2016年CRI Luxury Villas Booming in Cambodia（在线收听）

The private villas are holiday homes with a luxury difference.

For about 2,800 US dollars a night, the exclusive villas offer families and small groups the ultimate Temple Town residence.

Recent guests include Angelina Jolie and Michelle Obama.

With vast living rooms, polished wood floors and huge bedrooms, the villas offer a luxury retreat after a day exploring Angkor's famous temples.

Noemie Payumo is Marketing Manager of Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor.

"Both measure about 318 square metres. Both have direct access to the swimming pool. Each has two bedrooms, a living room, and both are fully equipped with modern facilities such as an X-box, Mac 

Books, both have Wi-Fi, 24-hours butler service."

With its clean, modernist lines, the Villa Ni Say has the air of a Palm Springs set of Mad Men, the 1960s-set US television drama.

The villa was built just three years ago and located in the heart of Siem Reap.

It was designed by the French-Cambodian architect Lisa Ros, who says she was aiming to create a modern, comfortable villa while incorporating some traditional Cambodian elements into the design.

"The Villa Ni Say was a private house architectural project and the aim was for it to be as modern as possible both in terms of the space itself and in terms of the comfort level. The constraints we faced building the house were mostly related to the climate. We are in Cambodia so there is lots of tropical vegetation that we wanted to highlight."

Belgian resident manager Tommy Bekaert says most of the guests are expats who are living in neighboring countries and want to spend some quality time in Siem Reap with their families or friends.

"The villa is perfectly designed for this kind of gathering because on the ground floor the spaces are literally flowing into each other so parents who are sitting in the dining or living rooms can still see what the kids are doing in the pool and garden area and the other way around."

Renting Villa Ni Say costs from 260 to 1,600 US dollars per day depending on the season and how many rooms you need.

But it's not just Siem Reap that is cornering the market in luxury villas.

The Cambodian capital Phnom Penh has several available for holidaymakers to rent.

The leafy Villa Aqua is a welcome oasis from the heat and dust in the heart of the city.

The main attraction is the large tropical garden and swimming pool.

Renting a holiday villa in Cambodia is far from cheap.

Even a one-night stay costs more than most hotels.

Villa Aqua is owned by French businessman Alexis de Suremain, who also owns several other villas and high-end restaurants in Cambodia.

"This little house is, I think, an ideal place for a couple on their own. It's a very romantic house, there's a small, private swimming pool, a garden with extraordinary tropical plants, situated close to the royal palace, so I think for travelers who come to Phnom Penh for a few days or one week it's a real safe haven."

The growth of luxury villas like these is deemed as a sign of Cambodia's thriving tourist industry.

Official data shows that the country saw 4.8 million international visitors last year, up from 2.5 million in 2010.

Close to 700-thousand Chinese visited the country last year, making China the second largest source of tourists to Cambodia after Vietnam.