Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel

I had a great time in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The reason why I came to Siem Reap was to visit the ancient city of Angkor. My tour group went by Tuk Tuks, which are small carriage-like, open air rides that hold four people and are pulled by mopeds, to go to each temple. I visited Angkor Wat first. When we arrived, we had to walk down a forested path to get there. The area around the temple was beautiful with big shady trees and green meadows. It was a majestic structure that is impossible to describe because no words could truly capture its beauty. The detail of the temple was amazing and apparently it took 300 years to build. I went into the temple and walked through the different hallways. I then waited in line for about 30 minutes for a chance to go to the top area which was referred to as "heaven". The views from the top allowed us to see the entire temple grounds and the surrounding areas which made for some terrific photos.

After Angkor Wat, we took the Tuk Tuks to a neighboring temple which was in the same forested area called Angkor Thom. This temple was much smaller but had its own unique architecture. The weather this day was the hottest we have experienced yet. All of us were sweating and drinking as much water as possible. We used our umbrellas when we could to try to keep cool. It was even sticker and hotter than an Austin summer.

After a much needed air conditioned lunch break, we headed to our last temple for the day which is called the “Tomb Raider” temple because the movie was filmed there. We could see why they would pick it for the movie. It was very picturesque, with huge trees growing right through the temple structures.

Although the hotel I stayed at, Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel, branded itself as a sustainable travel location, I felt underwhelmed by the sustainable practices that it had adopted. Its declarations were vague and immeasurable, using language such as “measurably reducing” without giving numbers. However, Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel was implementing environmental changes that I observed such as encouraging recycling, minimal water use, and bikes over Tuk Tuks. Additionally, all the bottles were glass and they gave me a bamboo straw rather than a plastic one.

Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel: Near the Ancient City of Angkor Wat

Despite the Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel’s lack of extensive conservation efforts, I did admire their commitment to the Cambodian community. They employ fairly, giving their staff a lot of perks such as competitive salaries, nutritious meals, fair work hours, and so on. Additionally, Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel supports ending child prostitution in Cambodia and is ChildSafe Certified.

I enjoyed my time in Siem Reap and hope that Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel continues to work on their sustainable efforts going forward.

Score

Component 1: Conservation of Nature		20/30
	Building materials are environment-friendly	5/10
	Noise is limited in natural areas	10/10
	The water sources are protected	5/10
Component 2: Responsible Tourism Practices		32/39
	That water usage is limited by means of implementing, for example, showers instead of baths, water saving showerheads and dual flushing toilets	10/10
	That biodegradable products are encouraged, such as biodegradable soap	5/5
	The correct disposal of waste, including cigarette buds, into allocated waste bins is encouraged	7/7
	Solar heating systems are in place	0/7
	Paper and other materials are recyclable	10/10
Component 3: Environmental Education		29/31
	Tourists be informed of benefits of conservation	7/7
	Tourists are aware of the impact they have on the environment	5/7
	Tourists are told not to touch or disturb birds and animals	7/7
	Tourists are encouraged to keep on the walking trails	10/10
		81/100

Photos

To read more about Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel's environmental efforts, check out its website. Photographs by me.