The story of our trip to Cambodia (and Bangkok), via its hotels

I know you’re not supposed to do this. Hotels are the inauthentic part of the voyage. They’re intrinsically for those who are not locals. But when my boyfriend and I weren’t trekking around on a mission to experience “real” Cambodia during our two-week trip — the final three nights of which were devoted to recovery in Bangkok — we had to rest our travel-weary heads somewhere. Moving around nearly nightly, we tried out a smorgasbord of high and low hotels alike. Although it surprises me, I have to admit in hindsight that some of the rooms we stayed in ended up being highlights of our trip. Here’s what we loved:

Koh Thmei Resort in Sihanoukville Province

After hearing that Koh Rong, a string of islands ranked number 23 on the New York Times’ list of “45 Places to Go in 2012” [http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?pagewanted=all], was losing it unspoiled panache due to tourist traffic overkill, we decided to visit a less accessible island. Whereas travel to Koh Rong takes 30 minutes by speedboat via the southern coastal hub of Sihanoukville, we rode for an hour by van from city center to reach Koh Kchhang fishing village, where a dingy sputtered with us on board for another hour. The sun sets violently in Cambodia, and though we started our ride to Koh Thmei in the light, we found ourselves plunged in complete darkness on the Gulf of Thailand, save for a flashlight waved sporadically to ensure we weren’t heading toward any heavy objects. The speck of light denoting Koh Thmei Resort, the only occupant on an otherwise deserted island, grew larger as we approached. Michael and Kativa, creators of the paradisiacal haven that welcomed us, are inspiration to anyone looking for a life change. Not knowing more than simple phrases in Khmer, the couple uprooted from their native Germany, bought three hectares of land from the semi-corrupt Cambodian police, built seven comfortable bungalows, and learned how to create electricity, dispose of trash (hungry pigs and fire), and everything else you need to do for yourself when there’s no given infrastructure. The first guests arrived December 2010 and ended up staying nearly two months, and if you come here be forewarned you’ll be tempted to do the same. Kativa runs the restaurant, where you mark your order on a notepad and carry it to the spotless kitchen, filled with fresh ingredients and happy local help who live on the grounds. Your tab, including, is totaled each evening; we averaged about $50 per day for two. Time is whiled away soaking up sun, snorkeling, and cautiously exploring the backyard jungle. At night, everyone gets to know each other around the bar, with a beer and Uno cards (and sometimes a joint) in hand. The atmosphere here is like that of Survivor, minus the stress; or what your finance friends pay for in the Maldives — but for $1,000 less and with cooler people.  

Veranda Natural Resort in Kep

A Glaswegian couple also staying at Koh Thmei (they would have been allies of ours had we been on Survivor) tipped us off about Veranda Natural Resort in the beachside city of Kep, known for its crab market. This place is ingeniously constructed like a gigantic treehouse, straight out of Neverland in Hook. The cheapest room available when we showed up dusty and sweaty on our dangerously bedraggled motorbike, missing a rearview mirror and a license plate, was the penthouse-style “Rosewood Room” — but for just 70 bucks per night, we couldn’t say no. (By the way, despite the risk inherent in traveling by moto, even when they’re not pre-destroyed, renting one is easily the best way to see “authentic” villages and meet Cambodians not jaded by tourists.) Integrated into its surroundings with tasteful organic decor, the luxury hotel is built into the mountainside, allowing for a maximum of spectacular vantage points. Two walls of our airy bedroom sported giant glass sliders opening onto private terraces, so our view of Kep National Park’s tropical green waves was particularly well-framed.

Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok

And this is where I pay for scarfing Kep crab with my dirty bare hands and inhaling iced beverages from street vendors on our motorcycle journey. We took Thai Airways back to Paris (where we live), and since the flight from Phnom Penh had a layover in Bangkok, we decided : why not spend a couple nights unwinding from our backpack adventure in the city? And unwind we did at the most luxurious of spots, the Mandarin Oriental. Luckily, since the bed was so comfy, enveloping you in a heavenly white cloud of sheets and sending you to dreamland with their sweet lemony scent, my boyfriend didn’t wake up to hear me run, literally, 30 times to the bathroom throughout our last night there. The first luxury hotel in Thailand, opened in 1876, it’s everything you’d expect from a Mandarin plus more — offering gorgeous complimentary riverboat shuttles to avoid road traffic that rivals LA’s, smoky jazz performances over drinks at Bamboo Bar, exceptional customer service, and illuminated terrace dining overlooking Chao Phraya River. I’ll also mention there’s a clinic with an English-speaking practitioner on the second floor.

WHERE I WISH WE COULD HAVE STAYED:

Sala Bai in Siem Reap

Although my boyfriend and I saw very few rats during our stay in Cambodia, against the predictions of several friends prior to our departure, Siem Reap is infested with something else: tourists. The only interesting experience we ended up having here was dinner in a signless hole-in-the-wall restaurant filled with off-duty tuk tuk drivers. The dinner: a burgundy-colored fish, served on a plate in its entirety — and meant to be eaten in its entirety, since Poor Fishy had been boiled for three days to render his bones squishy and swallowable. I called the experience interesting, not palatable. However, when we got on the 10-hour bus to head down to Sihanoukville, we picked up fellow passengers at Sala Bai hotel. They had smiles as big as an enlightened buddha’s on their faces (as did the staff that waved them goodbye, a rarity in a tourist mecca) and wouldn’t stop raving about their stay. I safely assume their dinner the previous night was a step up from ours.

Tip: Several restaurants and hotels throughout the country double as service industry–training schools. We fell in love with Romdeng, a restaurant in Phnom Penh staffed by former street youth. The food was some of the best on our trip, the kitchen impeccable, and the location, a secluded French colonial manse plunked in the midst of the bustling capital, stunning.

Shanti Shanti in Sihanoukville

The French co-owner, Sophie, blonde and dreadlocked, is the one who recommended [Koh Thmei. Her three elevated bungalows at the far end of Otres Beach fill up weeks in advance; we called to reserve too late and missed out on our chance. However, we did enjoy delicious palm sugar-sprinkled pancakes ($2.50) at her place while picking her brain about where to go instead.

Tip: We ended up spending the night in a bungalow located on the more-populated section of Otres Beach, closer than Shanti Shanti to city center — about 30 minutes by tuk tuk. But, if you hire one to go there at night, be forewarned that a long stretch of road is completely undeveloped and there are NO lights. The drivers, as Sophie explained, are scared of spirits that might jump out from the darkness and prone to refusing you a ride until morning. Or, they’ll go if accompanied by a horde of tuk tuk chauffeur buddies. In our case, two guys, one bedecked with gold teeth and named Lucky (how appropriate) and another suspiciously named Tom, piled in the back with us. I couldn’t help picturing doomsday scenarios, and — although the men were, unbeknownst to us at the time, as scared we were — what was meant to be a quick seabreeze ride was a little more invigorating than expected.

PLAN ON:

Giving yourself time to get from place to place. The chaotic roads, with skinny oxen, barefoot children, cyclists, and Texas-sized SUVs, all traversing and avoiding potholes at once, doesn’t make for optimal travel speeds. The trip from Kampot (near Kep) to Phnom Penh, for example, takes 5 to 6 hours by bus (about $5) — and they’re only 75 miles apart via a national highway. Hack that time in half by hiring a taxi for $40, but try to go during the day since electricity is incredibly expensive in Cambodia and the majority of roads won’t be lit at night.

ADDRESS BOOK:

Koh Thmei Resort

koh-thmei-resort.com

Koh Thmei, Ream National Park, Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia

Kavita and Michael Scholz: +855 (0)97 737 0400 or +855 (0)89 897 830 or +855 (0)97 800 4933 / kavita@gmx.de

bungalows $15/night

Lonely Beach [http://lonely-beach.com/] was recommended to us for a similar experience, but we didn’t get the change to check it out.

Veranda Natural Resort

veranda-resort.com

Kep Mountain Hillside Road, Kep, Cambodia

+855 (0)36 638 8588 or +855 (0)12 888 619 / verandaresort@gmail.com

Prices range from $55 for a deluxe bungalow during low period to $250/night for an apartment during peak period.

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

mandarinoriental.com/bangkok

48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand

+66 (2) 659 9000

Rooms start at around $380/night.

Sala Bai

salabai.com

155 Phoum Tapoul, Siem Reap, Cambodia

+855 (0)63 963 329 / booking@salabai.com

$20-35/night, prix fixe menus $6-8

Romdeng

mithsamlanh.org/ventures.php?id=13&catid=3

74 Street 174, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

+855 (0)92 219 565

Lunch for two (fish and pumpkin curry with rice, crispy rice noodles with tofu and taro spring rolls, fresh lime juice, fresh watermelon lime juice) came to $17.  

Shanti Shanti

shantishanti.sitew.com

at the end of Otres Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

+855 (0)11 976 069 or +855 (0)11 97 41 19 / shanti.shanti.contact@gmail.com

bungalows $15/night

meals $4-8

11-meter sailboat available for rent (with skipper): half day $100, full day $150, 24 hours $200. Five people max, snorkeling equipment provided.

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