their colorful Cambodian wedding garb. What added to our delight and amusement was the sight of the bride and groom dancing a lively traditional Cambodian dance, to the tune of what must only be traditional Cambodian music, with the guests sitting around them, clapping to the music's beat. To be honest though, we found it amusing because the whole scene seemed like a Bollywood movie being filmed right before our eyes (and we all know how *enthralling* those Bollywood movies could be).
As it was with our purple tuk-tuk, we instantly recognized The Villa from a distance because of the color purple that flooded the place. It was a homey little guesthouse fronted by plants outside its gate, and where everyone who entered was greeted by a quaint restaurant-cafe. Stuck to its purple walls were colorful gecko cut-outs, which blended well with the plants that lined those walls. Its rattan (or rattan-like) weave chairs, wooden tables, cloth placemats, thatch roof and small ceiling fans created a temptingly lazy atmosphere, just one notch below Hollywood's stereotyped depiction of cafes in third world countries. The only thing missing in the picture was muffled music being cranked out from an old music player.
The Villa's restaurant-cafe
Walking straight past the restaurant's tables, we found the step leading to the door that opens to the living room, reception area and first floor rooms littered with shoes and slippers. We weren't sure if it was a Cambodian thing, but we saw the wisdom of leaving our shoes outside to keep the house's floor as clean as possible. After all, a day of walking at the temples or anywhere in Siem Reap Town means accumulating dust on your footwear, and nobody really wants to have to clean dust if it can be avoided in the first place, right?
Our room at The Villa (don't mind the crap lying around)
The first two things we noticed about the place were purple orchids and bashful smiles served in abundance. Purple, obviously, is the color scheme of the place, but we didn't quite expect to find purple orchids in every corner of the house. Everything they gave us – our food, our wet hand towels before meals, our beds, our soap dish – were presented with purple orchids, which they buy every morning at the market. These were always served with bashful smiles from the staff, without fail.
We would soon befriend the staff despite their shyness, perhaps because they feel an affinity to Filipinos; in one of our awkward conversations with them (they struggled with their English), they told us that Filipino movies and soap operas were very popular in Siem Reap, although they could not remember the titles of these movies and TV series in Filipino (they were translated into the vernacular). Perhaps they also felt more comfortable with us than the other guests from other countries because it was easier for them to ask us to help them with their English.
Our favorite thing about The Villa, aside from its impressive service and gracious staff, is its food. Oh, the food! Vegetables were always fresh, and the food they served us were always tasty and scrumptious. We kid you not when we say everything we ordered there was great – very tasty and very filling indeed. Add that to the fact that food there was cheap (actually, everything was cheap), so there really was no reason for us not to love the place. If you are planning to visit Siem Reap and the Angkor Archaeological Temples, staying at The Villa is something we would definitely recommend.
We would soon befriend the staff despite their shyness, perhaps because they feel an affinity to Filipinos; in one of our awkward conversations with them (they struggled with their English), they told us that Filipino movies and soap operas were very popular in Siem Reap, although they could not remember the titles of these movies and TV series in Filipino (they were translated into the vernacular). Perhaps they also felt more comfortable with us than the other guests from other countries because it was easier for them to ask us to help them with their English.
Our favorite thing about The Villa, aside from its impressive service and gracious staff, is its food. Oh, the food! Vegetables were always fresh, and the food they served us were always tasty and scrumptious. We kid you not when we say everything we ordered there was great – very tasty and very filling indeed. Add that to the fact that food there was cheap (actually, everything was cheap), so there really was no reason for us not to love the place. If you are planning to visit Siem Reap and the Angkor Archaeological Temples, staying at The Villa is something we would definitely recommend.
Banana Pancake, with a purple orchid by the syrup bowl
Orchids galore: Asian Breakfast, wet towels and water all served with -- yes, you guessed it -- purple orchids.
Big Breaky: Aussie bacon, sausages, eggs, grilled tomatoes, wheat bread and butter
The package that we got at The Villa was their Three-day Temple Package, which cost us only US$110 per person on a twin-sharing basis. The package includes a dedicated tuk-tuk driver who will patiently drive you around and wait for you as you tour the temples (which takes pretty much the whole day); breakfast for three days; “Take Away Temple Packs” (food and drinks contained in an “esky,” or cooler) for your second and third days of temple-hopping; wine, cheese and olives on your first afternoon at the temples, to be consumed as you watch the sunset in one of the temples (or wherever you wish); and a choice between a hot-air balloon or elephant ride.
Not bad for US$110, right? If the package didn't include the tuk-tuk, on the average we would have spent around US$10-13 per day for the rent of a separate tuk-tuk. The hot air balloon and elephant ride would have cost US$15 if it were not included in the package.
So if you do find yourself in Cambodia someday, do drop Fiona and Anthony of The Villa a line, and tell them you're looking forward to seeing their purple orchids served with bashful smiles.
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