Elephant Bar

The oldest, most luxurious bar in town takes its name from the mode of transport chosen by vacationing Europeans as they returned from Angkor Wat in the 1930s. The gentle giants deposited them into the celebrated cocktail lounge strewn with cosy sofas, lithographs and exotic ornaments – which explains its elevated position high above the gardens and swimming pool below. Together with its storied Phnom Penh counterpart, the Elephant Bar demonstrates why Siem Reap was one of Indochina’s pre-eminent cocktail cities in the early 20th century, and remains so today.