Terrasse des Elephants

I stayed in this hotel back in 2009 when it was called "Terrace of the Elephants" and it was one of the best hotel experiences ever. Back then it was one of the best hotels in Siem Reap and was a treat for my family and myself after spending weeks in hostels. Perfect location downtown, amazing old french colonial looking building and great decor with individual Angkor statues in the room that serve as the centrepiece for the shower and bathroom. Coming back this time around was a bit disappointing. Although the hotel still had its intrigue, since the take over and the subsequent cut in staff numbers the hotel has lost some of its charm. There is so much potential with this hotel: If they opened the bar area up to the public it would be a huge attraction in the city I am sure, it would act as a sort of "Stand" style colonial bar with nice cocktails and jazz etc. Unfortunately right now the bar area is closed down and the lights are off meaning the hotel looks dark and abandoned. There is also unused space on the second floor that could be a restaurant and an unused rooftop that could be an amazing rooftop bar with a pool (lightyears ahead of the nearby rooftop bars that are pretty awful). This is the type of hotel that you stay in and, if money was no object, would want to buy because it would not be difficult to turn this into a real popular hub for tourists tired of the standard backpacker areas and wanting something a bit more memorable. I just wish someone would take this hotel by the horns and turn it into the hotel it deserves to be.