Molly Malone’s location in the absolute thick of the bar scene in Siem Reap — look up as you walk from lively Pub Street toward Sivatha Boulevard, the town’s main shopping street, and you’ll see the signs — makes it a great choice if you want a midrange guesthouse with a friendly bar, a decent … read the full post

Sihanoukville’s Serendipity beach area has been changing so fast it’s hard even for those of us who live here to get our heads around it. It all went into high gear late in 2011, when they started paving Serendipity Road. Suddenly, what had been a rough road leading to the backpacker haven of Serendipity beach … read the full post

Phnom Penh’s Post Office Square was made famous by the film City of Ghosts, recommended viewing for any visitor to Cambodia on a rainy afternoon when sightseeing is off the agenda. A short detour from riverside and Wat Phnom, the area deserves a visit in person, too. The Post Office, built in 1890 and restored … read the full post

Say “Kratie!” to any Khmer (or any Khmer fisherman who happens to fish near Kratie) and they’ll probably say, “Dolphins!” Well, not really, but if you happened to come across an English-speaking Khmer fisherman who happened to fish in the waters north of Kratie they might say that, but as most fishermen you meet in … read the full post

A hotel attached to a casino isn’t normally the kind of place we would recommend, but the Victory Beach Hotel is an exception. Credit for the hotel’s popularity with non-gambling types has to go to managers Verona and Douglas McColl, whose first Sihanoukville venture, the Coolabah Resort near Serendipity Beach was an immediate success with … read the full post

As the rains are determined not to shirk their seasonal obligations, it seemed an appropriate time to visit the Monsoon Boutique Hotel in Phnom Penh. From its jazzy facade of wonky white metal to the leaf imprints on the stepping stone entrance, it’s clear this property, which opened in August 2012, hasn’t been knocked together … read the full post

You know you’re on the way to some place special when you reach the hilltop road that leads to Sihanoukville’s Pagoda Rocks Boutique Resort. The air becomes fragrant and trees provide shade for your short journey. It gets even better as you pass mysterious staircases and Buddhist icons on the side of the road. And … read the full post

More than two million people will come to Cambodia before this year is out, and it’s a number that’s projected to keep rising as the years roll on. The government is preparing for six million visitors in 2015 and, since most of them will presumably still be coming primarily to visit the temples, it’s going … read the full post

Cambodians are world leaders when it comes to holidays and religious festivals, as we’ve said before. One of the biggest, Pchum Ben (also called Bon P’chum Ben), falls on the 15th day of the waning moon during the Cambodian month of Pheaktrobotr, so mark it on your calendar. Not content with having more holidays than … read the full post

Phnom Penh has always been ahead of the curve with a wide range of international cuisine for a city of its size. So it was no surprise to learn that a specialist Japanese restaurant had recently been added to the mix. What did take me aback was the reaction when I mentioned the Uraetei Yakiniku … read the full post