Cambodia is not perhaps one of the first places that comes to mind for family travel, but today it serves as a family-friendly destination. Although the country's past tells quite the tale of recent hardship, today Siem Reap flourishes in the travel industry and is one of the safest places to be in Cambodia.

Dance, music and theater performances are among the top highlights for families to see while in Siem Reap. Most of them involved dinner making them all the more catering towards different ages. The following hotels are not only good for families, but have in-house entertainment:

• Sofitel Royal Angkor
• Le Meridien Angkor
• Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
• La Noria Hotel

The Angkor Temple or Wat and area surrounding is a history lover's dream. But visiting the ruins should be entertaining for families with slightly older children. A lot of walking is required and therefore younger kids may suffer at this attraction.

Families with brave kids will love the King Cobra Show and snake farm. The farm is located very close to the Angkor Temple making it a perfect addition to your visit there. Daily shows include snake dancing, kissing, mind control! It is definitely an entertaining show.

The Singing Tree Cafe has a garden and play area for smaller kids and is a welcoming break for tired parents.  It has a DVD collection of children movies (and others) and a healthy selections of sandwiches, salads and smoothies with a special section for the younger kids.  The Blue pumpkin is another place where you can cool down for the afternoon, with many items which the kids will like including home-made ice cream. 

The floating village is an interesting diversion from the somewhat dusty Siem Reap; however the trip to the boat-pier is depressing as the roads weave through smelly stalls and dirt.  It is an eye opener for older kids on how lucky westerners are in our cushy suburbs and therefore have an educational value for older kids with sensible parents.  Once on the lake, the boat trip is wonderful and you can stop over at couple of floating restaurants with cold drinks and floating crocodile pits.

There is a zoo in town on the way to the temples but it is pretty miserable.