We booked the Sojourn Boutique Villas as part of our honeymoon trip based on great TA reviews and, although we were a little worried at first when the driver started turning down very narrow country roads, we were so glad we chose to stay here, a bit outside of town.

The hotel is beautiful and the staff excellent: we were collected from the bus and seated in reception for check in, where we were given a cold towel, a welcome drink and jasmine bracelets. We were shown to a beautiful room, very big and spacious with an outdoor terrace and complimentary minibar, and a welcome snack arrived shortly after.

The atmosphere of the rooms and the hotel in general is very relaxing - understated without being cold or minimalist. We loved that they used locally made toiletries and local fresh ingredients and that their staff are from the community in Treak village - the spa staff have been trained exceptionally well and we had fantastic massages (aromatherapy for me and Khmer for my husband) after our temple tour.

Drivers brought us to and from siem reap or local restaurants for a $5 charge so the location was no trouble - we were in honeymoon and weren't bothered about the pubs and clubs in the centre of siem reap, but the drivers had no problem waiting around till 11 when we wanted to wander the markets. Very obliging reception staff helped us to make dinner reservations, buy circus tickets, plan our temple visits to Angkor Wat complex and get to the airport when we left. Pool was lovely, breakfast was delicious (loved the coconut pancakes and the mango and sticky rice) and we were sorry to leave - highly recommended.

We stayed at Sojourn for 3 nights and were very impressed with the experience. The layout of the resort is gorgeous, special mention to the poolside bar that got a bit of a work out at Happy Hour and shout-outs to Nary's expert cocktail making skills, she's a lovely introvert that really started coming out of her shell the more we talked to her.

Sojourn was very thoughtful sending a car to pick us up from the airport, with cold drinks waiting for us in the car, after a very long hot journey from Ho Chi Minh it was much appreciated. The fact the retreat is a little off the beaten track is nice also as you get a sense driving around just what the Cambodian village life is like, we wanted to do the Village Walk but ran out of time. Overall the service from the staff was very good - without achieving that excellence that would make the experience 5 star - their English is good and they are very eager to make life as easy as possible for you - the lovely girl who nicknamed herself Spicy (for ease of saying her cambodian name) was especially helpful organising our trips and money exchange.

The highlight of the trip wasnt even a direct staff member of Sojourn but rather a sub-contract driver they use when guests book trips to Angkor Wat.etc - Sothrea Chea was one of the kindest and most beautiful people we've met on the trip and was our driver for 3 days taking us many kilometres around Siem Reap to see the Floating Village (worth it) and the Landmine Museum and of course the temples. He was such a gentleman and gave our entire Siem Reap experience a warm glow. If you need a driver when you stay at Sojourn, ask for him.

Its the small things that would lift this place to a 5 star. The minimal lighting at night-time is very ambient but can be quite impractical, especially when you get out of the pool at 9pm and you cannot find your room key in the pitch darkness, the fact the hotel reception did not have one torch was a bit surprising - probably worth buying a few small ones to give to guests when the sun goes down...

The housekeeping standards are not up to the high standards of the hotel amenities or the service of the staff - our linen always had stains on it (sheets, pillows, blankets) and the room service itself was always a bit sub-par, lots of cobwebs in the bathroom.etc So that definitely needs a lift.

The pricing of daytrips could also be a bit more transparent - when we arrived we were told to have a driver in a car for the day was $30USD and it was only on checkout did we find out that some days cost us $50USD + because we chose to go to places that were further away. It makes complete logical sense that if an attraction is much further away we should have to pay more, it was just the lack of communication about these things that was frustrating as we had budgeted accordingly. So I would suggest the hotel writes up a list for guests of popular tourist destinations and how much it costs for the trip and have that in their compendium.

A few small things I know, but some that would lift this from a 4 star stay to 5 star excellence. I would still highly recommend Sojourn.

Had an amazing time at Sojourn. The service and the attention to detail is unmatched.

The weakest point possibly was the breakfast where staff could have been more attentive and the coffee wasn't really excellent. Still, the amazing pool (and the nicest pool bar that I've been to) and the wonderful organisation of arrival and departure and particularly out your to the temples was simply outstanding.