Anantara Angkor Resort

Anantara Angkor Resort is an all-suite luxury hotel in Siem Reap. Conveniently located within easy reach of the airport, the town and of course the remarkable temples of Angkor which are surely on everyone’s list when they visit Cambodia. Our return visit was all about relaxing, rejuvenating, checking out the new menus and enjoying a staycation at a resort that is just a stones throw from our home. Rest assured that is exactly what we did, from the moment we arrived until our much appreciated late checkout, we were able to escape from every day life and enjoy kind, courteous and professional service from the staff team at this luxury resort.

There are 10 suite types to chose from at Anantara Angkor Resort, each of them finished to the highest standard in a classic Khmer style. Our Premier Terrace Suite measured 59 square metres and had numerous features that made us smile. Firstly, the standalone bathtup was divine. During check in, the staff team kindly prepared the bath for us, which was very welcome as we arrived during a tropical rain storm. Our terrace was surrounded by lush foliage and the perfect place to enjoy a coffee from the Nespresso machine, or a drink from the complimentary minibar. The fact that we found soya milk in the minibar was very much appreciated, we had advised the hotel prior to arrival that we were vegan and this showed that they had not only listened, but understood. Finally, the bed was sooo comfortable and we both slept very well indeed during our Siem Reap staycation.

With our own pool currently closed due to the ongoing COVID situation we intended to make the very most of the pool at Anantara Angkor Resort during our stay. We enjoyed an early morning swim in the 20m pool (which is perfect for laps) and spent the afternoon / early evening relaxing on the sunbeds, blissfully ignorant to life outiside the four walls of this luxury urban resort. We planned to book a spa treatment but it just didn’t happen, we were far too busy making the most of our suite and the pool, both of which ticked all of our boxes. What about the gym we hear you ask? Well, we also had plans to visit the gym during our stay, but maybe we were just enjoying ourselves too much…

The Vegan Food

Chi is the all day dining restaurant at Anantara Angkor Resort where guests can enjoy modern Khmer cuisine and a selection of international favourites, breakfast is also served here or can be sent to your room if you wish. During our previous stay, the menus at Anantara Angkor featured a number of vegetarian options and upon request, the chef would adapt these dishes to make them vegan. Prior to our most recent stay we met with the F&B director to discuss adding more vegan and healthy options to the menus. We suggested a number of simple adaptations, using existing ingredients alongside clear menu labelling to make Anantara Angkor even more vegan friendly.

And that’s exactly what they’ve done. It was great to check in and whilst en route to our room have a quick glance at the poolside menu which featured a vegan burger and other vegan options. During our stay we enjoyed a selection of dishes from the multiple menus which were all clearly marked as vegan. We loved the fresh and flavourful pomelo salad, avocado salad and papaya salad that we tried, each with extra cashews and tofu for that protein hit. The Anantara Angkor take on vegan fish and chips was naughty but nice, lightly battered tofu fillets and vegetables served with French fries and a crispy side salad. Whilst our tofu in black bean sauce and veggie Khmer curry were rich and delicious. We also enjoyed a trio of Indian favourites that were clearly marked vegan on the menu, the vegetable korma, chickpea masala and aloo paratha were all very good. Quite simply, you won’t go hungry as a vegan whilst staying at Anantara Angkor.

When it comes to desserts or ‘sweet treats’ at Anantara Angkor there is certainly plenty of choice. There were four different vegan sorbets and a fruit platter, which is sadly often all that is available as a vegan for dessert. But the team have excelled themselves at Anantara Angkor by not only championing local ‘accidentally vegan’ and absolutely delicious Khmer desserts such as chak chan (pandan flavoured layer cake) and banana in sago which are pictured below, but they’ve gone to the next level and created a vegan brownie with savoury cashew cream. We apologise for being so excited to be served a huge portion of vegan chocolate brownie that we totally forgot to take a photograph> It’s safe to say that we devoured every last morsel and you’ll just have to trust us when we say that it was light, decadent and everything that a chocolate brownie should be. Bravo chef.

The Vegan Essentials

Both plastic straws and plastic bottles have been banned worldwide by Anantara since 2018 so the drinking water in our room (and at the restaurant) was in glass bottles which is of course far more planet friendly. The bathroom amenities were in refillable ceramic dispensers, again avoiding the need for single use plastic. The product itself is their own MSpa brand which is not tested on animals and uses 100% natural ingredients. Guests can request a non feather duvet and non feather pillows, which means that the perfect sleep, free of animal derived products is a reality at Anantara Angkor Resort.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

All of the staff team that we encountered during our stay were outstanding. This went such a long way to ensuring our stay was memorable for all of the right reasons. Our suite was spacious and well appointed, with the standalone bath being very welcome. Spending time next to (and in) the swimming pool was the perfect way to spend our days, before selecting from the new vegan dishes that the talented chef had added to the menus.   Highly recommended for a Siem Reap staycation, and well worth considering for any vegan travel lovers heading to Cambodia.

We were guests of Anantara Angkor Resort but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

Anantara Angkor Resort
National Road 6
Svay Dangkum
Siem Reap

Telephone: +855 063 966 788
Email: reserve.angkor@anantara.com
Cost From: £145 / $185 (May 2023)