Saturday, March 18, 2017

Sala Lodges, Siem Reap Cambodia

Lodge Mouy
The Sala Lodges are fantastic! We stayed in the wonderful Lodge Mouy, House 1 in Khmer. The founders of Sala Lodges brought together eleven houses dating and built from 1956 to 1985 in order to create a unique hotel as a kind a village. Destined to disappear, these houses have been preserved and benefit from a new lease on life as The Sala Lodges. 

We know Adrian, the founder of Sala from La Villa, a french Mansion turned hotel in Battambang that we always used to stay in while in town. We worked in Battambang at an NGO.

In Siem Reap, we used to always stay at Amansara, but now with Sala, it’s a hard choice. They’re both great in different ways. Sala’s prices are much lower though, which is a good thing.

Inside Lodge Mouy

More Lodge Mouy
More than a hotel, Sala Lodges offers an authentic Khmer experience to its guests. Carefully selected from the regions surrounding the town of Siem Reap, the houses have been dismantled and carefully restored on the plot of land situated near the gates of the temples of Angkor. This procedure has allowed wood to be recuperated while still preserving the forests. In addition to that, it is a way of returning the beauty to these buildings and saving a heritage from disappearing. Decorated subtly, with touches of local artisan's work, each house possesses an individual identity thanks to its architecture and its colors. Behind its external wooden appearance, a pure and beautiful, modern interior is revealed.

Sala Lounge Overlooking Rice paddy

The hotel is located a few minutes by tuk tuk from the center of Siem Reap. From the road, it does not look particularly impressive but upon reaching the reception area, we could see the delightful accommodations inside the property. It’s beautiful and we were quickly greeted by a friendly and attentive staff that gave us very cold and refreshing drinks which was most appreciated.

View of the Village
Sala Restaurant
The site is quite large and the houses are well spread out so that no one is overlooked by their neighbors. The grounds are beautifully maintained and there is a very nice swimming pool with loungers and a shower at the rear of the site. The restaurant, which is open on two sides, is located next to the reception area. Breakfasts are excellent. The restaurant's dinner menu offered a very reasonable variety of dishes and the food quality and service was excellent. We can recommend it to those who are looking for real comfort and relaxation without being too far from the craziness of Pub Street in center of Siem Reap

View from Our Deck
A lot has been written about the quality of this oasis in Siem Reap and all of it is true. What is less advertised is their commitment to sourcing clean, local food, preserving Cambodia’s beautiful wooden lodges and providing employment to many locals. It’s a wonderful concept and a great place to stay in Siem Reap. We shall return!

Highly recommended!


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