My entire four-day, three-night stay at Amansara, which translates to “heavenly peace,” was filled with magical moments such as this. Centrally located and set off from the street by a huge sliding metal door and an understated sign written in Cambodian rather than English, the 1960s property once served as a quiet respite for guests of Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia from 1941–55 and again from 1993–2004, who included first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The property was lovingly restored to its midcentury glory and expanded from 12 rooms to 24 by the late Australian architect Kerry Hill in 2002, when it opened as Amansara. ( In 2006, the property was expanded to include 12 additional suites with private plunge pools, a fitness studio, a destination spa, and a lap pool).

For a stressed-out New Yorker who had just spent four days fighting crowds on the streets of Bangkok, Suite #24, one of the newer additions, immediately elicited a sense of calm. The white soaking tub, a focal point of the room, stood between the sofa and the sliding glass doors that opened to a small private yard, complete with a larger-than-average plunge pool and a koi pond.The only splash of color in the room: a dramatic bouquet of bright pink Sacred lotuses (the same kind I found floating in the tub the following evening when I returned from dinner).

Though few equate Zen with Midcentury Modern, the two cohabitate beautifully throughout the property. The service at the property was unrivaled. Each day after I returned from touring temples we placed our mud-covered sneakers in a basket outside our door and, within an hour, they were returned looking brand new with soles. My clothes were lovingly laundered each night and returned to the closet on hangers without a single fold or wrinkle. Even the breakfasts that were delivered to the suite before sunrise were works of art, with colorful plates of sliced dragon fruit, pomegranate, passionfruit, mango, and citrus.

I woke up early (before 5am) to tour Angkor Wat, since the crowds come early to witness the spectacular early 12th-century temple that initially served as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, but transformed into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the century. Inside the walls that surround it, Angkor Wat is a huge complex, stretching over more than 200 acres.

As Kim and I walked toward the majestic structure, a sliver of sunshine peering through dramatic cloud cover, he directed me to follow him down a path away from the temple, where the melodic chant of monks engaged in morning prayer instantly lowered my blood pressure. Through a large vertical window framed with gold that had no glass pane, we peered inside the Wat Thmei monastery, dimly lit by candlelight until the sun’s rays fully embraced the room, making the space appear even more golden. The floors were covered with patterned rugs. The ceilings boasted murals of Asian gods in chariots racing across the skies. 

Later that afternoon, we toured Ta Prohm in the Angkor Archeological Park. Known as the Tomb Raider Temple due to its appearance in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the temple has 400 hundred-year-old undisturbed silk-cotton and fig tree roots wrapped around and soaring upwards from its stone facade. Unlike other temples in Angkor, Ta Prohm has been left as it was discovered to illustrate the intractable bond between nature and history. 

After a short rest, Kim picked me up for the grand finale of my three-day stay in Siem Reap: a Buddhist water ceremony. Amansara offers the purification ritual at a local monastery, and I was excited to participate as well as a bit nervous. I’d have to change out of our street clothes and into cloth wraps and plastic sandals because I would be drenched with water by the monk conducting the ceremony. After we changed back into our street clothes the monk led us into the monastery, where we continued our water ceremony. He shook a wooden stick that he dipped in a gold bowl of water at us as he chanted, and when he finished, we presented him with an offering of food and money that the hotel had put together, wrapped in orange and tied with a gold bow. As a final gesture, he tied red yarn strings around our wrists to signify good luck and prosperity.

I’m still wearing the bracelet weeks after returning home, and every time I find myself twisting it while at my desk, I smile at the unexpected moments that made my time in Siem Reap so special.