Beyond the temples

Homestays in Siem Reap

The lake and the rice fields that the temples were built on.

In short

Siem Reap's homestays take you out of town: to Kampong Khleang, the largest stilt village on the Tonle Sap, and to the rice-farming commune of Chansor east of the city. Both are an hour or less from Siem Reap, and a world away from Pub Street.

Checked

September 2026 - community tourism listings

Photo: Bahnfrend, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At a glance

The short version

Stay: With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms: Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay: Cash, in US dollars or riel
Rates: Set by the community, confirmed on enquiry

Questions travellers ask

Do I need to speak Khmer?

No. Community schemes have an English-speaking contact, and hosts are used to guests.

What should I bring?

Cash in small notes, a torch, repellent, modest clothes and a small gift if you like - fruit or school supplies, not sweets.

Can you book it for me?

Yes. Tell us your dates and we arrange the stay, the transport and a guide.

2 homestays

Where to stay with a family

Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability and rates at whichever suits you.

Tonle Sap stilt village

Kampong Khleang Homestay

Kampong Khleang is the largest stilt village on the Tonle Sap, south-east of Siem Reap, with houses raised high above the dry-season ground. Local family homestays let you see the lake community after the day boats leave.

Province: Siem Reap
Getting there: About an hour by road from Siem Reap
Rooms: Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom

See the homestay

Rice-farming commune

Chansor Community Homestay

Chansor is a rice-farming commune east of Siem Reap with a community homestay scheme: families host guests, and the village organises cycling through the paddies, cooking and farm work in season.

Province: Siem Reap
Getting there: Under an hour by road east of Siem Reap
Rooms: Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom

See the homestay

Siem Reap

Other ways to stay here

All of them

Grand hotels and design resorts

Luxury hotels in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is where Cambodia does luxury properly. Colonial-era grand hotels sit near the Old French Quarter, and design-led resorts spread along the Charles de Gaulle road towards Angkor. Rates are a fraction of equivalent properties in Bangkok, and almost everything is within fifteen minutes of the temples.

Where they are: The Old French Quarter, the road towards Angkor, and quieter grounds across the river
What you pay for: Space, gardens, a real spa, and staff who handle the 4.30am temple start without complaint
Distance to Angkor: Fifteen minutes or less from almost anywhere in town

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Small, walled and green

Boutique hotels in Siem Reap

Boutique hotels are Siem Reap's strongest category. Small owner-run properties, many of them converted villas with a courtyard pool, cluster around Wat Bo and the lanes off the river. They cost a fraction of the resorts and are usually the better experience.

Where they are: Wat Bo across the river, and the lanes behind the Old French Quarter
Typical shape: Fifteen to thirty rooms around a courtyard pool, often a converted villa
Why here: Land was cheap enough to build small and green, and the market rewards character

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Where cheap is genuinely good

Budget hotels and hostels in Siem Reap

Siem Reap has more budget accommodation than it has budget travellers for most of the year, which keeps standards high and prices low. Private rooms with air conditioning and pool access are widely available at what would be dorm money elsewhere in the region.

Why it is cheap: Supply built for peak season has to fill in the other eight months
What you can expect: A private room, air conditioning, wifi and usually a pool
Where: Spread across town; the cluster near Pub Street is loudest and often the cheapest

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