Guesthouses
...Phnom Penh Cambodia

Royal GH & Cafe...91 Eo, Road #154, just off Norodom Blvd...(855 12)854 806, email houleng@forum.org.kh
$10US a night for double bed, AC, cable tv, private bath with HW. Good cafe downstairs and nice people. Can arrange moto-drivers and tours, visas for Laos & Vietnam, laundry and email. Close to the river.

Walkabout Hotel...CRN 51 + 174 St...023 211 715, email walkabout@bigpond.com.kh to arrange pickup $8US night for double bed, fan, private bath with HW...Kind of noisy area, Restaurant downstairs, prostitutes around late at night. Not bad though. Short walk to the river.

Okay GH...Street 258 off Sothearos...(855 12) 920 556 / 012 879 372, email Hello0325@hotmail.com or hellogh_heng@yahoo.com...$5US night for fan room, double bed, private CW bath. Not so clean, ok restaurant downstairs. Has lots of tour info and Visa arrangement. Didn't have email services when I stayed there even though their card says they do. Close to the river.

Angkor Meas...No 112 Street 19 close to Samdech Preah Sang Neayoksok St...023 982 277 or 012-920-273 Didn't stay here, was quoted $13 for double bed, AC, HW bath, and cable tv...Seemed very clean but they advertise massage.

Hotel California...No 317 Vithey Preah...(855 23) 982 182 email cambodia_hotel_california@hotmail.com Didn't stay here either, had a restaurant downstairs with a good menu. Seemed compatible to the above Angkor Meas.

Dream World GH & Cafe...No 22 Street 178 at Sothearos...(855)23 982 113 email pinsovanna@hotmail.com Didn't stay here either. Can arrange Visas, car rental, bus & boat tickets, air tickets, and tours. Seemed compatible in price with the Walkabout.

...Kompong Thom

Arunras GH & Restaurant...No 46 Sereipheap Blvd...062 961 238...Paid $3US night for a very clean double bed, private bath CW, fan, cable tv...Good restaurant downstairs...Did see some "massage activity" going on but no worry. Nice town to visit, not many tourists around at all.

...Siem Reap

Beng Mealea Villa & Restaurant...No 0126 Watsvay Village...(855) 012 630 559 or 012 893 391 ... Paid $6 a night for clean two double beds, fan, private bath CW. Nice people, good restaurant, good motodrivers hang around. Can arrange tours and tickets to Phnom Penh and Bangkok. Although their bus to PP was $10 and others on the same bus with me paid $8US.

Victory GH & Restaurant...New House #322 Taphul Village, Quarter 2...(855) 12 940 539 email sambosay@yahoo.com Didn't stay here but my motodriver hung here. Laundry service, food, and movies. Not sure of prices.

Transport...

Airport...no problem arriving by plane. Exit the airport and you will be directed to a Taxi booth. The flat rate is $7 to anywhere in Phnom Penh. They know all the GH so no worry. Going to the airport you can either get a car from the GH (prob $6) or a motodriver ($1-2), depending on how much luggage you have.

PP to Siem Reap...Minibus for $8-10 around 8-9 hours or fastboat for $25US 5 hours. I did both. Fastboat up to Siem Reap. Sat in the front of the boat. Loved the scenery. Bus to PP, stopped in Kompong Thom after 5 hours. Road was pretty bad but tolerable. Kompong Thom to PP took a local minibus for $2.50US. Road became quite good not far into the trip. Passes through Skuon where they sell deep fried spiders. Actually saw some in PP as well.

Getting Around...just hire motodrivers to get you around during the day. They are good people and cheap. Within the city $4-6US day, further out can rise to $10US. In Siem Reap, all day around Angkor $6US. If you want to go further agree on a price beforehand. I hired motodrivers for all of my outings except cross country travel.

Boatdock to Siem Reap...If you know where you are staying, look for someone holding a sign with the GH on it. They will have free transport for you. If you don't know where you are staying, just pick one that looks good and you will also get free transport. Most of the time the guys will want to be your drivers for the stay also. This is never a bad idea but remember that you will also find motodrivers at your GH too. No need to make a quick decision on your arrival.

Beaches...there are buses that go from Phnom Penh to the south coast. Cost about $4-6US each way. They leave 3 times a day. Most GH can arrange tickets. Taxis can be hired or cars for a bit more cost.

Boat to Kompong Cham...From Phnom Penh up the Mekong River. $8US I think, 3 hours Minibus to Kompong Cham...$4US, 2 hours

Things To See...

National Museum in Phnom Penh...Go there at sunset to watch thousands upon thousands of bats emerge for their nightly feeding from inside the roof of the museum. Go during the day to see some of the most amazing artifacts from the temples of Cambodia. A lot have been taken from the Angkor area and relocated here for safe keeping.

Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh...Very nice place to visit. Many buildings to explore on the grounds and lots of cool paintings. You are not allowed into the actual Royal Palace as the King lives there. They charge extra if you want to take pictures while on the grounds.

Tonle Bati about 36 km south of Phnom Penh...Ta Prohm Temple built between 1181-1201 on the site of a 6th century Khmer shrine. Yeay Peau temple and Wat Tonle Bati are both nearby. The Bati river is also close and a nice place to
have lunch.

Tuol Sleng (Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison)...located in Phnom Penh...harsh reality in your face of the Khmer Rouge reign of genocide.

Choeung Ek Killing Fields...extermination camp 1975-1978...over 8000 skulls are housed in clear glass inside the Memorial Stupa. 15 km from Phnom Penh. $2 entry fee.

Phnom Udong...40 km from Phnom Penh to the north...Many remains of past Kings lie here. Huge hill with lots of structures on top of the stupas. Excellent views of the countryside from the top.

The Riverfront in Phnom Penh...just strolling along the riverfront late afternoon/early evening. All kinds of vendors around.

Markets...so many markets in all the cities and towns. The local ones are the best with fresh fruits, veggies, breads, snacks, etc...There are so many more around than are mentioned in the books.

Siem Reap... Where all the Angkor era temples and ruins are located. 3 day pass $40, 5 day $60. I would recommend visiting some of the way out ruins first, before you buy your pass. Some of the further ones don't require the pass.
My favorite was Beng Mealea. Had to pay $20 to my motodriver to take me there and pay off the "police" near the ruins. Well worth it! No other tourists there, awesome ruins, live landmines on the premises so stay on the paths! After visiting some of the way out temples, then buy your Angkor pass after 4pm. That way, you can go see the sunset and still have 3 full days to use the pass. You will probably be burnt out on ruins after 4 or 5 days so just relax, take in the town of Siem Reap or go on a boat ride through floating villages.

Kompong Thom... almost halfway between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Stayed 3 days here and loved it. Not many tourists here and awesome markets and food. Spent 1 day visiting ruins at Sambor Prei Kuk. These are some of the oldest structures in the country. Also visited Phnom Suntonk, hill top pagoda with 806 stairs to the top. Nice views of the countryside from the top.

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