Before moving to Asia, I made a bucket list for places I wanted to visit whilst living here. One of the places on the list was Phnom Penh, specifically to see the Killing Fields and Sector 21.
On our flight to Phnom Penh, we struck up conversation with an Australian man also on his way to Phnom Penh to pick up his Cambodian wife, and periodically visits her family there. As a result, he’s been to the city a number of times and seen it change over the last 20 or so years. He said that one thing he has noticed over the last 2 decades is the lack of children playing in the street. You may be able to spot them selling goods to tourists but not actually playing, or just generally enjoying being children. I have to say I agree with him. I didn’t see many children at all during our time in Phnom Penh. Adults, yes, but not really children. My guess is that this could be an aftermath of the fear that has remained from the nightmare that the Cambodian people lived under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Having said this and whilst there are clear undertones of scarring from the genocide that happened in the 1970s, Phnom Penh is a vibrant city, rich with culture and full of people who are probably some of the friendliest I’ve ever come across. This seems to be a running theme amongst Cambodian people as I also noticed it during my visit to Siem Reap (post here). This is testament to the strength of character and resilience of a people who, even though have lived through such an evil in the last 50 years, are already working to build a bigger and brighter future.
Details
Where did I go: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
How long did I go for: Fri – Sun 2 days and 2 nights
We took the Jetstar flight on the Friday night from Singapore at 7:35pm and returned on the Sunday taking the 3:25pm flight from Phnom Penh.
For flights from Singapore to Phnom Penh, click here and for flights from Phnom Penh to Singapore, click here.
Travel time: Around 4.5 hours
We got to the airport in Singapore for 5:30pm and our flight took off on time. The flight time is 2 hours, however in Cambodia you gain an hour so this works in your advantage when you arrive. Similar to when we went to Siem Reap (link), as we knew we would need visas, we purchased seats close to the front so that we would be one of the first to get off and could quickly get to the front of the visa / immigration lines. This meant we were through purchasing our visas and immigration within 30 minutes. No checked in luggage meant we were waltzing through the airport exit just after 9pm. From the airport, we took an airport taxi to the hotel. This was a fixed cost of USD12 and the journey at that time of night to our hotel took around 30 minutes.
Visa Requirements: Yes (for British Passport holders)
Not sure if you need a visa? Click the link under ‘useful information’ to confirm.
Visas for British tourists was USD30 on arrival (however you can get this in advance) per person and was valid for a month.
Where did I stay
So this is the part of this post that I have been most excited to write because I want to recommend this hotel to EVERYONE who visits Phnom Penh. The hotel we stayed at is called La Rose Suites, and I think the service at this hotel is quite possibly the best I’ve received in all my time in Asia. Or perhaps ever.
We picked this hotel because we got a great deal through our normal hotel booking site (hotels.com, more on this in a post that will shortly be going live) at SGD78 per night including all taxes and fees, totalling SGD156 for 2 nights. It was also well situated for us to see the main attractions in Phnom Penh.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with cold towels and a welcome drink (as is quite standard in most hotels in Asia). We were also greeted by the Manager (Manny Young) who happened to also be at the Reception. I’d like to point out at this stage that Manny had no idea I am a blogger. Whilst we were being checked in, and were talking to Manny about our plans during our visit, he informed us that he would be organising for us a complimentary massages EACH during the course of our stay.
He then personally took us to our room to check we were happy. It was a small touch which made the experience a bit more personal. The room itself was more than what we were expecting for a boutique hotel. In the past when we’ve stayed at boutique hotels, and received great service, the size of the hotel room has always slightly disappointed. However in the case of La Rose Suites, the room was spacious with a large canopy double bed in the centre. The bathroom (you’ll recall I have a thing about bathrooms from previous posts!) was humongous with a very spacious bath and rain shower.
At breakfast the following morning, Manny made a point of going to every table (including ours) to personally greet his guests and check how their night was. In some cases, he was even helping the rest of the staff out with serving breakfast to the customers. For a small boutique hotel, I was quite impressed. In the past I’ve seen this particular privilege only in 5 star hotels and that to reserved only for the most important customers.
After breakfast, we headed to the reception again to organise a car for sightseeing. Manny came to assist us at the reception and organised a car to take us around for the day (USD35). He actually negotiated the price down for us from USD40 and even worked out a plan which he communicated to the driver so that we wouldn’t have any issues with language barriers.
I’ll soon stop gushing about the hotel service…
I also wanted to point out that every time we returned to the hotel, the staff greeted us with “Welcome home”. It’s a small touch, but it genuinely was so heart-warming and welcoming. It’s these small things that make it so much worth staying at a boutique hotel than some 5 star hotels that can be quite sterile in their approach to guests.
On the day we left, Manny and the rest of his staff actually walked us out from the hotel to the waiting taxi, and waved us off until our taxi had turned the corner. I can still quite clearly picture them through the back window of the taxi with beaming smiles waving at our retreating car. It genuinely was reminiscent of visiting family and when they come out to see you off outside the house. I actually felt sad leaving, which was silly since we’d only been there for 2 days! But that’s how excellent the quality of service was!
Whilst the hotel is boutique, they ensure the customers receive 5 star service. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Phnom Penh, book La Rose Suites. You’ll be glad that you did!
Things to do
Killing Fields and Sector 21
The Cambodian genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime is one of the lesser known genocides in modern history (certainly if you live in the West) and yet had such a debilitating impact on an entire country and the generations to come. Approximately 3 million Cambodians were killed under the regime in the 1970s and the Killing Fields (Choeung Ek) and Sector 21 (Tuol Svay Pray High School) are two of the many sites in Cambodia commemorating the genocide and the atrocities committed against the Cambodian people during the 70s.
Imagine 1 in 4 people from your country were killed. That’s essentially the kind of numbers we’re looking at in Cambodia.
Pol Pot’s (the leader of the Khmer Rouge) method of social engineering involved attempting to create a classless society and forcing people to blindly pledge allegiance to the regime (by any means necessary) and start their lives from the beginning under a new rule, this time being known as ‘Year Zero’. He spared the lives of farmers who were typically less educated and less likely to pose a threat to the regime, and instead aimed his method of genocidal madness at the ‘city people’ who were predominantly educated, professional or foreigners.
Being honest, the experience was quite harrowing and painful. It's very difficult to listen to what happened and not be affected by it in some way. A lot of people find commemoration sites very difficult, and I appreciate that they aren’t for everyone. However I personally also feel that the experience was also very enrichening and educational. I think it's important to pay respects to the people who lost their lives, but also to learn and understand about the history of our world and educate ourselves so that we don’t fall prey or can make a stand against such things happening in the future.
As I’m aware not all readers will share my opinion, I won’t use this post as a platform to share it. However if you would like to know more, please feel free to reach out to me using the comments below, or you can go to the link here to learn more about it.
I would just like to add, that if you do choose to visit, please ensure you dress appropriate and in a modest way! Tickets for both sites, including audio tour is USD 12.
Spa
On our first night we decided to venture out of the hotel to explore. Initially looking for somewhere to go for a casual drink, we actually chances upon a spa called ‘Aura Spa’. They offered a 60 minute Khmer (traditional Cambodian) massage for USD12 so obviously, we went for it! You could also get the option for a traditional Thai massage for the same price if that’s more up your street! The spa was well equipped, and adding to the tranquil, they had a fish pond over the entire reception floor (you had to step on strategically placed stones to avoid wet feet!). The therapists were professional from the beginning, making sure we felt comfortable during our treatment. The massage itself was also very good, and was made that much sweeter considering the price we paid.
Cooking classes at La Rose Suites
Whilst we didn’t have time to take part, I did want to give special mention to the cooking classes at the hotel. At only USD35 per person, you can learn how to make traditional Khmer cuisine including Khmer Curry and Amok.
Foodie Highlights
Breakfast at the hotel
Breakfast at the hotel which was excellent, which is why I’m including it under my ‘Foodie Highlights’ section. The choices are between Western (think eggs how-you-like and various types of bread) or Asian (think Cambodian curry, noodle soups, fried rice) and every day the food was superb. One point singling out La Rose Suites (and another reason to add to the list I’ve set out above!) is that the breakfast is ala carte and served all day. That’s right, you can wake up at 2pm or 4pm, and still be served breakfast which, for us, was included in our room price!
In terms of any other restaurants, it might have been our luck, but unfortunately we didn’t really experience any other restaurants that were worth recommending!
Nonetheless, even though we didn’t eat a lot, we did do a lot of exploring. I would suggest heading out of the hotel and going for a roam around. One area we saw which looked very lively in terms of bars and restaurants was Bassac Lane. There was a bar called The Library, where they served up daiquiris and jazz music alongside a healthy selection of books for your perusal. Round the corner from here was also an excellent looking (and reasonably priced) Pizza restaurant that also looked well worth a try!
Another area worth mentioning is ‘Pasteur’, which houses a mixture of bars / cafes all along the main road. Unfortunately we ran out of time, but we could have happily wiled away an afternoon / evening here café and bar hopping.
Best time to visit: Dry season for Phnom Penh is from October – April and the wet season is May – October. We will fortunately blessed with sunshine 95% of the time, however it did start raining in the evenings.
Website links and useful information:
Accommodation
La Rose Suites: 4B, Street 21, Sangkat Tonle Bassac Khan Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh 12301, Cambodia
Visa
Not sure if you need a visa? Check out the link here for more information.