Cambodia: A Special Honeymoon

Sua s’dei! Welcome to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

After the madness of all the wedding preparations and of course the big day itself you’ll hopefully have slept on the flight(s) and will arrive Cambodia feeling ready for some honeymoon fun ♥.

A hostess will be waiting for you at Siem Reap Airport with a beaming smile, holding a welcome signboard with your married names on it who will help you through the fast-tracked (VIP) process to get your visa stamped. Once you have obtained a stamp for your visa and collected your luggage, your hostess will happily take you to your waiting guide and driver who will transfer you directly to the hotel.

Your knowledgeable guide will be happy to answer any questions along the way regarding your Cambodia Honeymoon Vacation.

As a warm welcome, a complimentary bottle of champagne and flowers will be in your room at the Navatu Dreams upon your arrival. Slightly tucked away from the hustle and bustle zones of Siem reap and a few minutes drive from the Angkor Archaeological Park is the stunning WellnessRetreat & Resort – Navutu Dreams. Featuring tropical gardens, 28 uniquely designed guest rooms and suites, 3 sparkling swimming pools, a restaurant, a spa, and a yoga & wellness center, it is a unique hideaway to base yourself and keep your ‘honeymoon love’ alive.

Since you’ll have had a busy few weeks and a long journey, we have left today free for you to get your bearings, settle into Cambodia time and simply enjoy the fact that the honeymoon has officially started. You may take a stroll around the Old Town and Pub Street seeing the local life in close up. For your dining experience, your tour guide will recommend some of our favorite restaurants.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Today you will have a full day of exploration in Siem Reap. You will experience the temple relics in a way that will really let you feel like you’ve escaped the 20th century and traveled a thousand years back to a time when life was simple and nature was surreal.

Morning
After breakfast, you’ll be met and escorted by Vintage Lavender Jeep. Start your discovery of the temple of the legendary city of Ta Prohm Temple, best known for its gigantic roots of vine that convent down the walls of a thousand years. Worn by time, rain, and overpowered by the jungle, this immaculate structure is hidden under the canopy will leave you feeling like you’ve stepped into the movie set of a treasure hunt adventure. Your private tour guide will give you the history and stories passed through oral tradition.

Leaving the Ta Prohm, you will be transferred to Angkor Thom via the grand South Gate. Here you’ll explore the last capital of the once great Khmer Empire, with the 216 enigmatic faces of The Bayon at its centre. Still, within the ancient city walls, you’ll marvel at the view from the summit of Baphuon, the enormous temple mountain, affording unspoiled views over the surrounding ruins. You’ll round off the morning poring over the intricate bas-relief of the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King, before having a Royal Khmer lunch at the fine-dining restaurant Le Grand. The fabled Royal Khmer cuisine, handed down over the centuries by the chefs of the Royal Palaces, uses only the finest ingredients carefully blended to create a distinct epicurean experience.

Afternoon
Be prepared to enjoy one of the Wonders of the Ancient World: Angkor Wat. At this point, you most probably have gotten glimpses of the towers over treetops and the gates in front of passing. But now you’ll finally get to satiate that curiosity that’s grown in the last few days.

With your guide, you’ll enter Angkor Wat and learn about the stories and amazing architecture that has stunned archeologists leaving more questions than answers. Angkor Wat possesses some of the most intricate and longest stone carvings in the world. This complex is four times the size of the Vatican City making it the largest religious site in the world. Spend the afternoon adventuring through the many passages, levels, and exploring chambers that once housed one of many treasures of the ancient world. It will be an experience that you remember for a very long time.

Finish your fabulous day by enjoying Champagne and canapes on the 20-minute gondola boat ride through the moats of Angkor to Prasat Chrung Temple to watch the amazing sunset. This lesser-known temple is set on top of a hill in the Angkor complex offering excellent views and it is an ideal spot to watch the sun go down.

Evening
A Romantic Candlelit Dinner with a Bottle of Wine will be prepared for you at the Navatu Dream Resort. Dinner for two, just you, your amour, and a candlelit table laid for romance under the twinkling stars of a pitch-black sky.

After dinner options: The Angkor What? Bar. Look, you can’t have a list of the best bars in Siem Reap and not mention the bar that started the infamous Pub Street.  was one of the city’s first bars, opening in 1998. It’s famous for its huge buckets of boozy cocktails and loud music.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Morning
There is an option to get up early (at 5 AM) to return to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise behind the triple towers. Take-away breakfast can be arranged upon request.

Leaving Angkor Wat behind you will travel to the countryside to see the “gem” of the Angkor area, the pretty temple of Banteay Srey. The so-called “Citadel of the Women” remains the best-preserved temple in Cambodia. It displays some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art as this small temple is noted for its truly remarkable fine bas-reliefs. Banteay Srey is unique in that it is constructed of pink sandstone, which is seen nowhere else in Angkor.

Continue your day by driving up north to Kbal Spean, one of the earliest Hindu pilgrimage sites in Cambodia. Upon arrival, you will take a short trek up the hill through dense jungle with excellent views over the plains and the Kulen hills. At the top, be surprised about the “River of 1000 Lingas” with some remarkable stone carvings of Hindu gods, animals, and other symbols in the river bed.

Afternoon
After enjoying a picnic lunch you can take a refreshing bath in the nearby waterfall, which is extremely popular with the local families. Then transfer to one of the largest and least-visited villages on the Tonle Sap Lake, Kompong Khleang with a population of about 10,000 people, all of whom make a living from the fishing industry.

Upon arrival board a private motorized boat to visit the Kompong Khleang, the two other floating villages, and the Great lake. Explore the canals (wet season) or streets (dry season) of this incredible town. In the wet season, the houses appear to be floating, as water laps at the verandas, but in the dry season towering stilts are revealed, the houses almost like wooden skyscrapers.

During the boat ride, you will make stops to see where Bridge of Lifeworks, visit a Cambodian pagoda and a stilted home in the village to learn a little more about local life. Cruise into the open water of the lake to see a small floating village and learn some more about this incredible natural flood barrier.

You’ll end your tour with a boat ride back to the main harbor where your driver is waiting to take you back to your resort where the remainder of the afternoon will be free at your leisure. At sunset, complimentary cocktails will be delivered to your room.

Evening
Enjoy a romantic dinner in a traditional Cambodian house setting. Picture yourself and your other half having a private dinner in a cozy traditional Khmer wooden house surrounded by luxuriant tropical gardens under the starry skies. Here, it will only be you, your partner, and your love for each other.

After dinner options: The driver can drop you at the Old Market or have some drinks at Natural Sky Lounge, located on the rooftop of a hotel, with a pretty view of Siem Reap city and is ideal for catching a nice balmy, tropical breeze. Take the spiral stairs up the roof, where you’ll be sitting underneath colorful lights that are inspired by Singapore’s Gardens By The Bay. It’s a lovely spot to sit and watch the city light up below.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Morning
After breakfast and late check-out, transfer to Siem Reap airport to board a short flight to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.

Welcome to Phnom Penh – the city retains its traditional Khmer and colonial styles with French villas and large tree-line sidewalk. Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, you will be picked up by your private tour guide who will escort you to the luxury boutique Pavilion Hotel in the city centre for check-in. Four distinct villas (one of them was formerly the private residence of a Cambodian senator) built between the 1920s and the 1990s, clustered around two pools, form a tight heritage hotel garden compound in the heart of Phnom Penh. Two pools and a real emphasis on privacy make for a great urban retreat.

Afternoon
Enjoy your free time at leisure. Treat yourself with the massage and spa treatment at the hotel.

Evening
Begin your evening with pickup from your hotel for a short ride to the port. Hop aboard the boat—a modern cruise ship designed like a traditional Cambodian wooden boat—and set sail along the Tonle Sap River. Enjoy an included cocktail as you cruise past the grand Royal Palace and reach the meeting point of the Tonle Sap, Mekong, and Bassac rivers.

Continue to cruise along the river past the islands, floating villages, and fishing boats, while listening to traditional Khmer music on-board. Along the way, feast on a delicious BBQ buffet dinner, then watch from the deck as the sun sets over the city.

After two hours on the water, return to about where your private driver is waiting to take you back to your hotel.

After dinner options: if you are still energetic enough, let’s have some drinks at Sora Bar (our favorite) at the Rosewood Phnom Penh. Unwind high above the city and take in spectacular views at Phnom Penh’s best sky bar has to offer, perched on a cantilevered terrace. Located on level 37 of the Rosewood Hotel, Sora is a high-energy bar and lounge where guests can feel the buzz of the dynamic city below.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Morning
After breakfast, meet your guide and head out to visit the most remarkable sights of Phnom Penh in a Cyclo (a three-wheeled bicycle taxi), an original Phnom Penh means of transportation and a fun way to explore this lively city.

The first stop is at the Pshar Kandal, Phnom Pen’s oldest market, to enjoy yummy local delicacies such as fried noodles, BBQ beef with papaya salad, noodle soup, and delicious rice and coconut treats. Then it’s a walk through the French Quarter, which will open your eyes to Phnom Penh’s colonial-era architecture. Admire Belle Epoque and Art Deco design, a train station built during colonial times as wells as the Buddhist Temple, Wat Phnom, the tallest religious structure in the city.

Next, proceed to visit the Royal Palace Compound built-in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom, the most conspicuous feature and also one of the most impressive colorful Khmer-style Palaces. Nearside the Royal Palace is the Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), which displays plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold, and silver.

Continue to visit the National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was built since 1917 containing more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood, and others. Pass through the River Front Park whose scenery is much worth shooting.

Return to the hotel for a relaxing break during the midday heat.

Afternoon
Gain insight into Cambodia’s recent dark history on a visit to the infamous Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as Prison S21) and listen to English commentary en route. The prison comprises 4 buildings with exhibitions in several rooms. During your visit, you will barely meet a single person who didn’t lose a member of their family during these years, yet they are all willing to talk openly about it with you. They wish you to hear about it and see these places, to ensure that it never happens again.

After an hour and 15 minutes at the museum, take a 40-minute drive to the Killing Fields, see a documentary on the Khmer Rouge regime. Under the leadership of Pol Pot, his government caused the deaths of more than two million people. There will be around 1 hour and 15 minutes to explore the site. An audio guide is available in 15 languages along with a map of the fields.

Dinner & Drink Option: Bouchon Bar & Restaurant, a cozy and cute wine bar. Think: coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, foie grass, and more. How could anyone resist falling in love here? There’s an intimate seating area inside with outdoor seating in their courtyard. Whether you just want some tapas and a glass of wine or a full three-course meal, this place is perfect.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Morning
You can sleep in and enjoy late breakfast. After that, spend the rest of the morning at your leisure. Relax at the swimming pool or have a massage and spa treatment at the hotel.

Afternoon
Get picked up by a moto-remork (tuk-tuk)  and venture out of Phnom Penh by crossing the historic Japanese Friendship Bridge before sailing across the Mekong River to Koh Oknha Tey – a beautiful Silk island by ferry.

Along the way, you will visit the majestic Bakhaeng temple with stunning architecture, statues, carvings, and artwork.

Upon arrival, you will set out to explore these islands commonly known as the “silk islands” due to their longstanding tradition of silk weaving. Visit one of these villages where the weavers allow us to wander among their looms, admiring their skills at this knotty art form.

You will have a chance to witness the entire silk weaving process, learning how silk starts with the silkworms, see silk thread being looped and dyed, then admire and purchase the beautiful Cambodian silk fabrics, the final shimmering Khmer silk accessories.

Afterward, enjoy Khmer snacks at a local family’s house while admiring the surrounding scenery. Aboard a boat back to Phnom Penh. Marvel at the unique architectural wonders around the area such as the Wat Ounalom, Royal Palace, and the Silver Pagoda as the sun sinks into the horizon.

Evening
Meet your food expert guide and zoom past the streets of Phnom Penh aboard a tuk tuk again and see the city’s famous landmarks by night. Spice up the ride with unlimited beer and drinks you can enjoy as you go from one destination to another.

You will first fill yourself up with the best noodles in town, delight in the rich taste of roasted chicken and ribs, and wrap your own lettuce and rice noodle rolls. Continue to discover the taste of Cambodian cuisine by visiting family-run restaurants that serve authentic Khmer dishes.

Head to a local rooftop bar and enjoy the stunning views of the city as you sip on delicious craft beer or cocktails. Sit among the locals and see how they spend their night with family and friends.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Unfortunately, the honeymoon has come to end and it’s time to return to reality.

After breakfast and check out of your resort in Kep, your private transfer greets you at the hotel and takes you to Phnom Penh Airport, in time for your international departure flight.