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Cambodia Hotel Guide :: The Queen's Hideaway

Where: 227, street 19, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

HotelChatter and Jaunted Contributing Editor Claire Duffett is now reporting from Cambodia and this week she is giving us the low-down on the hotel scene. Any questions about accommodations? Send 'em to us and we'll get them answered for ya.

Despite the clout of Raffles Hotel Le Royale, Phnom Penh's most popular 1920s-era hotel isn't the imposing colonialist establishment, but instead a small boutique hotel called The Pavilion in a quiet neighborhood near the Tonle Sap river and National Museum.

Comissioned by the king's grandmother so she could pray at the nearby Buddhist temple, the hotel fuses French and Khmer (Cambodian) architectural styles. Today, the hotel's owners do their best to add modern amenities to the historic building. Visitors can use the hotel's free WiFi from platform beds in the gardens, or take a dip in the giant swimming pool or the new Jacuzzi.

A few visitors complain that the old structure leaves something to be desired with the small bathrooms and fickle plumbing system, and bedroom views range from beautiful overlooks of the pool and garden to a full shot of the cement wall surrounding the structure. Rates start at $40 per night.  

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Cambodia Hotel Guide :: Historic Raffles Hotel Le Royale

Where: 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

HotelChatter and Jaunted Contributing Editor Claire Duffett is now reporting from Cambodia and this week she is giving us the low-down on the hotel scene. Any questions about accommodations? Send 'em to us and we'll get them answered for ya.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, has distanced itself from its sordid past. Hotel Le Royale, now part of the five-star Raffles chain, was built in 1929 during the heyday of French imperialism. There, writers and journalists rubbed elbows with royalty and dignitaries. It was all very Casablanca, Southeast Asian-style.

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Good Rate :: Cambodia's Reversal of the Currents Festival

Where: #277G Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 12306

[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The rate listed here was taken on November 14, 2006 and is subject to change.]

If you just happen to be near Cambodia this week, snag a reservation at the Bougainvillier Hotel Phnom Penh and check out the festivities from your riverfront room. We can't quite make out all that's going on November 15-17 from the official tourism site, but here's what's listed for the festival in WhatsOnWhen:

Strangely, the current of the Tonlé Sap river, which runs through Phnom Penh from the Tonlé Sap Lake to the Mekong, switches direction each November. During the heyday of the Khmer Empire, the rulers were thought to have the power to effect this reversal; nowadays, it's the occasion for fabulous boat races on the river at Phnom Penh.

Through Precision Reservations--one of the best sites for booking hotels in Asia--we found a good deal at Bougainvillier Hotel Phnom Penh. You can get a view of the river from your room, watching the boats glide by, decked out in a a very Asian large suite for $83. (The photo here is a view of a previous year's festival, from the hotel.)

This is an intimate, French-owned hotel in the prime tourist district, a few minutes walk from the Royal Palace. The French/Cambodian fusion cuisine in the restuarant gets high marks, and with prices from $4 to $14, you'll remember why there are major advantages to traveling in a cheap country.

Related Stories:
· Bougainvillier Hotel Phnom Penh reviews [TripAdvisor]