Occupying a corner plot, the white four-storey Happy 11 Backpacker guesthouse does a good job of living up to its name. Formerly a lakeside institution, the owners and staff have been helping travellers to Phnom Penh relax for many years. The new location in a mainly residential area is a five-minute walk to the river and a short moto ride to attractions such as the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom.

Tough choice: pool, DVD or hammock?

Happy 11 offers single and twin rooms, all with private bathrooms and the option of fan cooling or air-con with hot water ($8-15). The tiled rooms are spacious enough to swing more than one cat, and the bathrooms are reasonably, if not spotlessly, clean. Most rooms look out onto the street, so you can watch the daily activities of the Khmer neighbourhood. Free WiFi is available in the downstairs lobby bar and on the rooftop and the friendly staff can arrange tickets, tours and visas.

Prices are comparable with similar backpacker joints, but if you are looking for cheaper fan rooms without the communal buzz, try Diamond Guesthouse a couple of blocks closer to the river on Street 13. If it's full and you want a similar vibe, jump on a moto to Top Banana on the corner of St 278 and 51, but be warned it's known for its parties, not its tranquility.

What really sets Happy 11 apart is its breezy green rooftop restaurant, bar and chill out lounge, although be prepared for Jack Johnson on a near constant loop.  Perfect for whiling away a lazy day in a hammock, there's a pool table, a selection of DVDs and plenty of backpackers with tall tales to hook up with. Things liven up later in the day, when the cheap cocktails and draft beer being to flow.

It's a long way up to that roof ...

Consistently popular with a young crowd, you might want to call ahead in high season to make sure you get a room. While a member of staff will happily carry your pack for you, the flights of stairs mean this isn't the best choice for the unfit. Despite the number of rooms the place isn't noisy, although the neighbourhood cockerel and inconsiderate guests might disturb light sleepers. Choose a room on the lower floors to avoid the bar's music if you want to get an early night.

Happy 11 Backpackers
87-89 Street 136, Phnom Penh
T: (012) 999 921 / (088) 777 7421
happy11gt@hotmail.com 

Tags: backpacker, Happy 11 Backpacker

I really want to start this review with a pun about wanting to put down my roots at the Plantation. I won't though, as I'm sure it's been used a hundred times already -- I'm not sure how you could stay here and not want to put your roots down. The Plantation is lovely, and, at the moment, outstanding value.

Canoodling to the left, baking to the right.

Set across over half a hectare of prime real estate in central Phnom Penh, Plantation hides behind a white wall on Street 184, spitting distance to the Palace, National Musuem and cafe chic Street 240. Previously the Ministry of Labour, the front building dates back to the 1930s and now houses reception and the business centre. The hotel's rooms are stacked in three separate buildings behind, two of which overlook the very tempting 20-metre swimming pool. Squirrelled away to the side there's a second 12-metre pool, gleaming with tiles like shot Thai silk, and an attached bar. This latter pool is open to the general public while the former, with its draped-curtains-for-private-canoodling poolside, is for guests only.

Rooms come in three main flavours: superior in an annex with no pool view, superior and deluxe rooms with a pool view. I ended up in a ground floor room in the annex (US$55 per night through Agoda) and for that I got a very good-sized (the website says 22 sqm but it feels bigger) room with cool tiles under foot a half open-plan bathroom, big, comfortable bed and a small terrace looking over a (very muddy thanks to wet season) garden. Facilities include a very large LCD TV, WiFi, minibar, safe and a solid wooden bench/desk ideal for any work you have to do. Decor's minimal, a Khmer silk throw here, a plant cutting there, but with large glass panes overlooking my terrace and the garden it all came together nicely and didn't feel overdone.

Look at that man bag!

For the money, I felt the room was excellent value, especially considering the pools, but there were minor irritants.

For starters, the WiFi, while free, has the password set in the browser rather than the WiFi connection, meaning every time I sat down to work, the password had timed-out and had to be re-entered. Not the end of the world I know, but annoying and totally unnecessary.

The shower has no door -- not even a curtain -- and the basin is in the bedroom, opposite the door to the room. Now my room was reasonably private, so this wasn't a huge deal, but those more privacy-minded, or with a more exposed room, should keep this in mind. No bum gun either.

Khmer silks, green flourishes and a big-ass TV.

"Well, draw the curtains," I hear you say -- I did -- the only problem was they didn't cover all the doors and, in fact, the curtain rod moved meaning I could choose to cover one entire section of glass, or the other -- but not both. Not ideal!

Wet season in Phnom Penh was well underway during my stay, which didn't help for the mud in my garden, and I almost slipped over twice walking by the pool on very slippery concrete -- families with kids will want to watch them by the pool.

The pool for the "outsiders".

In the scheme of things though, these are very minor gripes and coming from the team who put the original Elsewhere, Pavilion and Kabiki together, they've really outdone themselves this time around. I found the staff to be helpful and professional throughout my stay -- even if one waiter mistook my order of a cafe latte for a chicken satay!

The location is about five minutes' on foot to the the Tonle Sap, Royal Palace and National Musuem. It's close to the cafes along Street 240, or try fancy Khmer at Romdeng.

I booked my two-night stay through Agoda which cost US$55 per night including tax and breakfast and I'd classify that as outstanding value. If I was to stay again though, I'd probably pay the little extra for a pool view room.

Truth be told, $55 is a veritable splurge for me and I'd normally stay somewhere like Bright Lotus 1 (on Street 178 but much closer to the river) which is less than half the price. If you want something fancier still, the nearby Pavilion delivers the goods.

All up, if you're looking for a very new property with a bevy of facilities, including a terrific swimming pool, look no further.

The Plantation
28 Street 184
Phnom Penh
T:(023) 215 151
http://theplantation.asia/
Discounted rates at Agoda.com

Looking for another opinion? Khmer440 has a review of the rather salubrious suite (a little out of our budget!)

Tags: plantation

If you're sick of street food and looking for a more refined snacking experience, many of the posh hotels in town offer afternoon tea, where you can put on your most colonial accent and load up on sweets.

Afternoon tea? Yes, please.

Raffles Le Royal

Afternoon tea at Raffles is quite a production, served in The Conservatory and featuring traditional Khmer music and more macaroons than you can shake a fist at.

Macaroons and champagne... is this heaven?

The cost is $12++ per person, or $20++ with a glass of champagne (the plus plus are the various taxes and surcharges that they tack on). They'll supply you with a nice mix of savoury and sweet treats, and you can eat in the lobby and watch the comings and goings if you prefer. This will definitely spoil your dinner. 15:00 to 17:00 daily.

Street 92, near Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh
T:(023) 981 888

Sofitel Hotel

Served at Le Bar (that's the bar to you philistines), the Sofitel offers afternoon tea with live classical piano and impeccable service.

Extend your pinky finger when you drink tea. It's classier that way.

You can choose either the Asian tea set which comes with spring rolls, rice dumplings and Thai and Khmer sweets, or the English tea set which features fresh-baked scones, clotted cream, finger sandwiches, macaroons and other sweets for $15++. Both sets are more on the sweet than savoury side but offer an awful lot of food for an afternoon snack, so bring an appetite. 15:00-17:00 daily.

26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 999 200

Intercontinental Hotel

The Intercon offers the best value swish hotel afternoon tea, at $10++. Lasting three hours and featuring endless refills of either tea or coffee, you'll be bouncing off the walls by the time you're finished. The usual tiny sandwiches, cookies, jams and sweets await you, and you can eat in the lobby while listening to live music. 14:00 to 17:00 daily.

296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 424 888

Tags: afternoon tea, high tea, InterContinental Hotel, Raffles Hotel, Sofitel Hotel

Many visitors come to Phnom Penh with the intention of staying for a month or three for volunteer work, fellowships or other programmes that require a medium-to-long-term stay. Others come for a short visit and fall in love and decide to stick around for a while. Because the Cambodia visa situation is very permissive, it’s a fine place to stop and stay for a few months.

Finding an apartment in Phnom Penh doesn't have to knock you flat.

What many fledgling expats don’t realise is that it’s also very easy to secure short-term accommodation in Phnom Penh. There’s a glut of available flats and landlords are accommodating about short-term stays.

Rooms in established flats are easy to find for between $80 and $150, and one and two bedroom apartments for between $200 and $350 per month. Better deals are available for those who are willing to really hunt for them and who are willing to sign longer-term contracts. Compared to guesthouses in Phnom Penh, renting an apartment can be very economical, especially when one factors in the what is saved by cooking and doing one’s own laundry.

Most landlords are willing to rent flats for a minimum of two months and require a one-month deposit, however that deposit can often be used as the last month’s rent. Landlords are even willing to rent apartments for as little as a month for slightly higher rent than they’d charge normally. Conversely, if you’re willing to sign a 6-month lease, you can often get $50 a month knocked off the asking price.

If you’re only going to be in Phnom Penh for a few weeks, most guesthouses are willing to offer discounts for long-term stays. For example, Okay Guesthouse will rent their $7 fan rooms for $5 per night for long-term stays, and next door at the Lazy Gecko, rooms that are $7 go for $42 per week or $175 per month. Negotiate in advance.

For shorter and longer rentals, flat share situations and sublets in Phnom Penh can be found on Expat Advisory, although you'll have to create a free account to see the ads.

Here are two agents I have used in Phnom Penh for finding flats. They both work with foreigners so are used to our ridiculous requests for things like sitting toilets and air-conditioning.

Art the Homefinder
T: (012) 422 126
artthehomefinder.wordpress.com

Socheat Yim at KC Group Realty
T: (012) 283 079; 099 234 506

Tags: long-term accommodation Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh apartments, Phnom Penh flats, short-term accommodation Phnom Penh