សួស្តីឆ្នាំថ្មី ប្រពៃណីខ្មែរ​​ បញ្ចស័ក ព.ស ២៥៥៧ គ.ស ២០១៣ - Happy Khmer New Year​ 2013

សួស្តីឆ្នាំថ្មី ឆ្នាំម្សាញ់

បញ្ចស័ក ព.ស ២៥៥៧ គ.ស ២០១៣

សូមប្រសិទ្ធពរជ័យ សិរីមង្គល វិបុលសុខ មហាជ័យប្រសើរ

សូមកើតមានដល់បងប្អូនជន់រួមជាតិខ្មែរគ្រប់ក្រុមគ្រួសារ

A Letter of Encouraging!

Stay “FREE” in Siem Reap

Stay “free” in Siem Reap with the HIP promotion!
(Hospitality Industry Promotion)

Specially for all working in the hospitality industry, get a *free night’s stay when you visit Siem Reap and the legendary Angkor Wat from April to September 2013.

Book two nights and pay only one night (prices starting from just US$80+++ a night)

Just minutes away from the historic Angkor Wat and other treasures of Cambodia, experience luxury and elegance at Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa, a lush and spacious 11-hectare estate.

Contact Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa for your reservation enquiries:

Email: siemreap@grandsoluxeangkor.com
Website: www.grandsoluxeangkor.com

*Terms & Conditions apply

2013 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE HOTELS AWARDS

Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa
HONOURED IN THE

2013 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE HOTELS AWARDS

Siem Reap – 25th January 2013 – Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa today announced that it was chosen as the winner in the Top 25 Hotels in Cambodia & Top 20 Luxury Hotels in Cambodia category by TripAdvisor in its 2013 Travellers’ Choice® awards.

Now in its eleventh year, the annual TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards honour the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travellers.

“We are delighted to see that the Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace has received international recognition through the TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards this year. Nothing means more to us than fulfilling every aspect of the vacation needs of visitors to our country, and TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards provide a valuable endorsement that Cambodia, particularly our resort can offer a wide range of world-class accommodation for our guests, “said Hang Vannak, Manager, eCommerce & Front Office.

“TripAdvisor is once again thrilled to recognise the world’s most outstanding hotels with the help of more than 75 million reviews and opinions from travellers around the globe,” said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business. “From the best bargain hotels to top luxury properties, outstanding service, value and quality are the hallmarks of our Travellers’ Choice winners.”

For reviews on the Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/UserReview-g297390-d483868-m11765-Grand_Soluxe_Angkor_Palace_Resort_Spa-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html

To see 2013 Travellers’ Choice winners, go to http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice

Ends

About Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa:

This is the first Cambodian-owned premier luxury five-star resort accommodation. Its design, décor and furnishing reflect the finest in Cambodian architecture befitting royalties and dignitaries. Nestled invitingly within a spacious 11-hectare estate, the lush resort offers you the serenity of a secluded retreat whilst ensuring you are provided with every possible convenience. More details visit: http://www.angkorpalaceresort.com or http://www.grandsoluxeangkor.com

For the more indulgent, the luxurious villa “Palace Residence & Villa Siem Reap” provides a welcome escape. Set amidst extensive landscaped gardens, the villas are the very epitome of a tranquil retreat, each intricately designed and offering you privacy within its exclusive setting. More details visit: http://www.palace-villa.com  

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 60 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 75 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 74 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor's travel media brands include: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, July 2012

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, July 2012

©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor

“Clean and Green Cambodia Photo Contest 2013”

Source:

http://www.ctm.com.kh/Pages-Link/clean_and_green_cambodia_photo_contest_2013.html

TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice 2013 Hotels in Siem Reap

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions covering more than 650,000 hotels and collected in a single year from travelers around the world. Among the hotels in Siem Reap, we are also the one who award the Traveler's Choice of 2013 from TripAdvisor.

Visit our Official Website

Kulen Mountain Cambodia National Park

The Kulen Mountain or Phnom Kulen is declared as a National Park. It is an isolated mountain massif located in Svay Leu District and some 48km from Siem Reap. Its highest point is 487 meters.

This is widely regarded as the birhplace of the ancient Khmer Empire. During the construtional period of the ancient temples in the nineth century, sand stones were brought from this sacred mountain to Angkor. It was here at Phnom Kulen tath King Jayavarman II proclaimed independece from Java in 802 A.D.

The site is known for its carvvings representing fertility and its waters hold special significance to the people of Cambodia. Just a few inches under the surface of the water, over 1000 carvings of Yoni and Linga are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given the sacred carvings which also include a sone represenation of the Hindu god Vishnu lying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet. A lotus flower protruded from Vishnu's navel bearing the god Brahma, Theriver then ends with a beautiful waterfall. Phnom Kulen is regarded highly by Cambodian people as a sacred location and has deverloped into a great tour destination.

Picture Courtesy: destination asia

Text Courtesy: comcam.asia

We Love Our Great King Father Norodom Sihanouk!

 

Norodom Sihanouk (Khmer: នរោត្តម សីហនុ; 31 October 1922 – 15 October 2012) was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 to 2004. He was the effective ruler of Cambodia from 1953 to 1970. After his second abdication in 2004, he was known as The King-Father of Cambodia (Khmer: Preahmâhaviraksat), a position in which he retained many of his former responsibilities as constitutional monarch.

The son of King Norodom Suramarit and Queen Sisowath Kossamak, Sihanouk held so many positions since 1941 that the Guinness Book of World Records identifies him as the politician who has served the world's greatest variety of political offices.[1] These included two terms as king, two as sovereign prince, one as president, two as prime minister, as well as numerous positions as leader of various governments-in-exile. He served as puppet head of state for the Khmer Rouge government in 1975–1976.[2]

Most of these positions were only honorific, including the last position as constitutional king of Cambodia. Sihanouk's actual period of effective rule over Cambodia was from 9 November 1953, when France granted independence to Cambodia, until 18 March 1970, when General Lon Nol and the National Assembly deposed Sihanouk.


Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/norodom-sihanouk#ixzz29cu5QBQN

Local chefs awarded silver

A team of five Siem Reap chefs won a silver medal at their debut appearance in an international culinary contest in Pattaya, despite almost being derailed by over-bearing Thai customs officials.

Siem Reap Chef’s Club coordinator and team leader Chan Sophea, the food and beverage manager at Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa, said the team suffered a setback at the Thai border while travelling to Thailand’s biggest hospitality art competition and showcase, the Pattaya City Culinary Cup 2012, which was held last month from July 26-28.

Chan Sophea said that unfortunately when the Cambodian team reached the border, they were held up for about 3.5 hours by Thai customs who would not allow them to bring all their equipment.

He said, “Everyone got very tired and stressful, but we still managed to get to the first meeting at Pattaya city on time.” And happily the team prevailed, surprising everyone, possibly even themselves, by coming second in the contest and winning the silver medal in their debut performance.

Chan Sophea told Insider, “We are Cambodian and we are proud to win the silver medal for the first cheer.”

He said the five chefs competing in the team were representatives of Cambodia with a mission to show Khmer cuisine to the world. He added, “We tried with our full commitment and all our hearts to succeed. It was very challenging competition. The judges scored not only on the taste of the food we cooked, but also on the creative preparation, clean hygiene, and teamwork activities.

“The competition started at 10am and ran until 3:30pm. We ate nothing that day, but we were full with hope and confidence.” Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa’s general manager Hanno Stamm accompanied the team to the contest, which he said was very professional and tough.

“The competitions were not limited to cooking, but also included housekeeping, waiter, and bar competitions,” he said. “The whole thing lasted three days, with our chefs cooking on the last day. This obviously caused not a little anxiety among our chefs as they watched the other competitors doing their thing the first couple of days.

“I think our chefs did a bloody good job. Although they are all very capable, they had never competed nationally or internationally before. Cooking in front of judges and spectators must have played havoc with their nerves. Personally, I am very proud of all of them and I think it was great how they represented their hotels and Cambodia. But it would have been nice to get some support from the government.

We could not even get posters or brochures from the Ministry of Tourism. “But apart from doing very well, the team also had a chance to see how things are done outside Siem Reap. I think even more important than the silver medal is the experiences they gained.”

The comprised five leading Siem Reap hotel chefs: two from Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa, one from Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa, one from Sokhalay Angkor Resort and Spa, and one from Ree Hotel. Training took place at the Victoria, and the hotel was the driver in getting the team to Thailand.

Hanno Stamm said, “The whole thing came about as a bit of an accident: the competition organiser, Mr Willment Leong, came to Siem Reap to visit our chef Vuthy – they used to work at the Raffles together.

“Whilst here, he started talking about the upcoming competition and wanted to know if chefs here in Siem Reap had ever done anything like that before. It was at this stage that Vuthy and Sophea, our food and beverage manager came to see me and asked if I was willing to support the idea.

“Sure I was! Not because I thought that they would stand much of a chance to be honest, but because I thought it would be a great learning experience. Subsequently, the chefs came to the Victoria every Sunday for four weeks to practice.”

Credit Text: The entire text obtained from the Phnom Penh Post 'official website
Writer by: Friday, 10 August 2012Peter Olszewski.
Credit Link: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012081057939/Siem-Reap-Insider/local-chefs-awarded-silver.html
Credit Picture: Things were cooking in Pattaya for the five-chef Cambodian team from Siem Reap. Photograph: supplied

Chumreap Suor

Cambodians traditionally greet with a Sampeah, which involves pressing the palms together before the Chest with a slight bow and greeting with a polite "Chumreap Suor". Customarily, the higher the hands are held and the lower the bow, the more respect is conveyed. Except when meeting elderly people or government afficals, between men, this custom has been partially replaced by the handshake. Women usually great both men and women with the same traditional greetings although it may be considered acceptable for foreigners to shake hands with a Cambodian, it is more appropriate to respect the custome and respond with a "Chumreap Suor".

Text and Picture courtesy: comcam.asia