Map of Kep, Cambodia

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Legend
Accommodation 1: Champey Inn 2: Kep Lodge 3: Knai Bang Chatt 4: Le Bout Du Monde 5: Star Inn 6: The Beach House 7: Vanna Bungalows 8: Veranda Natural Resort	Eat and Meet A: Crab market B: Crab stalls C: Riel Bar	Attractions and Activities 1: Kep National Park 2: Mermaid
Transport 3: Pier for Ko Tonsay	Vital Information No entries	Other No entries

Travelfish on Kep

Cambodia's Kep is a former playground of the French and Cambodian elite, with the King Father's crumbling mansions sitting atop the hill, a testament to the country's cultural zenith in the 1960s. These days the beach is but a narrow strip of sand covered in debris for all but the driest part of dry season. The beachside promenade however has a good range of guesthouses and hotels, and hordes of holidaying Khmers make it an interesting and certainly local experience.

Kep is staging a slow but steady comeback. Over the last few years much of the beachside property that had for decades hosted nothing but ruined villas and tangled jungle has been snapped up by foreign royalty, merchant bankers, expatriates and wealthy Khmers among others. The salubrious Knai Bang Chatt was included in Conde Nast Traveler's Hot List for 2007 -- change is indeed on the way. While visiting the town's many hotels, it's quickly apparent that it wants to be more upscale and subdued than Sihanoukville and even Kampot. The cheapest establishments are still higher-end bungalow places, and beds for less than $10 a night are unlikely to be found. Refreshingly, development here for the most part seems slow, careful, and planned. One hotel owner told us he was banned from building on the road where Sihanouk's old mansions are located. We were happy to hear it. ... read more about Kep on Travelfish