Here are some tips for Phnom Penh, including places we stayed and places we ate at. We found it a charming city with nice people and great food.
1. Stay in the BKK1 area. We found it offered best value for money compared to the pricier and more run down waterfront area, with a big choice of restaurants and bars for the evening. If you do want to move about, tuk-tuks are available for a couple of dollars a go and if you don’t mind a walk you can even get to most places on foot easily.
2. If you want a specific recommendation about accommodation, we couldn’t recommend Aussie XL Cafe any higher. Amazing, big, clean, ensuite private rooms at $20 per night – the best we’ve stayed in in Asia (even had a bath!). Also the cafe downstairs does great food and the staff are lovely.
3. Take time to learn the recent history of the Cambodians at Tuol Sleng Prison and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, even if it might not suit your mood of a cheerful holiday. It’s important for everyone that people are aware of what they have been through. However at Tuol Sleng don’t bother buying the ‘guide’ they sell on the door as there is no information you can’t read elsewhere.
4. See lots of statues and learn about the older history of Cambodia at the National Museum. A great place to spend a couple of hours. The Royal Palace next door is also a grand sight, but there isn’t loads to see. Skip it if you have seen the Thai Palace in Bangkok.
5. Heading to Vietnam? If you can’t get Vietnam Visas and bus tickets from your own accommodation, use the Mad Monkey hostel. They provided a quick, professional service: $65 each for Vietnamese Visa and $14 for a Mekong Express bus to Ho Chi Minh City (in Jan 2015).
6. Drinking. Take a trip to the Eclipse Sky Bar for an amazing view of Phnom Penh. They have a 5-7pm happy hour so you can watch the sunset from the 23rd floor with 30% off drinks. Very cultured. Probably a little pricey for a backpacker budget at other times and we heard the food wasn’t great either. But that view…
7. Eating. Owing to the legacy of the French who once colonised Indochina, there are lots of bakeries everywhere. You can get amazing pastries and donuts super cheap – we had a $3 lunch at a Chinese bakery and a $4 breakfast (not per person, total bill!) by the Royal Palace.
8. Eating. We’d also have to recommend Khmer Surin too. Not only was the food superb and quite cheap but the restaurant itself was beautifully decorated and had a traditional musician playing so it made for a great romantic meal. At the tables upstairs you sit on cushions on the floor which adds to the atmosphere.
9. One final eating recommendation would be Java Cafe, just by the independence monument. They serve a mixture of drinks and cuisines that are all superb quality. I had a Lok Lak burger which was excellent. We’d also recommend their homemade sodas and cordials and a look around their changing photo/art exhibits upstairs (also the best place to sit).