If you’re after spotlessly clean lodgings in Phnom Penh’s BKK1 area, locally-owned, midrange Hilary’s Boutique Hotel offers 15 well-appointed rooms with floors you could eat your breakfast off, plus a pool, on-site restaurant and friendly service. Owned and run by tour guide Veng and his family, Hilary’s is tucked away behind a high white wall … read the full post

There is nothing like a visit to thriving city centre market to make you feel really connected with the local culture. While Bangkok has Chatuchak, Saigon has Ben Thanh, and Phnom Penh has the art deco Psar Thmei, what does Siem Reap have to compete with these mercantile icons? The answer is Psar Leu, a … read the full post

Close to Siem Reap, with its own unique appeal and much quieter than your average Angkorian ruin, Banteay Kdei offers the perfect antidote the crowds at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. It is also conveniently close to the Big Three so you can easily add it to your one-day itinerary, enjoy a little … read the full post

One of the joys of Southeast Asia is when the familiar jumps out at you from an unexpected source. Riding around Phnom Penh, I’ve realised how many celebrities are (unwittingly) lending their endorsement to hair and beauty salons, tailors and restaurants. Once noticed, it’s difficult not to get slightly obsessed about collecting examples. A consequence … read the full post

With its deep red and warm yellow decor, lively atmosphere and rows of wooden tables, Khmer Kitchen bears an uncanny resemblance to a Spanish venta or a Mexican cantina. But the similarity ends with the decor and what you will actually find at this busy eatery in Siem Reap’s tourist centre are generous portions of … read the full post

If you like your hotels small, sumptuous and a touch quirky, The Governor’s House in Phnom Penh makes for an interesting place to stay, though it’s somewhat overpriced given the raft of other excellent stylish options now available in the city. The 12-room Governor’s House gives the impression on its website and through its name … read the full post

One of the best and most interesting ways to evoke memories of a trip somewhere special is not through things you touch — souvenirs (though there can be a place for them, of course) — but through the things you can smell, preferably also employing your nose’s partner in a good time, your sense of taste. … read the full post

Visitors to Siem Reap are often disappointed when they get home to discover that many of the Cambodian souvenirs they bargained so hard for in the heat and the crowds of the Old Market are actually made in China. Thanks to the Angkor Handicraft Association’s new gold seal of authenticity, and its recently opened ‘made-in-Siem … read the full post

As Shakespeare once said, ”Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Phnom Penh‘s King Grand Suites Boutique Hotel II, to give its full moniker, most certainly has aspirations in that direction. Its large rooms and warm welcome are perfectly located on a quiet thoroughfare that still manages to be … read the full post

Puppet construction is well under way and the marching bands are booked. Whether you have planned it deliberately or just happen to be in Siem Reap for the 2013 Giant Puppet Parade on February 23, getting a good vantage point on the night is crucial if you want to see and hear the parade in … read the full post