2023-07-28 11:28:00
Images of ancient Indochina come to life as soon as you arrive at the Grand Hotel d’Angkor. The colonial-style building exudes history from every pore – and if it could speak – it would have a lot to tell.
In the mind’s eye, decorated elephants trumpet and wait with their mahouts for the illustrious guests, butlers in traditional Cambodian robes escort elegant ladies in white robes and men with pith helmets out of the entrance gate, while horse-drawn carriages circulate on the gravel driveway.
Opened in 1932 in the small town of Siem Reap, the grand hotel, together with its former partner Hotel des Ruines, is one of the oldest in Cambodia. Simultaneously with the reopening after the Corona lockdown, the famous building celebrated its 90th birthday with great pomp last year – with fireworks, light shows and a dinner in the Prasat Kravan temple from the tenth century.
Source: Infographic WORLD
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While the Royal Ballet of Cambodia danced, which, like the temple itself, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the complex shone in a magical light. The invited guests were cooked with the original menu that was served at the Grand Hotel for Christmas 1932. Even the king had a princess of the court read a personal message.
The temples of Angkor Wat are not far
The location of the hotel could not be more ideal: a few kilometers away in the middle of the jungle are the breathtaking temple complexes of the Khmer kings – including Angkor Wat, the largest temple complex in the world, the remains of Ta Prohm overgrown with gigantic roots and the Bodhisattva Faces of Bayon.
The world-famous temples of Angkor Wat are only a few kilometers away from the grand hotel
Source: dpa-tmn
The Frenchman Henri Mouhot came across the ruins hidden in the jungle in 1860 and triggered a wave of travel by researchers, photographers and glamorous world travelers with his reports. “All of high society wanted to see the sights for themselves and needed a place to stay,” the hotel’s website states.
To this day, the monumental temples are the highlight of their Cambodia trip for many tourists – but the selection of overnight accommodations in all price ranges in Siem Reap has grown enormously over time.
Charlie Chaplin celebrated his honeymoon here
The Grand Hotel meanwhile guards secrets, stories and anecdotes, all closely linked to the Angkor temples. “When I put my ears to the walls, it really is as if the hotel is talking to me, like a rustling seashell on the beach,” says current general manager Dennis de Groot.
“What particularly stands out for me is the visit by Charlie Chaplin, who was here in 1936 on a secret honeymoon with Paulette Goddard, his co-star from Modern Times,” says the Dutchman.
Charlie Chaplin with Paulette Goddard visiting an ancient temple in Angkor
What: pa/akg-images
A black-and-white photo shows the couple dressed all in white at the Angkor ruins. The well-known archaeologist and art historian Victor Goloubew accompanied the visit of the silent film comedian and the US actress.
Later, politicians, princesses, actors and other celebrities passed through each other’s hands. “Jacqueline Kennedy arrived around 1967, fulfilling her long-cherished dream of visiting Angkor Wat,” says De Groot.
Jacqueline Kennedy visited Angkor Wat in 1967
Source: pa/dpa/UPI
The British Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, Charles de Gaulle, the Spanish ex-Queen Sofia, opera star José Carreras, James Bond actor Roger Moore, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama have all stayed at the “Grand Hotel d’Angkor”.
Lectures in the hotel show the history of the country
Anyone who would like to learn more about the eventful history can contact Saravann Mouth during their stay. The in-house historian gives lectures and guides interested guests through the corridors, halls and suites of the grand hotel. “This hotel is my life, I owe everything to it – I even met my wife here,” he says.
Mouth shows the guests an antiquarian book from 1936: The Grand Hotel is mentioned for the first time in “Cambodian Glory”. The British writer HW Ponder describes it as a “tall, dazzling white building” that would also have belonged “after Nice or Monte Carlo”. “This was the hotel. Everyone who visited Angkor stayed here.”
After extensive renovation, the grand hotel was ceremonially reopened in 1997
Source: dpa-tmn
Since 1994, the hotel has belonged to the exclusive hotel chain Raffles, which is named after the explorer and founder of Singapore, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. After extensive renovation, the grand hotel was ceremonially reopened in 1997. The elevator with wooden doors, which takes guests to the upper floors at a leisurely pace, dates back to the early days.
According to the website, he has promoted “movie stars, prime ministers, famous first ladies and sultans”. In the evening, culinary specialties await you in the “1932” restaurant, after which the “Elephant Bar” invites you to the in-house Negroni.
The Khmer Rouge chased away the hotel staff
But there were also dark times in the long history of the colonial building – especially during the years of the communist Pol Pot regime, which, with its Khmer Rouge, plunged the whole country into endless suffering and, according to estimates, cost the lives of almost two million people.
When Pol Pot’s guerrillas marched into Siem Reap in 1975, no more guests stayed at the Grand Hotel. In 1998, Koy Savauu, who was 29 at the time and worked as a pastry chef, told the „Los Angeles Times“ from the beginning of the horror. The Khmer Rouge gave hotel workers and citizens five days to leave Siem Reap and go to the countryside, Savauu said.
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The rebel army consisted mostly of uneducated teenagers. “They had never seen a dining room, let alone an elevator like the one in the Grand Hotel. they gaped. They used the bedroom furniture for firewood,” he said. At that time, almost all documents relating to the history of the hotel were destroyed, says general manager De Groot. Vietnamese troops only put an end to the terror regime in 1979.
This elegant salon takes travelers back in time
Source: dpa-tmn
When the hotel was later taken over by Raffles, Koy Savauu went back to work as a confectioner in the kitchen. Many of the staff have remained loyal to the hotel over the years and through all crises.
The rooms in the Grand Hotel d’Angkor are luxuriously furnished and are reminiscent of the colonial era in Cambodia
Source: dpa-tmn
Whether despot or pandemic: the grande dame has survived everything so far. Even if there are no more elephants in front of the door today, the time jump is perfect for a moment when the concierge opens the front door.
He wears a shimmering golden headgear and a traditional sampot, a cloth that Cambodian men drape like trousers on festive occasions. With a bow, he hands the guests a fragrant, ice-cold towel. And for a magical moment, it’s suddenly again…1932.
Tips and information:
Getting there: Arrival via Bangkok is recommended. There are direct flights with Thai Airways from Frankfurt/Main. Various airlines fly directly to Siem Reap from Bangkok (such as Thai Air Asia and Bangkok Airways). The flight takes about an hour.
Entry: Travelers only need a tourist visa. This can be requested on site or online in advance (evisa.gov.kh).
Best travel time: December and January are the dry season and less hot. However, this is also the peak season for the temples of Angkor. The months of April and May should be avoided when it is particularly hot.
Hotel: The Grand Hotel d’Angkor: rafflessiemreap.com; about the history of the hotel: rafflessiemreap.com/about-us/the-hotel/
Glance into a corridor of the luxury hotel
Source: dpa-tmn
This article was first published in August 2022.
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