The Baby Elephant Blog & Destination Guide
Be as knowledgeable as a local before you even arrive.
Khmer New Year 2020 in Siem Reap
With some similarities to the Songkran new year festival celebrated in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, this year's Khmer New Year takes place between Monday 17 and Friday 21 August. Here's our guide to enjoying the festivities in Cambodia's temple town....
GoFundMe FAQ
GoFundMe Website FAQ Our Mission Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is a social enterprise which aims to be the leading independent Siem Reap boutique hotel, creating rewarding and memorable cultural experiences for our guests while providing life-changing opportunities for...
COVID-19 – Our notice to guests
In the current climate of uncertainty surrounding travel, we want to let you know on behalf of the team at Baby Elephant that our guest and team wellbeing and safety is our utmost priority, now and always.
Why Is Allergen-Friendly Cooking a Great Skill to Learn
Cooking, eating out, and even shopping for ingredients has vastly changed over the years. We have learned a lot about food allergies and how careful we must be when preparing food for others, or eating food prepared by someone other than ourselves. This has created a...
Temples and Pagodas of Southeast Asia and Their History
Without a doubt, you will not see a larger number of pagodas and temples anywhere else in the world than those located in Southeast Asia: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thus, any avid...
Things To Do And Places To Stay In Asia
As the world’s largest continent, it’s no wonder that Asia is teeming with activities, attractions, and legendary sites. Comprised of 48 countries having major cities and smaller colorful towns, the continent offers a plethora of things that you can enjoy to your...
Animal-friendly Cambodian establishments: Everything you should know
According to PetSecure's A Guide to Worldwide Pet Ownership, the number of domesticated animals has grown along with the explosion of the human population. Dogs happen to be the most beloved pet, which leaves little surprise as to the increase of dog clothing...
Hotel Siem Reap and Other Opportunities for Ethical Tourism
Traveling with a Heart and Social Awareness in Siem Reap Siem Reap is a major tourist destination because of Angkor Wat and the temples surrounding it. But its growing reputation for responsible and sustainable ethical tourism makes it even more attractive to...
These social enterprises are rocking travel in Siem Reap
These are the ethical and sustainable social enterprises making a big difference to the lives of disadvantaged locals across Siem Reap.
Baby Elephant Boutique adds sister property BE Happy Siem Reap
BE Happy is a new ethical, vegan guest house, with 12 comfortable rooms in a charming colonial-style building next door to Baby Elephant.
Poolside BE Happy BBQ Every Sunday at Baby Elephant
Join us by the pool every Sunday afternoon for a meat and vegan BBQ plus chill-out tunes, rooftop yoga, and an extended happy hour.
Meet Baby Elephant’s new yoga teacher Rebeccah
Say hello to Baby Elephant's brand new yoga teacher, Rebeccah Bartlett! After an extended break, regular yoga classes return at Baby Elephant on Wednesday 01 May, taught by yoga expert and experienced instructor Rebeccah of YOGA SPACE Siem Reap - and it's more...
Khmer New Year 2019 in Siem Reap
Khmer New Year takes place in Siem Reap between Saturday 14 and Monday 16 April 2018 – here’s what to expect and how to join in with the festivities!
Vegan Siem Reap: Vegan & Vegetarian Food Fest 2019
Join us to celebrate vegan Siem Reap, and our vibrant locally-based food community! Free To Shine & Baby Elephant are co-hosting Siem Reap's third Vegan & Vegetarian Food Festival on Sunday, February 17th from 12-4pm at Baby Elephant. This event supports Free...
Siem Reap Christmas: Baby Elephant’s Annual Poolside Barbecue 2018
Join us at Baby Elephant for our annual Siem Reap Christmas party. International Christmas BBQ - All You Can Eat Date: Tuesday 25 December, 2018 Time: 11 AM - 4 PM Complimentary rum balls and snacks with "Santa" by the pool 12PM - 2PM BBQ and Christmas feast! 2PM -...
Siem Reap, Cambodia: Co-Working Tuesdays at Baby Elephant
SIEM REAP CO-WORKING TUESDAYS! For all digital nomads, freelancers and mobile office workers! Achieve great things in a beautiful garden environment with the Baby Elephant community at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel. Collaborate, swap ideas and motivate each-other to...
Cambodia hotel special offer – August and September stays
Cambodia hotel special offer and Siem Reap package: Book now at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel for stays of 3 nights or more during August and September.
Travel Guide: Taking the Scenic Route to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh
No Cambodia trip is ever complete without dropping by its capital city – Phnom Penh. This city is the very proof of the country’s “last frontier” attitude – raw and untamed. Just like the rest of Cambodia, in the city, anything goes. Its own brand of excitement and...
Our Gift to You | Our First Mix Tape Feat. Cambodian Music
Enjoy our first ever mixtape! Our favourite Cambodian music, and more smooth tunes from around the globe, that you can enjoy listening to when you visit us.
All-New Children’s Meals Land at Baby Elephant
Families visiting Siem Reap have a new reason to stay at affordable, stylish Baby Elephant, with the launch of nutritious, affordable children’s meals at the hotel’s trailblazing tropical restaurant and bar.
The SR Monthly #12: the best of Siem Reap
The ninth best bargain hotel in the world, lunar new year wishes, dreamy lunar-themed cocktails, vegan power bowls, the new Baby Elephant mix tape, and heaps more to make your next trip the best ever!
Press Release – Baby Elephant World’s Ninth Best Bargain Hotel on TripAdvisor
Siem Reap’s independent Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel has been recognised as the world’s ninth best bargain hotel in TripAdvisor’s 2018 Travellers’ Choice awards, based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected each year from TripAdvisor travellers worldwide.
Annual Christmas barbecue
International Christmas BBQ - All You Can Eat Date: Sunday 24 December, 2017 Time: 6 PM - 9 PM Price: Adults - $15.00 plus VAT 10% - per person // Kids - $6.00 plus VAT 10% - per child (includes welcome drink) Location: Poolside at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel RSVP:...
The SR Monthly #11: the best of Siem Reap
Snazzy new interiors, Christmas set menus, fabulous new yoga teacher, our two-year anniversary, new food and drinks menus, souvenir shopping, and lots more to make your next trip the best ever!
Here’s why to book direct with us for your stay in Siem Reap
Our best-rate guarantee, special perks and promotions, and supporting our social enterprise – here’s why to book direct with us for your Siem Reap hotel stay.
The best gifts and souvenirs to buy in Siem Reap
Siem Reap is packed with fabulous boutiques and countless unique gifts and souvenirs that make great mementos of your time in Cambodia. Here’s our pick of what to take home with you.
Baby Elephant makes the ‘Two Can Travel’ unique accommodation pick for Cambodia
Our ethical hotel in Siem Reap has made the list for the best unique accommodation options in Cambodia!
The best desserts in Siem Reap
Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth in Siem Reap? Once you’ve seen the sights at Angkor Wat, here’s our round-up of Cambodia’s temple town’s best desserts.
Introducing our artists in residence at Baby Elephant
Two new artists in residence – In My Name Silver and Tamara Venn – add to the creative dynamic and nourishing environment for guests at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap.
Interview: Erlijn Bakker Joins As Baby Elephant Yoga Teacher
Interview: Erlijn Bakker Joins As Baby Elephant Yoga Teacher
Baby Elephant featured in the Independent’s Siem Reap city guide
Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel has been featured in the Independent’s round-up of Siem Reap’s reinvention as a pioneering ethical tourism destination for city breaks and longer escapes.
The SR Monthly #9: the best of Siem Reap
Ditching plastic in Siem Reap, the Real Food Real Weightloss Retreat, Angkor Wat marathons in paradise, Siem Reap’s Muslim communities, and loads more to make your next trip the best ever!
Discovering Muslim communities – and their food – in Siem Reap
Muslims make up 1.6% of the population in Buddhist-majority Cambodia – here’s where to find out about their communities, and where to tuck into their delicious food.
Run the Angkor Empire Marathon in Siem Reap this August
Running in the 4th Angkor Empire Marathon or Half-Marathon in Siem Reap on Sunday 06 August 2017? Make it a visit to remember with a stay at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel.
Photos from the launch of the Lemongrass Garden Spa at Baby Elephant
Our stylish launch event for the Lemongrass Garden Spa at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel brought together friends from across Siem Reap – take a look at the photos from the evening here.
It’s Plastic-Free July at Baby Elephant
To mark Plastic-Free July in Siem Reap, we’re joining forces with socially conscious businesses all over temple town to take our existing eco-friendly efforts to the next level – here’s how.
‘Pretty Brown Nomad’ finds herself at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel
When I arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia I initially had a few struggles with finding accommodations that were reasonably priced, while offering me the high-speed internet that I needed to get my work done.
The SR Monthly #8: the best of Siem Reap
Angkor Wat facts to blow your mind, our dreamy new spa, Siem Reap’s best international eats, and loads more to make your next trip the best ever!
Pamper yourself at the brand-new Lemongrass Garden Spa at Baby Elephant
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Lemongrass Garden Spa at Baby Elephant, part of our new partnership with accomplished independent Siem Reap spa Lemongrass Garden. Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel? The secret when...
Siem Reap’s best international restaurants
It’s not all Khmer food in Siem Reap – in fact, for a city of this size, our little temple town offers a remarkable array of cuisines from all over the globe. But that’s not to say all restaurants in Siem Reap were created equally – far from it. Whether you’re looking...
5 things you didn’t know about Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is just about everyone’s main reason for visiting Siem Reap – and we don’t blame them. This marvellous, spectacular complex of ancient Khmer temples is certainly worth the visit, and doubly worth waking up extra early for that sunrise tour. But...
Photos from Baby Elephant’s Full Moon Apothecary and Viva Chile! Food Fair
We’ve had an action-packed month at Baby Elephant – from sipping charcoal cocktails, making flower crowns and participating in captivating Pagan ceremonies, to stuffing our faces with the very best of Chile’s street food scene, it’s been a busy one! Thank you to...
Siem Reap spa and hotel partnership brings new opportunity for wellness travel in Cambodia
Siem Reap’s hippest hotel and the temple town’s best independent spa are set to bring new wellness and relaxation experiences to holiday-makers in Cambodia.
What to do in Siem Reap during the green season
Siem Reap’s green season sees the relentless heat give way to welcome rain, and the whole of temple town takes on a luscious shade of verdant. The rain can bring challenges, as the city's notoriously dusty streets give way to puddles – but it’s a wonderful time to...
Upcoming events
Thursday May 11 7PM The Baby Elephant Gin Appreciation Society #3 | The Full Moon Apothecary INVITING ALL FOREST NYMPHS & DRUIDS FOR HERBAL AND BOTANICAL CONCOCTIONS, A GARDEN PARTY, A MEDIEVAL BBQ & FULL MOON MAGICK. Planning to stay with us at...
The best art galleries in Siem Reap
Best known for its spectacular complex of temples around Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s premier tourism destination Siem Reap has an art and culture scene to be reckoned with, and one that’s ever on the rise. While just a few years back concerns were rife at the speed with...
Gin Society popup returns as the Full Moon Apothecary
After our star-studded Baby Elephant Gin Appreication Society popup event in March, led by Phnom Penh’s premier mixologist from the legendary cocktail bar Le Boutier, we’re back at 7pm this Thursday 11 May for an all-healing full-moon edition of our...
How to celebrate Khmer New Year in Siem Reap in 2017
The streets of Siem Reap are about to buzz with even more activity than usual – Khmer New Year is on the way! Based on the lunar cycle, this year the holiday falls on Friday 14, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April, and it’s the perfect time to see temple town...
Photos from Baby Elephant’s Gin Appreciation Society #2
The recently inaugurated Baby Elephant Gin Appreciation Society popup held its second installment on Friday 24 March, with very special guest Annemarie Sagoi from legendary Phnom Penh cocktail bar Le Boutier.
Say hello to new Siem Reap yoga teacher Audrey
We’re delighted to welcome French yogi Audrey as our newest Siem Reap yoga teacher at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel. Audrey joined us on 02 April, and is leading our regular yoga classes throughout April. Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique...
Le Boutier’s Annemarie Sagoi Headlines Baby Elephant’s Siem Reap Gin Popup
Monday 20 March 2017 - For Immediate Release SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - Cocktail lovers will be thrilled that on Friday 24 March Annemarie Sagoi of Le Boutier Phnom Penh will headline the Baby Elephant Gin Appreciation Society event at Baby Elephant Boutique...
Baby Elephant’s Gin Appreciation Society Popup with Annemarie Sagoi
Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is all about leading a balanced lifestyle without sacrificing the good bits – and that means we like to indulge in a few cocktails from time to time. So we’re delighted to announce that the recently inaugurated Baby Elephant...
The best Cambodian restaurants in Siem Reap
Our little town of Siem Reap is home to a dining scene that makes it easy to sample cuisines from right across the world – but it’s also a fabulous place to discover the highlights of Cambodia’s own unique, complex and exciting food culture. Planning to...
Siem Reap’s first ever beer yoga arrives at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA – Beer yoga, gaining popularity around the world, has landed in the spiritual town of Siem Reap for the first time, and Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel invites travellers, expats and locals to try it out.
Welcoming Siem Reap yoga teacher Shambhu for March residency
Shambhu joins us from February 28, 2017 to teach yoga at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap.
The spiritual heart of Siem Reap
Whether it’s the rich religious history of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex, the peaceful countryside vibe of Siem Reap, or the vibrant yoga and healing scene in our little town, there’s little denying that there’s a positive spiritual buzz around...
What to expect from our Siem Reap hotel
We think Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is a pretty special place, and we’re both proud of what we’ve built here in Siem Reap, and excited for what’s still to come in the future. Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel? The secret when...
Here’s what we’re looking forward to at ChubMet Music & Art Festival 2017
Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is proud to be an accommodation partner for ChubMet Music & Art Festival 2017. With seven creative events over two weeks, ChubMet brings together popular Cambodian and international artists for events hosted at different venues in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Yoga fitness Siem Reap at Baby Elephant in January
Join us during January for yoga and fitness in Siem Reap. Classes every day with globally-renowned teachers in a gorgeous little yoga shala.
Siem Reap’s best training restaurants
NGOs and charities are part of the Siem Reap landscape, and they perform heaps of invaluable work here. A number of these NGOs run training restaurants in town, creating employment opportunities and empowering locals with training. Needless to say, they also turn out...
Your Siem Reap bucket list: what to do in temple town
The majestic temples of the Angkor Wat complex are what pull in most visitors to Siem Reap - but we all know there’s plenty more to see, do, eat and experience in Cambodia’s famous temple town! Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel? The...
This year’s Dec. 25 celebration: a Cambodian Christmas party
A Cambodian Christmas Party: Join us for a Baby Elephant-style BBQ on Christmas afternoon! Sunday 25th Dec. 2016, 5-8PM.
Your Guide to Siem Reap: December 2016
There’s plenty happening in Siem Reap in the run-up to Christmas and New Year! Here’s just a small selection of the events taking place in our charming little town. Keep an eye on our social media channels for the latest announcements – plus, don’t miss...
The best bars in Siem Reap
Siem Reap has long had a reputation for a raucous drinking scene – but there’s more to it than the drink-till-you-drop frenzy of Pub Street (which you’ll be glad to know Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is far enough away from for you to be able to sleep...
Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel Newsletter, November
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY ELEPHANT Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel? The secret when booking is to book direct! Book your stay at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel direct on our website and enjoy: The best deals on tours and transport Savings...
December 2016: athletes, photojournalists, artists to converge in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Three massive events collide in Siem Reap, Cambodia from 3 - 10 December this year, and if you're good at planning, you can definitely partake in them all. The Angkor Photo Festival, the Kindness Festival and the Angkor Marathon are all taking place in...
The Cambodian Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) in Siem Reap
Alongside the Khmer New Year, one of Cambodia’s most significant annual holidays is the Water Festival that falls around November of each year. The festival takes place on the full moon in the twelfth lunar month, and sees large-scale celebrations in both...
Our November yoga schedule: Vinyasa and ‘back to basics’ focus classes
Hello! Thank you for considering yoga with us. Please refer to our CURRENT yoga and activities schedule here. Planning to stay with us at Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel? The secret when booking is to book direct! Book your stay at Baby Elephant Boutique...
Cambodian creative writing in focus for our last October karma yoga class
Would you like to practice yoga while raising funds for Cambodian creative writing? Our last karma yoga class to do so for October is tonight at 5.30PM.
Siem Reap’s best cafés and coffee shops
Whether you’re looking for a pick-me-up caffeine fix, a soulful brew of afternoon tea, or something more substantial to eat, these are our picks of some of Siem Reap’s best cafés and coffee shops.
New yoga teacher Melissa Lingo brings flexibility & soul to Baby Elephant’s yoga program
With new yoga teacher Melissa Lingo, Baby Elephant now offers two classes a week on Sundays and Wednesdays. Learn more about Melissa here!
Exploring Around Siem Reap Hotels – Brahman Cows
Explore around Angkor Wat and Siem Reap hotels, and you will likely see lots of gorgeous white cows. These are called Brahman cows. They're actually a mix between four types of cattle from India and were originally bred in the United States. Personally, I...
Announcing Our October Yoga Schedule
Announcing our October yoga schedule! We will now be hosting two yoga classes every week. You can now join us for yoga on Sunday at 9.30am for $6.00 or yoga on Wednesday evenings at 5.30pm by donation.
Biking Siem Reap – bicycling around the town and Angkor Wat
Biking Siem Reap, you can rent a bike for the day and explore Angkor Wat. So, you’ve decided to venture out into the foray and take a bike ride around Siem Reap! Biking Siem Reap can be a thrilling experience – be careful, and enjoy yourself. Biking in...
Baby Elephant Now Child Safety Certified
Through Child Safety certification, Baby Elephant ensures we are a leading sustainable hotel for our guests, staff, business and broader community.
