With Angkor Wat's inspiring beauty just five miles away, Siem Reap was always destined for great things. After three decades of slumber, it has reinvented itself as the epicentre of the new Cambodia and has evolved into a chic haven of rest and relaxation, with world-class hotels, the country's finest tables and sumptuous spas.

At its heart, Siem Reap is still a little charmer, with old French shop-houses, shady tree-lined boulevards and a slow-flowing river. Angkor is a place to be savoured, not rushed, and this is the base to plan your adventures.