This is a great hotel - good location (just 5 minutes walk to all the bars and restaurants by the Old Market), clean, good-sized room and bathroom, quiet, and good thick curtains so if you wanted a lie-in you wouldn't get woken up by the sun shining through!
The staff were helpful, but the breakfast could have been better - limited choice for us as we were staying five nights. But not too bad for what you pay, and if you do a sunrise start at Angkor just ask the staff to prepare a breakfast bag for you to take away so you don't miss breakfast altogether.
It's also walking distance to the FCC (just across the river) which is great for drinks and food, although rather pricey.

We stayed at the City River Hotel for about a week in November 2007, and the hotel was a great place to stay, in a great location near the river. The breakfasts were also pretty good, and mixed Western and asian cuisine. It was a cheap ride into the centre by tuk-tuk, but far enough away to feel a bit peaceful. When they finish the renovations and have a pool it will be even better.

The hotel had a free airport pick up as well, which was great. We were travelling as a group of 5, and they sent a car for us that turned out to be too small. However, this turned out to be very fortunate as they immediately said they'd get a bigger car, and we got an a/c van driven by Mr Tep Sithol (see http://angkordriverservice.blogspot.com/) to take us to the hotel. Sithol was so nice, and the van so good (we had 2 more friends joining us the next day) that we took up his offer for a drive to Angkor Wat that night, and then had Sithol as our driver/guide for the 6 or so days around all the temples. A stroke of luck, and all because we were staying at this hotel!

Wade from Brisbane

I booked this hotel thru the Internet mainly because of its’ rates and location. My boyfriend and I wanted a hotel near the Old Market area yet far enough to be quiet at night without paying several hundred dollars over at most of the large hotels by the airport road. Also we wanted just enough “local flavor and character” yet with the usual western amenities (A/C, hot & cold shower/tub, TV, etc.) and this hotel worked beautifully. The rooms weren’t lush yet it had all the basics we needed and was clean. Although the safe was quite small and bolted onto a movable night table (which could be easily carted away), we appreciated having it. The rooms could use some light renovations particularly the lighting (fluorescent lights are never flattering for dressers), the sliding glass doors (the locks were too flimsy and could easily be broken into) and the bed was ROCK HARD.

Airport pick-up and check-in went smoothly even though our flight from Saigon was an hour late. The lobby was small but clean and functional. On the first floor was an Internet area (access was good but a little slower than what I’m used to) and a restaurant. The breakfast selections were sparse but ok except the eggs were a tad salty. We ended up supplementing it with bread from a bakery called Blue Pumpkin (bread & ice cream lovers this is a little slice of heaven in Siem Reap) and our own granola.

The staff was super friendly but perhaps some of them could use a little more training in English. They helped us arrange our temple tours thru a wonderful, good English speaking tuk tuk driver named David. We wanted to explore the temples by ourselves without being herded around by a tour guide. David was neither too quiet nor too chatty, which was just what we preferred.

Part of the hotel is undergoing construction at the moment so there was no pool and it could be a bit noisy especially around mid morning to afternoon. That didn’t bother us though as we were out for most of the day.

Overall, I was very happy with this hotel and would definitely recommend it. But if you want a healthy breakfast, just pack your own cereal and buy your own bread.

Stayed at City River for 6 nights in Nov. 2007. Hotel is clean and well run. Not terribly atmospheric but one isn't in Siem Reap for the hotels. The restaurant was good and cheap. The staff was friendly and helpful.

I was given a taped $20 bill from the front desk and tried to give it back the next day. The desk refused, at first, to take it but after a few words with them they relented and accepted the bill.

The location is great- a short walk to the tourist market, a hop away from the temples and directly in front of the river. The bathroom was very clean and the TV worked well. No problems and I would go back again.