"Ruins of such grandeur... that, at the first view, one is filled with profound admiration" – Henri Mouhot

If you've ever been to a Bikram Yoga class you'll be well prepared for visiting Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples on foot. It is a sweaty, dusty, exhausting (albeit exhilarating!) process. If you've got the budget and the inclination why not see Angkor in style and avoid the heat, the hordes and the habitual way of doing things?

Option 1: Tour Angkor in a Vintage Citroën

Tie on that headscarf and don your driving gloves because this Angkor tour est très, très chic. Choose from a 1927 or 1928 B14 Torpedo then decide on either a half or full day of sightseeing. The "Classic Tour" takes you to Angkor Thom, Bayon and the Terrace of Elephants and the Leper King in the morning and then onto Angkor Wat for the afternoon, topped off with sunset on Phnom Bakheng. If you're feeling more intrepid, the "L'Explorateur" tour takes you to the farther flung temples of Koh Ker and Beng Melea, which are much quieter than those around Angkor Wat.

Book the tour with the Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa. An eight hour full day tour costs USD 250 (+10% tax) per car and a four hour half day tour costs USD 150 (+ 10% tax) per car. The cars take a maximum of 3 people.

Option 2: Tour Angkor by Helicopter

Indulge in a scenic helicopter ride over the Khmer Kingdom and luxuriate in magnificent Angkor Wat from on high. No tour groups, no humidity, no dust, just you, the helicopter and the stunning scenery below. Bliss. The altitude means you can truly take in the scale of Angkor's architectural wonders. You'll also see Tonle Sap Lake and the floating villages and fishing boats.

Costs from USD 51 per person. For more information click here.

Option 3: Tour Angkor by Hot Air Balloon

Henri Mouhot might be turning in his grave at the thought of this Angkor tour. Where he had to battle with jungle, leeches and leopards to get a prized temple view you can just cruise serenely to 200 metres as Angkor unfolds beneath you. Your birds-eye view covers major league players such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Phnom Bakheng and Tonle Sap Lake, plus many other smaller treasures. The balloon is helium filled, silent, non-polluting and tethered. No scary balloon bursting incidents for you here!

The balloon goes up thirty times per day between sunrise and sunset. For more information and booking call +855 12 520810 or email sokhasr@camintel.com.

Photo Credits: Sunrise Discovery of Angkor Wat by Stuck in Customs; Vintage Citroen via Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa; Angkor Wat from the Helicopter by petergarnhum; Angkor Wat by jurvetson.

Hidden behind an inconspicuous gate on Phnom Penh's Street 19 is a fantastic boutique hotel, The Pavilion.

The Pavilion has just 20 rooms and all the doubles and suites either have their own private patch of garden or a big, breezy terrace. With prices starting from just USD 40 per night, this hotel is a very affordable slice of luxury in Cambodia's capital city.

Built in the 1920s, the Pavilion is a French Colonial gem that sits in a lush, tropical garden. The 15th century Wat Botum is just across the road and many of the hotel's rooms come with views over this royal pagoda.

The hotel is quiet and calm, a real oasis from the heat and dust of the city. Big day beds are dotted around the swimming pool and garden and there's a restaurant serving both French and Khmer dishes in the grounds. There is free WiFi access throughout the hotel and four shared computers for guests who don't travel with a laptop.

We visited the hotel in a group of five; three of us shared a suite (which is two bedrooms separated by a door) and the other two booked into a superior double. The double had the edge over the suite as it is located in the old building and has a fantastic balcony overlooking the garden's coconut and frangipani trees as well as the Royal Pagoda. Both rooms were nicely decorated in the Khmer / French colonial style.

The Pavilion's staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and come armed with restaurant and sightseeing suggestions. They were great at letting us know how much we should be paying for tuk-tuk journeys, which was a real blessing as haggling with drivers in the 40 degree heat is not so much fun.

Phnom Penh's boutique-lined Street 240 is a stone's throw from the Pavilion as are the Royal Palace and the National Museum.

The Pavilion: 227, Street 19, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Tel: +855 (0) 2322 2280; Email: reservation@thepavilion.asia; Web: www.thepavilion.asia.

UNESCO has added 27 new sites to its World Heritage List: 19 cultural sites and 8 natural sites.

Following its July conference in Quebec City, sites such as Cambodia's Temple of Preah Vihear, the historic centre of Camagüey in Cuba, Yemen's Socotra Archipelago and Mount Sanqingshan National Park in China.

Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Vanuatu and Saudi Arabia have had sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List for the first time.

Photo: Camaguey cycle (Cuba) by Ahron de Leeuw via Flickr (Creative Commons).