Inside the Cambodian hotel with rooms fit for the highest royals – and it's just minutes away from 'eighth wonder of the world' Angkor Wat

“Three down!” my husband trembled, as the children baked in the brutal Cambodian sun. “Only 997 to go!”

It may be heaven on earth – Angkor is the largest religious site in the world with more than a thousand temples in an area about the size of Orkney – but it takes stamina, sleeves and a clear idea of ​​what to leave out before you begin .

Temple addicts could easily spend a week visiting any shrine in the region and would be richly rewarded with a scale of spiritual devotion seen nowhere else on earth.

But there's no shame in squeezing the big four – the almighty Angkor Wat, the walled city of Angkor Thom, the so-called 'Tomb Raider' temple Tạ Prohm and the huge enigmatic faces of Bayon – into one day. Starting early is key.

Once Felix, 11, got over the shock of the 3am alarm call and Rose, 17, and Evie, 16, got over the shock of the dress code – shoulders, upper arms and thighs had to be covered – we went away. The pilgrims travel on, albeit in an air-conditioned limousine with ice-cold bottled water and a steady supply of lavender-scented face towels. It doesn't matter if I do.

Fiona photographed every artefact in her lavish family pool suite (above)

The 'perfect courtyard pool' was a tonic for the 3am start and the long days spent exploring the nearby temples of Angkor

Being closer to the divine is the name of the game here – something where the Anantara Angkorour luxury boutique base for our three-day tour, excels.

As if the deep reverberation of a gong marking our arrival hadn't been regal enough, as soon as we stepped out of our car we were wrapped in silk stoles, taken to the spa for a ceremonial foot bath and led to a series of rooms. suitable for working royalty of the highest level.

The interior so tastefully showcased traditional Cambodian design that I found myself photographing every artifact in our lavish family pool suite.

The hotel is a faithful five-star custodian of the architectural flame ignited by neighboring Angkor Wat.

In size, symmetry and intricacy of detail, Cambodia's iconic 12th-century temple has been compared to the Great Wall of China, the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, all in one. Yet it's strange that this masterpiece of the human mind, body and soul is often overlooked on life's bucket list.

“As soon as we stepped out of our car, we were wreathed in silk stoles and taken to the spa for a ceremonial foot bath,” says Fiona of her arrival at the five-star resort

The 'shock of the 3am alarm call' is worth it for sunrises like the one above over Angkor Wat

Breathtaking: the so-called 'Tomb Raider' temple, Tạ Prohm, is one of the must-visits in the region

Stranger considering the ease of combining a few nights in the region with a wider tour of Southeast Asia. Our three-night diversion was part of a longer trip to Vietnam and flights to Siem Reap, the closest airport to the holy site and a bustling, chic city in its own right, were like buses.

In the cool of the perfect courtyard pool, we were sure we all agreed that few experiences had been as hair-raising as crossing the causeway at sunrise and catching our first glimpse of what is often seen as the eighth wonder of the world .

And after eight hours of illumination in 35-degree heat, the cool and soothing sanctuary of Anantara Angkor made us all feel like we'd stumbled upon the ninth.