Above: A bedroom at Song Saa Private Island.

Cambodia appears to be on the rise as an emerging destination among luxe travelers.

In the recently released 2012 Virtuoso Luxe Report Cambodia ranked as No. 3 in reply to the question “What are the five most popular ’emerging destinations,’ meaning those on the cusp of becoming popular, either for the first time or all over again in 2012?” (Cuba and Vietnam topped the list.)

In the 2011 report, Cambodia was not even in the top 10 replies to the same basic question.

If these results are anything to go by, intrepid luxe hoteliers who have ventured into the Southeast Asian nation will benefit from an increasing interest among high-end travelers hungry for something different.

Song Saa Private Island comes to mind. This eco-friendly luxury island resort in the Koh Rong archipelago, 30 minutes by boat from Sihanoukville, has thatch-roof villas, a long list of spa treatments, and a contemporary take on Khmer cuisine.

Other luxury resorts in Cambodia stand to benefit as well, as do luxury hotels in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and other cities. Major players are already making their moves. Park Hyatt for instance is taking over management of the high-end Hôtel de la Paix in Siem Reap. (Read more.)

Virtuoso is an invitation-only network of travel agencies focused on luxury travel. Its Luxe Report details the results of a survey taken by hundreds of advisers at member travel agencies in North America.