Best Value Budget Hotels in Phnom Penh Near Sisowath Quay
2024 UPDATE: In January 2024, one of our Senior Correspondents, Nannette Holliday, travelled to Phnom Penh and found an excellent 4-star hotel that offered great value for money. It’s a little further away from Sisowath Quay than the others reviewed in this article but may suit those looking for a little luxury and don’t mind being closer to the city centre. Here’s her review:
Anik Palace Hotel
As an older solo female traveller arriving late at a city and country I had never been to, I always ensure I have a driver waiting at the airport and my first night’s accommodation booked at the minimum. As my flight arrived around midnight, I’d chosen the Anik Palace Hotel for my three-night stopover in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. From its website and reviews, it ticked my major requirements – airport pick-up/drop-off service, central location, under US$100 a night, breakfast included and a pool. I wasn’t disappointed.
The friendly hotel driver’s sign with my name was as evident as the evening humidity when I exited the airport. Taking my bag, we quickly ducked and weaved between the crowds towards the car, making me glad I had a competent local at my side. Once settled, he handed me a cold bottle of water and a refresher towelette. Within 30 minutes, he gave my bag to the night porter, who dashed up the stairs with it as I checked in.
The impressive reception area empty after midnight.
Despite the late hour, the reception staff were just as happy and welcoming. Although now devoid of patrons, the hotel entrance and foyer had several spacious but intimate sitting areas with plush lounges, armchairs, coffee tables, and a bar against the back wall. It looked cosy and inviting, befitting the hotel’s classic European theming.
Within minutes, I was cosied up in my Deluxe Urban Twin room on the 8th floor. Although only 25 sqm, the room had been well planned with classically comfortable furnishings, and the country chic tones made it feel spacious, light, and airy. I had everything I needed and more. A wide writing desk and chair, a TV with all the satellite stations conveniently listed, a solid luggage bench, a spacious wardrobe with removable coat hangers, and a safety deposit box. The air conditioning was easy to control, and the four-bladed ceiling fan was quiet.
The compact, all-inclusive ensuite bathroom and toilet had quality toiletries, a hairdryer, plush towels, face washers, bathrobes, and slippers. The shower’s water pressure was excellent, and the water was hot and soothing after a day’s touring. The comfortable leather chair and small table beside the floor-to-ceiling window offered city skyline views, sunset and the perfect spot to enjoy an afternoon snack or read a book.
My comfortable twin room with classic European decor.
My bed was extremely comfortable, and after a good night’s sleep, I headed to the 10th floor for the included breakfast. Again, this was much more than I expected. The staff were welcoming and cheerful, which certainly brightened the day. The buffet offered a variety of fresh fruit, breads and rolls, cheeses, meats, jams, and Asian dishes. A small flip folder on each table allows you to choose hot Asian meals or Western egg dishes—even Eggs Benedict.
After the delicious breakfast, I headed to the rooftop (13th floor) to check out the pool. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. The three private cabanas looked so inviting I almost changed my plans of going anywhere for the day. Later that afternoon, I enjoyed a refreshing uncrowded swim and sundowner cocktail at the rooftop Sky Bar. With various comfortable, intimate spaces and tables spread around the pool and bar, it was easy to soak up the vast city views and sunset each evening or chat with fellow guests during my stay.
The 4-star Anik Palace Hotel opened in 2020. Constructed from 100-year-old bricks, it is the third Anik hotel in Phnom Penh built by a Cambodian businessman inspired by his wife’s love of hospitality. Situated between two major roads, the traffic noise was at a minimum, even on the rooftop. There was no shortage of restaurants, cafes or convenience stores nearby either.
The rooftop pool and bar with its three comfortable cabanas.
Although it is 1.9km from the Royal Palace main entrance and Sisowath Quay, it’s a pleasant 25-minute stroll via the Independence Monument through Neak Banh Teuk and Wat Botum Parks or a US$2 tuk-tuk ride away. I’d chosen the Anik Palace’s central location because I also wanted to visit Bassac Street, the Russian Markets and Genocide Museum. Again, these were only a $1 or $2 tuk-tuk ride from the hotel if I didn’t feel like walking alone.
I’d highly recommend the Anik Palace Hotel to any traveller, especially couples wanting a romantic escape. My room was the lowest-priced and most basic at $60 in January. But a tasty, sweet Cambodian treat greeted me each evening before bed. King, Classic, Premier and Family Suites are also available – even a two-level Penthouse at $700 a night. A well-equipped gym, sauna, and steam room are on the 12th floor, a hot and cold jacuzzi separate from the pool on the rooftop, and the ROM YOL Spa treatment rooms round out the facilities available.
Anik Hotel images: © Nannette Holliday
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
In early 2022, I spent nearly two months in Cambodia. I used Phnom Penh as my base between periods travelling out to different parts of the country. During a total of about three weeks in Phnom Penh, I stayed in five different budget hotels near Sisowath Quay for 3-4 nights at a time so that I could compare them and, where appropriate, recommend them to other travellers.
The definition of a ‘budget’ hotel in Cambodia might be misleading to those not familiar with the country. Cambodia offers some of the best value hotel accommodation in the world and a US$100 a night hotel in Phnom Penh can give you a place to stay that would be rated close to five-star in some other countries – especially as the Cambodian tourism industry is still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and hotels are offering some exceptional deals to attract travellers back to the country.
My definition of a budget hotel is something in the price range US$50-100 per night. In Cambodia that gets you three or four-star accommodation. I selected five hotels to stay based on ratings on Google, Agoda and Booking.com. One only cost me US$45 a night and I also stayed in a sixth hotel that was above my budget range (US$112 per night) because I had previously visited it for a meal and wanted to experience it as a guest.
The riverside walk on Sisowath Quay along the Tonle Sap River.
My criteria was that the hotel had to be within 500-600 metres of the Royal Palace Park because I liked to walk along Sisowath Quay each night for exercise, as well as to soak up the iconic riverside atmosphere. It wasn’t difficult to select the best within this criteria because the same hotels in this area were rated the highest on Google, Agoda and Booking.com. They were (in order of distance from the park):
Amanjaya Pancam Suites Hotel (US$79 a night, 400m from Royal Palace Park)
Plantation Urban Resort & Spa (US$60 a night, 500m from the park)
Palace Gate Hotel & Residence (US$62 a night, 600m from the park)
Saravoan Royal Palace (US$45 a night, 600m from the park)
Tao Riverside Residence (US$55 a night, 600m from the park)
And the one I added for $112 a night was the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort which is a very short walk from the Royal Palace Park. That hotel, and the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence are owned by the same company, and because of their similar names, I constantly had problems with tuk-tuk drivers taking me to the wrong one. However, there are doormen at both who can redirect the tuk-tuk drivers to the right one (they are only 450 metres apart).
The Royal Palace Park on Sisowath Quay at dusk.
All of these hotels are excellent value for money, so I won’t attempt to rate them on that criteria. Instead, I will list my reviews in alphabetical order and describe what I liked (and in a few cases what I didn’t like) about them. Hopefully these reviews will assist you in choosing a hotel that meets your own requirements.
None of these hotels were aware that I was there to review them. I booked as a normal tourist either through the hotel’s own website, or through Booking.com or Agoda, so I received no special treatment. At the end of each review, I’ve indicated the published room rates and the discounted room rates that I’ve found available. Most of these hotels are currently discounting heavily because tourist numbers are still well down in Phnom Penh. As is normal, the further you are able to book ahead, the more likely you are to find a good discounted rate.
Amanjaya Pancam Suites Hotel
This is one of two hotels that I stayed in that are right on Sisowath Quay. The Amanjaya is about halfway between the night market upriver, and the car ferry terminal downriver, and about 400 metres from the Royal Palace Park. So it’s right in the centre of what would be regarded as the main tourist district of Phnom Penh, and many would argue that it’s the best located of the six hotels that I stayed in.
However, when I entered the room, I knew immediately what was going to be a big problem for me – the traffic noise. My room was on the second floor (there are only three floors with a rooftop bar on top) and noise of the traffic was very noticeable. The Tao Riverside Residence, two blocks away, is also right on Sisowath Quay, but I didn’t experience the same noise levels there because my room was on the fifth floor and had a much deeper balcony.
The well-furnished room at the Amanjaya Pancam Suites
The bed in my room was quite close to the French doors leading onto a small balcony overlooking the river, whilst in the Tao Residence the bed was set back away from the windows. The difference was noticeable, and although the Amanjaya had a very comfortable bed, I didn’t sleep well the three nights I was there. It was one of two hotels where I didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
The Amanjaya is the most modern of the hotels that I stayed in having opened its doors in 2002 and having undergone renovations during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The exterior is French colonial whilst the inside is contemporary modern – but some of the public areas felt bare. The rooms are smartly furnished and to a very high quality for a hotel in this price range.
My room was a large studio with a spacious seating area and a separate area near the window for a desk. The bathroom was large too with a bathtub as well as a separate shower cubicle. I was looking forward to having a soak in a warm bath on one of the nights I was there. But when I endeavoured to fill the bathtub, the water ran cold when it was only a few inches full.
I tried running a bath on a second night. The water stayed warmer for longer but was never hot enough to soak in the bath for long. So although the bathroom has a nice bathtub, it doesn’t have a water supply system with sufficient capacity to enable you to take a hot bath.
The modern bathroom with separate shower and WC cubicles.
That wasn’t the only problem I had with the room. The internet dropped out frequently (although it did come back on reasonably quickly), and the air-conditioner didn’t turn itself back on automatically when you entered the room and placed the key card in the power slot. And trying to turn it on requires several attempts pressing the on/off and fan buttons before you hear any airflow. It seems to have a delayed reaction to the remote commands. Even the person bringing my bags up to the room had problems turning it on.
The room rate at the Amanjaya doesn’t include breakfast but there are plenty of places nearby with good breakfasts on offer. One of the best is La Croisette – two blocks upriver on the corner of Street 144 opposite the Tao Residence. There is a restaurant on the lower level of the Amanjaya but it’s an upmarket fine dining restaurant serving only Khmer food (it has good reviews so might appeal to those who want to experience the country’s haute cuisine).
On the roof of the Amanjaya is Le Moon – one of Phnom Penh’s most popular rooftop bars. It is very relaxing to sit there in the evening enjoying cool breezes and watch the colourful party boats cruising up and down the river (and dodging the big sand and gravel barges in the dark). They have a reasonable food menu too, but I would not recommend the smoked salmon platter. It was 50 percent skin and the rest looked more like rare beef than salmon.
If you are staying in the hotel, you’ll receive a 15 percent discount on all food and drinks if you make known your room number. The drinks menu is reasonably priced for the location, and they do make a good margarita. The staff on the roof are efficient and friendly, but the rest of the hotel seems under-staffed. There was usually only one person on reception and none of them were particularly friendly.
The exterior of the Amanjaya right on Sisowath Quay.
They weren’t unfriendly – it was just that they didn’t have the welcoming demeanour that I had experienced in all the other places I stayed in Phnom Penh. Whenever I came back from a walk or eating out, they would just look at me but never acknowledge me or say anything. For that reason, the reception felt ‘cold’. There is no porter. If you require help with your bags to your room, they will call one of the women from housekeeping to assist.
Despite those ‘issues’ with the Amanjaya, it was still one of the best value hotels that I stayed in. I paid only $54 a night for my studio room, and I can’t recall paying as little as that for a place as well furnished and in such a prime location anywhere in the world. If sleeping with traffic noise doesn’t bother you, this may still be an option for you depending on the prices being quoted for your travel dates.
Palace Gate Hotel & Residence
The Palace Gate Hotel & Residence is about 600 metres from the Royal Palace Park, but it doesn’t feel that far away because it’s an easy walk across Wat Botum Park and down the road immediately in front of the palace, which is usually blocked off to traffic but not to pedestrians and cyclists. The hotel is down a side street right next to the monastery, so that’s likely to mean there will be some noise during Buddhist festivals. During my three nights there it was very quiet.
My room on the ninth floor had a lovely view over the temple and monastery rooftops and across to the palace and the river in the distance. It was one of the best views I had from any of the hotels that I stayed in, aside from the glorious river view from the Tao Residence mentioned later. For anyone looking for a great view from a quiet location, the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence would be a good choice, provided you specify a room on one of the upper floors.
My room with kitchenette at the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence.
The studio room was the largest that I had in any of the places that I stayed in with lounge and dining sections, a well-equipped kitchenette with a gas stove and large refrigerator, and a desk next to the French doors out onto a small balcony. The bathroom wasn’t as roomy as the other hotels, but it was functional.
I loved the location of this hotel because aside from being within easy walking distance of Sisowath Quay, it was nice to walk around Wat Botum Park at night and watch the locals eating, drinking, exercising, dancing to music or just relaxing around the illuminated dancing fountains. Around the corner in the other direction is the wide boulevard leading up to the Independence Monument.
That boulevard is called Preah Suramarit Boulevard on the north side and Preah Sihanouk Boulevard on the south side, and the locals use the parkland between the two roads for evening exercise too. It was interesting to note that all those exercising were walking around the park in an anti-clockwise direction. Only a couple of tourists were walking in the other direction. I found that strange because Buddhists always walk in a clockwise direction in temples and around other places of spiritual significance.
I’m a fan of Italian food, so I was delighted to discover there was an Italian restaurant (Limoncello Pizzeria & Restorante Italiano) right next door, owned by an Italian and serving genuine Italian food. I also saw on Google Maps that there was an Italian fine-dining restaurant on the other side of Wat Botum Park called Milano, but it closed during the coronavirus pandemic and doesn’t look like it will be reopening anytime soon. There are good Thai and Japanese restaurants on the same street as well as a boutique brewery.
The view over the Wat Botum monastery from my room.
Whilst checking out Milano, I discovered a casual dining place a few doors down called Temple Coffee and Bakery that serves food right through to midnight and has a very extensive menu with some interesting dishes, both local and western. If you have a craving for Pacific oysters or frog legs at 11pm, then this would be the place to head for. The coffee at Temple is good too and they often have live music in the evenings.
Next door to Temple is a branch of Cambodia’s premier coffee chain, Brown Coffee (much better than Starbucks!) which also has an excellent lunch menu of both western and local food. For a coffee lover like me, having two good coffee shops within a few minutes’ walk of my hotel made me very happy. And both places have fast free wifi.
The only thing I did not like about the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence was the ambiance of the reception area once the restaurant closed after breakfast. At that point, the doors were shut and the lights are turned off, making the reception area feel like the place is half closed.
That’s a pity because when the lights are on there is a lovely French colonial feel to the area downstairs. Currently the hotel is not experiencing high room occupancies because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the restaurant is not opening for lunch and dinner as it used to. Hopefully that means the ambience issue will only be a short-term issue.
Locals out for evening walks on Preah Suramarit Boulevard.
The Palace Gate Hotel & Residence is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a long stay in Phnom Penh. It’s a great option if you are into self-catering or anyone who just wants more space. In terms of value for money it would be my first choice for a long stay. Of course, a lot depends on how much rates go up when hotel occupancies improve.
I paid $62 a night (without breakfast) for a Premier Double Room with Temple View, and that rate is still currently available on most booking sites. The published rates range from $81 for a double with city view without breakfast to $216 for a family suite (four people) with breakfast. Currently available discounted rates range from $47 to $130 for the same rooms with a big choice of options between.
Palace Gate Hotel & Resort
In terms of ambiance, nothing compared to the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort. From the moment you walk through the entrance, you feel like you are in a luxurious colonial hotel. The resort calls that ambiance “palatial Angkorian” which I can best describe as being an amalgamation of traditional Khmer, French and tropical styles.
The gardens are beautiful and inside this urban resort, which has a large swimming pool enclosed by lush tropical vegetation, you feel as if you are a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city outside. Its Mealea Restaurant, in a restored French colonial building that is over 100 years old, is billed as a traditional Cambodian fine dining restaurant, but there is a good selection of western and other Asian dishes on the menu too.
The beautiful Orchid Bar at the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort.
The resort’s Organic Skybar on the fourth floor of one of the buildings at the back is the only place in Phnom Penh from which you can see into the compound of the Royal Palace in the direction of the sunset, aside from the more distant views from some of the upper floors of the Hotel Emion further down Sisowath Quay. There are two other bars in the resort. A pool bar and the very elegant Orchid Bar on a large open patio area adjacent to the Mealea Restaurant.
Breakfast is included in the room rate, and it’s a reasonably good buffet breakfast. It has a selection of both Asian and western breakfast dishes. The only things that disappointed me were the fresh fruits selection, which was very limited and didn’t include tropical fruits like mango or papaya, and the bread rolls were dry. I would have loved to have seen some fresh French baguette bread there.
There is a luxurious spa on the premises, which is not cheap by Cambodian standards, but with the 20 percent discount offered to in-house guests, the prices are comparable to other high-end spas around the city. The service is very good (although my check-out on my last morning was slow) and the staff friendly and responsive.
Sunrise view from my room in the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort.
The hotel promotes itself as a five-star hotel, but it’s not a five-star like a Raffles or Hyatt Regency. I would describe it more as a high-end four-star, and that’s reflected in its room rate compared to genuine five-star hotels in Phnom Penh.
The only thing on which it didn’t compare favourably with its sister hotel up the road was the room size. It was a Royal Deluxe with View and measured 45 sq m. That was larger than the average hotel room, but smaller than all of the others I stayed in on this trip aside from the one at the Plantation. However it had a superb sunrise view over rooftops to the river, and that made up for the smaller room size.
There were two slightly annoying issues with the room. One was the air-conditioner. However much I tried to adjust the temperature or fan speed, it was always too cold or too hot. I ended up having to turn it off and on every 10-20 minutes. The other was the hand basin in the bathroom. It had a fixed ceramic drain plug which could not be moved, so it meant you couldn’t fill the basin to wash out underwear or a t-shirt.
My Royal Deluxe room at the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort.
Overall, I had a very comfortable stay though, and I would stay there again, but it doesn’t offer the same value for money as its budget ‘sister’ hotel, the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence. If the price is not a deterrent, and you want an urban resort with a super-relaxing tropical ambience, then the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort will fit the bill.
Published rates range from $190 for a 32 sq m deluxe double up to $350 for a 55 sq m studio suite but current discount rates range from $105 to $194, suggesting the published rates are heavily inflated. If you have $350 a night to spend on a hotel room in Phnom Penh, you should be staying at the Raffles or Hyatt Regency.
Plantation Urban Resort & Spa
Although this hotel is only 500 metres from the Royal Palace Park as the crow flies, the road directly down to the park beside the palace is closed (for security reasons I assume) so you must do a diversion and either walk down Street 178 past the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the National Museum or walk around the southern side of the Royal Palace. Either way it adds about 150m to the walk, which makes the Plantation the furthest away from Sisowath Quay by walking distance.
You also need to cross busy Preah Ang Yukanthor Street (Street 19) which can be tricky. It’s only a two-lane street but carries a lot of tuk-tuk and motorbike traffic. However, crossing streets in Phnom Penh is not as difficult as in Vietnam. Just be patient and wait for a gap in the traffic. The traffic is usually lighter at night.
The entry courtyard of the Plantation Urban Resort & Spa.
My stay at the Plantation didn’t get off to a good start. I arrived in a tuk-tuk with my luggage but there was no doorman or porter at the entrance (the first hotel in Cambodia where I’ve experienced that). I did the self-temperature check at the entrance and went to sanitise my hands, but the sanitiser pump squirted the sanitiser onto my trousers instead of my hands. So I left my bags at the entrance and walked to the reception with sanitiser dripping down my khakis to look for a porter.
Check-in was smooth but when the porter took my bags up to my room the key card wouldn’t work. I had to wait in the corridor until he went back to reception to get it reprogrammed. After getting my bags into the room I went down to the restaurant and ordered a coffee. When I got the bill, I was shocked to see it was $7. I queried the price and the waitress said that was because I had ordered a coffee with an extra shot of espresso, so she charged me for two coffees.
I told her that most coffee shops in Phnom Penh charge 50 cents for an extra shot, or at the most $1. I said $3.50 for an extra shot was more than what they charge in London or New York. She apologised but said their system didn’t have any provision to charge for an extra shot, so she had to charge me for two coffees. She said that as an inhouse guest I automatically get a 10 percent discount, so that meant the coffee was only $6.30. The only other time I’ve paid that much for a coffee was in a very upmarket restaurant in Dubai.
The coffee was good, and I would have had no objection to paying $4 for it, but needless to say I didn’t order coffee there again. There are plenty of other coffee shops in the streets around the hotel, including the Home Suite Café three doors away which only charges $2. Their coffee is much stronger, so didn’t need an extra shot, so that’s where I went for my morning coffee each day.
The swimming pool and breakfast restaurant at the Plantation.
I went back up to my room but discovered the key card wasn’t working again so I had to go back to reception to get it reprogrammed a second time. Fortunately things got better after that and when I went down next morning to check out the free breakfast that was included in the room rate, I was delighted to find it was a well-stocked buffet that was as good as I’ve found in many four-star hotels (the Plantation advertises itself as ‘three-star urban resort’). It had a better selection of fresh fruits and breads than the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort which is twice the price
Breakfast is served in a nice airy restaurant open to the poolside, and if it’s not too hot you can choose to sit around the pool to eat. There’s another restaurant near the front entrance called the Pergola that has a good menu, and I ate there a few times. Aside from their coffee price, there was nothing that I could fault their restaurants on.
The hotel is surrounded by busy streets but it’s fairly quiet at night. The croaking of the frogs in the fishponds is louder than the traffic. The main building where reception is located is a renovated French villa that was built in the 1930s and used as an administrative building for the French administration. The gardens are landscaped with tropical plants and there is a nice ambiance to the whole resort. Another oasis in the city.
There are not as many western or upmarket restaurants in the streets around Plantation as there are with the other hotels reviewed in this article – with one exception. One of Phnom Penh’s best French restaurants is only one and a half blocks away in House 13 on Street 178. It’s called Le Deli Bistro Gourmet and it’s one of the city’s best rated small fine dining restaurants. It’s within easy walking distance and there are traffic lights on the corner of Street 178 that enable you to cross busy Preah Norodom Boulevard.
My room with four-poster bed and mosquito net at the Plantation.
The rooms at Plantation are comfortable. Mine had a four-poster bed with a mosquito net. I thought that might indicate that the hotel had a problem with mosquitos, but I didn’t see a single mosquito in the room and didn’t have to use the mosquito net at all. My room was the smallest I stayed in during my time in Phnom Penh, but it was not cramped.
Published room rates range from $69 for a standard room to $99 for a deluxe pool-view room. Currently most booking sites have those discounted from $49 to $70. I paid $60 for a superior room which had a view over the front courtyard, and I was very happy with that. With the included breakfast, Plantation is exceptionally good value. I would stay there again.
Saravoan Royal Palace
The Saravoan was the cheapest of the six hotels in which I stayed (US$45 a night) but included breakfast. The hotel is located one block away from the Plantation down an alleyway that could be a little hard to find if you don’t know exactly where it is. It’s on Street 178 between Streets 19 and 41. That section of Street 178 is one-way and tuk-tuk drivers do get confused finding it (although most tuk-tuks are happy to go against the flow of the traffic if there are no police around).
When I first walked into the room, it immediately felt like a budget hotel with mostly bare concrete floor and walls. However, that’s not to say it wasn’t good value for the money. It was larger than most western motel rooms and had a roomy bathroom – although the shower was in the bathtub. A non-slip mat for the bathtub is supplied – something that is often missed in more expensive hotels. Water pressure was good and there was plenty of hot water despite a notice on the wall advising which direction to turn the hot water tap and to “wait for 3 to 5 minutes”.
My basic Family Room at the Saravoan Royal Palace.
I stayed in a family room on the third floor with a double bed and a three-quarter bed. I only needed one bed but when I booked there were no single or double rooms available. My only significant complaint about the Saravoan was that the beds were not comfortable. It was the second hotel where I didn’t sleep well. The mattresses are interior sprung (not foam as is often the case in Asian budget hotels) and looked quite new but didn’t have enough padding on top. You could easily feel the springs.
The mattress brand was Vono – originally a UK brand of so-called “back care” mattresses, but in Southeast Asia they are made under licence by a Swedish firm with factories in Malaysia, Thailand and China. I strongly suspect the ones at the Saravoan were made in China. The three-quarter bed mattress was slightly more comfortable, so I slept in that for the four nights I was there.
The rest of the room was reasonably well-equipped with a small TV and refrigerator. Aside from the beds, the only problem I had with the room was that the security chain inside the door was broken, but they fixed it the day after I brought it to their attention. The Saravoan doesn’t have any rooms on the ground floor, and there is no elevator, so if you have difficulty negotiating stairs, then this place is not for you.
The Saravoan is much smaller than the Plantation, so the breakfast served is not a buffet, but there is a reasonable choice of options from bacon and eggs to a fruit plate with yoghurt. Nothing like the hearty breakfast you can enjoy at the Plantation, but enough to get you going for the day. Breakfast is served in a nicely landscaped courtyard at the bottom of the stairs to the rooms.
The airy breakfast courtyard at the Saravoan Royal Palace.
As it’s located down an alley and surrounded by buildings, it’s very quiet once inside. At night I could hear no traffic noise. It’s a shorter walk to the river from the Saravoan than from the Plantation, and only one block away from the National Museum of Cambodia. There’s an excellent coffee shop called the Soga about halfway between the hotel and the museum. Great French food too, but it’s not air-conditioned – so not the best place for lunch on hot days. But a good option if you want to eat more breakfast.
If the lack of an elevator is not a problem, and the comfort of the bed is not a big concern, then this could still be a good option for those wanting bed and breakfast for under $50 a night. A lot of hotels inflate their published room rates to make their discounted rates look more attractive, and the Saravoan adopts this practice with ‘official’ rates over $100 a night. But nobody would pay $100 a night for these rooms when there are so many better options in Phnom Penh for that price. Currently the Saravoan is available through hotel booking sites for prices ranging from $29 for a twin room to $42 for a family room – even cheaper than I paid.
Tao Riverside Residence
Although I’ve listed the Tao Riverside Residence last, it was actually the first hotel I stayed in when arriving in Phnom Penh from Dubai in January. I booked the Penthouse Suite on the 5th floor for $55 a night and was delighted with what I found. A very large studio style room with fabulous bathroom (rain shower and bathtub), a very comfortable King bed, a large living area with a flat screen TV and a balcony directly overlooking Sisowath Quay and the Tonle Sap River.
From my balcony on the corner of Street 144 and Sisowath Quay, I could see the confluence of the river with the Mekong and I enjoyed watching the barges travelling up and down the river during the day, the ferries crossing the river, and the colourful party boats at night. I felt great to be back in the hustle and bustle of this lively part of Phnom Penh since I was last there quite a few years ago.
The spacious Penthouse Suite at the Tao Riverside Residence.
There was no breakfast included in the room rate but the stylish La Croisette bistro right across the road has an excellent breakfast menu, and I often ate three meals a day there. There was an efficient laundry right next door ($2 a kilo for washing and drying), and a few doors down from there the Soma Spa where I went for a massage three times because they were so good ($22 for a one-hour Khmer herbal compress massage).
One block down the street is the Kandal market where I bought fresh mangoes and other tropical fruits every day, and a block further on from the market down Street 144 is the E-Coffee shop and E-Supermarket. The coffee shop serves the best value flat white in Phnom Penh for only $1.35 and I went there nearly every day I was in Phnom Penh, even when I was staying in other hotels. The supermarket has an excellent range of western foods including some delicious locally-made yoghurts that I didn’t see elsewhere.
The Tao is one block away from one of Phnom Penh’s largest bar districts, but even if you are not planning to hit the bars, the location is good because of the many restaurants in and around the bar district. The Tao definitely had the best selection of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel compared to the other places I stayed. If you like to stay where there’s a lot of ‘action’, then the Tao would be the best choice.
The large and well-equipped bathroom in the Tao’s Penthouse Suite.
The staff at the Tao are very helpful and the owner there helped to put me in touch with a travel agent who arranged an extension to my visa whilst I went to Koh Rong. They even let me store two of my bags there and looked after my passport for me whilst I was away from Phnom Penh. I stayed there for one night again upon my return but couldn’t stay longer because they were fully booked.
The one and only problem I had with the Tao was mosquitoes in the room. On my second morning there I went to the supermarket and bought a large can of mosquito spray. I sprayed the room before sleeping but they continued to annoy me during the night. Fortunately, I didn’t get bitten too many times, and it wasn’t a big issue for me. I’ve lived in Southeast Asia for 25 years and been to many places with worse mosquito problems – it was just an annoyance. Every night I sprayed the room, but the problem remained. I really don’t know where the mosquitoes could have been coming from. I didn’t have the same problem in any of the other hotels close to the riverside.
I was intending to discuss the issue with the owner, but every time I saw him around, I forgot, because I’d usually only remember it when I went to bed, turned out the lights and started hearing mosquitoes buzzing around my head. It’s possible that the problem exists only in the penthouse suite and not in the other rooms because I did not read any references to mosquitoes in any of the hotel reviews.
The comfortable King bed in my Tao Riverside Residence suite.
When I was reading the reviews for the Tao, I noted that management had replied to one review mentioning that the windows were double glazed. I didn’t notice that when staying there but could explain why the traffic noise was much less than at the Amanjaya.
When I returned from Koh Rong and stayed at the Tao for one night, I was charged $85 (their published rate) for the same room instead of the $55 discounted rate previously paid. I guess that was because they were fully booked at the time and the hotel is pricing rooms based on supply and demand. Even at $85 it was reasonably good value, but I probably wouldn’t pay that for a longer stay unless I wanted to be right on the river.
Currently published rates range from $76 for a deluxe double suite to $148 for a deluxe family suite with discounted rates from $59 to $116 respectively. So I definitely got a good deal at $55 for the penthouse suite. The higher rates currently on offer suggest that room occupancies are picking up in Phnom Penh now as more people start travelling again.
Recommendations
I’m reluctant to try and recommend a ‘winner’ out of the six hotels. If you don’t mind paying a little more than $100, then the Palace Gate Hotel & Resort would be my recommendation. If you want to keep to a budget between $50 and $100, then I probably would go for the Plantation Urban Resort & Spa.
If you are looking for a long stay option in Phnom Penh, then the Palace Gate Hotel & Residence with its large studio size and kitchen would be a good option. And if you are a single male traveller and want to be right on the edge of the ‘entertainment’ district, then the Tao Riverside Residence would be the best choice.
Of course, if you want a place that’s under $50 a night, then the Saravoan Royal Palace should be your choice – and that will give you good value for money. That leaves only the Amanjaya Pancam Suites Hotel – a contemporary modern option in a good location, but if you are not used to sleeping with traffic noise, then remember to bring some ear plugs!
All original article images: © David Astley
