Grand tradition in Cambodia

The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Phnom Penh is rich in history, fine dining and sunset riverbank views. [Photo by Matt Hodges/Shanghai Star]

If you go:

How to fly: China Eastern leaves Shanghai at 7:10 pm for Siem Reap and takes 3 hours and 40 minutes. The return flight leaves at 10:50 pm and touches down at 4 am (a similar option is available in Phnom Penh). Angkor Air flights connecting the two Cambodian cities take 45 mins.

Where to stay: SIEM REAP: Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor, the Royal Residence and the Anantara Angkor Resort & Spa are at the top of the heap. Siddharta Boutique Hotel is cheaper and great value. Mad Monkey Hostel is for party-hard backpackers.

PHNOM PENH: Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the InterContinental, Sofitel or NagaWorld for high-rollers. Boutique and mid-to-low-range options abound, some with great riverside views, but the FCC hotel is purely for war-history junkies.

What to do: SIEM REAP: Enjoy the handful of marquee temples at Angkor Wat, including Ta Phrom, Angkor Thom and Bayon, on a one-day pass ($20), or spend three days ($60) to hit the less touristy spots. See how those Buddha heads are crafted at Artisan d-Angkor, roam the night market, have a drink at Yellow Sub, Miss Wong or Temple Bar, and pick up a funky top at Papaya T-shirts.

PHNOM PENH: Visit the Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Security Prison (S-21), Royal Palace, National Museum, and Oudong Mountain; eat in style at Malis or Topaz; party at Club Pontoon, sip coffee-infused cocktails at back-alley bars or go celebrity-hunting at 80s bar Vito.

Four reasons to go

Temple dinner

Pull out a diamond ring under the stars or take the whole company out to dine with the ghosts of Khmer kings at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, which Travel & Leisure listed as its No. 4 destination in the region this year.

The Raffles Grand Hotel d' Angkor can organize banquets until 10:30 pm at various temples for about US$2,000 per person, but it requires 2-3 weeks' notice. It can also help put together wedding events in these unique settings. A three-or four-course meal with cocktails for 100 people could be done for about $60,000.

"This is probably one of the best events I've ever seen," says Hotel Manager Charles Demange of the banquets. "Guests are welcomed by traditional Khmer music and an orchestra, and as they're walking in the candle-lit darkness, in the middle of the jungle, suddenly the temple becomes illuminated with real Apsara dancers."

Temple Marathon

If you missed out on this year's Shanghai International Marathon, get ready for the Angkor Empire Half Marathon that threads through the jungle ruins of Angkor Wat on Dec. 7. There are also several shorter runs.

Raffles' "Marathon and You" package includes two nights in a State room, a champagne breakfast, hotel and marathon transfers, a carb-loading dinner and a recovery reflexology massage for $600 based on double-room occupancy (excluding tax and service charges.)

A spot of golf

"Both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh have stunning golf-courses, including the Nick Faldo-designed Angkor Golf Resort," says Raffles General Manager Pieter van der Hoeven.

A two-night stay for two persons costs just over $1,000 and includes one round at Angkor Golf Resort and another at Booyoung Country Club in Siem Reap, as well as a series of luxury lunches and dinners and full use of Raffles' 'round-the-clock' butler service.

BON OM TOUK

This three-day water festival in November is best experienced in the capital due to all the dragon boat races, concerts and bacchanalia. It fetes the end of the rainy season, when the huge ecosystem that is the Tonle Sap reverses flow.