We’ve spent a month total in this small-ish Cambodian town, staying in four different places along the way. Here’s how they compared:

Mea Culpa

We stayed at this hotel when we first arrived, based on a recommendation I read on a blog. It turned out to be a good one: we returned here for another few days – and again for our final two weeks in town, because we like it so much!

• Location: Right outside town. It’s about a 10-minute stroll from this place to the center of town and its many restaurants. The primary benefit of this is that it is blissfully quiet! There are two ways to get there: walking along the river, or walking along the street on which the hotel is located. Normally, this would be completely inconsequential, but it turns out that Cambodian dogs who are friendly in the daytime become quite aggressive followers and barkers when you walk past their abodes in the evening; even walking in the center of the road will not save you from their angry protests. However, they are all bark and no bite (so far), so it’s more a question of fear than one of danger.
• Lodging: This is your standard hotel room, as Westerners think of it. There is air conditioning, a large bed, a private bathroom with a hot water shower, a big screen for DVD-watching, blackout curtains, some chairs and a table, an armoire, and even a private balcony! I know that this sounds like nothing special, but read on, and you’ll see that AC, hot water, room for your clothes, and spaciousness are very unusual in Cambodian hotel rooms (unless you pay Western prices). Also crucial: likely because it’s a more standard hotel room, this place has very, very few mosquitos. This is a huge plus and super rare. The wifi in the room went in and out, but was very strong in the common areas.
• Food: They have a restaurant on-site, which is open every day except Monday. The ambiance is relaxed. The breakfast is good if you like eggs, and the lunch/dinner options are Italian-style. They have a wood brick oven, and their pizzas are fairly well-known.
• Extras: They provide free bottled water daily and free toiletries. If your room is in the ‘main house,’ you can even use the fridge on the ground level – an unheard-of amenity in this part of the world. They also have free bikes you can ride, though they’re a bit on the run-down side. There is a hammock somewhere too!
• Other Guests: Generally, older European couples and a few calm families.
• Price: $25/night (negotiable for long stays)

Baraca

We stayed at this guesthouse for a week, after I saw it on AirBnB. The noise, bugs and cold water motivated us to go elsewhere when our reservation was up. It’s a nice place though: airy, with nice owners, and a good location. I like that its name comes from words in multiple languages, including the word bless(ing) in Arabic and in Hebrew.

• Location: This was right in the center of town! This was great for getting to any restaurant, but it could be loud at night. One night, there was some pretty horrendous karaoke well past 2 am; this would only be an issue for some.
• Lodging: This room was fairly spacious, with a tile counter that B was able to set up as a standing desk. (More ants than normal called the counter home, so we tried to hang our food up off the ceiling.) The balcony was narrow, but fine enough, and the wifi was strong. The bed was nice, as were the room fan, clothing rack, and two small chairs. There was a net around the bed, but it wasn’t effective; unfortunately, with or without it, there were more mosquitos than I prefer. The in-room bathroom was decent enough, though there was no hot water; this wouldn’t have bothered me, except I had a bad cold our first few days here.
• Food: This is actually a restaurant first – which happens to have four rooms upstairs. It’s a tapas place run by a few European (Belgian?) women and served by a very friendly (Australian?) woman. The place is small and the menu is relatively small, but the food quality is good. B also enjoyed their cocktails. Other than a Sunday brunch, the restaurant serves dinner only, Tuesday-Saturday. You’ll have to get breakfast and lunch elsewhere, but there are plenty of options nearby.
• Extras: There is an unfinished rooftop; be advised that the roosters on the adjacent rooftop can get a bit rowdy.
• Other Guests: Hippie-like couples in their mid-20s.
• Price: $16/night (the cheapest room is $12)

Les Manguiers

We stayed at this guesthouse for a week, after it was recommended both online and by our host in Phnom Penh. It reminded me a bit of Russian resort complexes of my youth. This was our most expensive lodging, but you clearly pay for the complex, not the room. The bugs, lack of wifi, cold water, and children were turn-offs.

• Location: This was a $3 tuk tuk ride outside of town, where it was pretty quiet. This distance does limit your options a bit, but you can ride to town on a bicycle in 15-20 minutes, and faster on a moto. The complex is on the river, though the lodging is a bit further in. There are two pavilions directly on the water, where you can sit, eat, or work.
• Lodging: This was a wooden hut, set up on stilts. It was fairly small, with no storage space for clothing. The in-hut bathroom didn’t have warm water, though they brought around a thermos and bucket on our first day. You also couldn’t flush paper down the toilet, and the number of bugs around was intense. The bed was nice, and the bug netting around it critical, if not completely effective. The wifi didn’t work in the room, which was a bit frustrating on days when we had 6 am conference calls.
• Food: This is a table d’hote setup, which just means that they cook whatever they feel like – and you take it or leave it. It’s a good thing that their cooking is good, and they lean to menus of salad / protein / rice. (They do have a la carte options too!) We really enjoyed the food here.
• Extras: There are animals like sheep and rabbits here, which might be fun for kids to pet. They said there was a rope swing for jumping into the river, but I personally didn’t see it; I did see the dock to jump from. There is also a volleyball court, a ping pong table, several hammocks, and a big cabinet of board games. They have free bikes, as well as moto rentals for $5. They also offer a night-time boat tour to see the fireflies for a few dollars, and that’s fun.
• Other Guests: At least one kids summer camp and quite a few European (especially French) families with children. That said, we met a nice Belgian 30-year old woman and a nice American 40-something woman here too, so it wasn’t all kids.
• Price: $32/night

Eden

We stayed at this guesthouse for one night, as part of our two-day stand-up paddle boarding tour. It was the definition of rustic peacefulness. The bathroom situation wasn’t great, but the riverside position was key.

• Location: This guesthouse is a $5 tuk tuk ride outside of town, which is great for ‘getting away,’ though it does limit your food and entertainment options a bit. But it’s very peaceful up here, and you can rent a moto for $5 a day – and just ride with a headlamp at night. Plus, it’s not completely isolated: stand-up paddle boarding, a pretty temple, and a noodle place are all nearby.
• Lodging: This is a hut, right on the river. The small porch area features a lovely hammock and steps down to the river, so you can jump right in! The in-hut bathroom is just a sink and a shower faucet that both drain directly onto the floor. There are separate bathroom facilities: an outdoor sink that drains properly, and a cleaner version of a hut-like port-a-potty. If you’re easily grossed out, you may want to think twice, but the riverfront location is really good. And the most amazing part: there are not very many mosquitos! There’s a net around the bed (of better quality than the ones at Manguiers or at Hariharalaya), but there isn’t a huge need for it. I was shocked!
• Food: The chef here is quite good. We had a spread of curries, rice, and fried morning glory for dinner and a sweet potato ‘scone’ (that looked like quiche) with eggs for breakfast. Big portions and quite satisfying. (Their snacks are a bit paltry – unless you like Pringles – but that’s because snacking isn’t big in this part of the world.)
• Extras: They’re supposed to have a paddle board on-site, but they said it was out of commission. Other amenities were a mystery, since we weren’t here very long.
• Price: $15/night