We loved Laos so much that it was a bit hard to say goodbye. With the holidays approaching, we decided to put together an action-packed 2.5 weeks in Cambodia!
More than most of the countries we’ve visited lately, we decided to hop around quite a bit in Cambodia.
The itinerary contained five stops in total, each offering its own unique flavor!
Siem Reap – 3 nights
Koh Rong Samloen – 4 nights
Kampot – 4 nights
Tram Kork District – 2 nights
Phnom Penh – 4 nights
Siem Reap (3 nights)
Our first stop in Cambodia set the bar pretty high. Home to the world famous Angkor Wat, we made sure to give ourselves plenty of time to enjoy the culture in Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat
Did you know Cambodia is home to the world’s largest religious monument? Going into our trip, we had no idea!
More photos of Angkor Wat!
Phare – The Cambodian Circus
This was one of our favorite nights in Asia, hands down. No animals involved; just some world-class acrobatic and dancing performances. Grab some popcorn at the door and enjoy the show!
Tip: get a ticket for either section A or B as the folks in section C had partially blocked views.
Koh Rong Samloen (4 nights)
Since we wouldn’t be spending Christmas back home in the States with our families, we figured we’d hit the beach!
So we flew down to the coastal city of Sihanoukville and took the ferry over to Koh Rong Samloen.
Side note: Sihanoukville used to be a popular coastal town to visit but that is no longer the case. The entire city is now a construction site because Chinese developers are building 100+ hotels and casinos in the town of about 100,000 people. It’s pretty awful; definitely continue onward to the ferry and head to a nearby quiet island!
Once the ferry started moving, it only took about 30 minutes, and then we were dropped off in paradise for Christmas!
Island walk to Lazy Beach
If you do visit Koh Rong Samloen, do yourself a favor and take the easy 20-minute walk to Lazy Beach. It’s a secluded beach on the other side of the island. This was the only time we wore sandals all week!
Kampot (4 nights)
Early on in our Cambodia planning process, we came across tons of stellar reviews of Kampot. Described as an easygoing town located on a river, we decided to give it a shot. Turns out, it became one of our favorite spots in all of Cambodia!
We lucked up with a cool room with a balcony at an affordable boutique hotel that had a swimming pool, so that helped boost our overall experience of the city. But there was much more to see and do around town!
Bokor National Park
One of the top things to do when visiting Kampot is to scoot up the mountain to Bokor. This national park is perched high in the clouds, about 1000m elevated over Kampot, looking out at the coast.
Instead of renting scooters and driving ourselves, we decided to hire a guy with a tuk tuk to drive us around for the day. It took about 30 minutes each way, and while we were in the park we popped around to a handful of interesting and unique stops. A bunch of people were eating at the waterfall area but we chose to head back to try another one of the trendy restaurants in town.
Here are a few of our favorite photos from the day!
Spa day on the river
Here’s an ideal spa day in Kampot:
Start the afternoon with lunch at Greenhouse restaurant. To get there, throw on your swimsuit and take a 15-minute tuk-tuk ride from your hotel. Use the Pass App!
Take your time with lunch before heading down to the dock for some riverside relaxation. The folks at Greenhouse provide hammocks and seating around the dock and the banks of the river. Take a dip or sit down and read a book, either way, you’re in a good spot.
Whenever you’re feeling ready to take the relaxation to the next level, ask one of the waiters to call and arrange a massage at Nibi Spa. Located 100 meters away, directly across the river, this place rocks!
Less than ten minutes later, the manager (owner?) of the spa pulled up to our dock to pick us up and take us to our massage appointments. When we realized what was happening, we just looked at each other with a look that said, “Wait… a chauffeur service?! Let’s goooo!!!”
Needless to say (based on that first impression), the massages themselves were excellent. We opted for the traditional deep tissue and Swedish massages, and they did not disappoint. The two separate, cabana-like huts were placed just above the riverbank and made for the perfect massage setting.
We had peanut butter & banana smoothies by the river as the sun went down.
The end. (lol – is our life a joke?)
Our favorite restaurants in Kampot
Aroma House. Mediterranean spot with delicious (and massive) greek wraps. We had the mezze platter with tzatziki sauce too!
Twenty Three. Loved the souffle (so much cheese) and the french fries. Be sure to meet Jeremy – one of the owners – and strike up a conversation!
Kampot Fish Market. Mike had a tuna steak that was unbelievable.
L’Osteria in Kampot. Italian-owned, authentic vibe with delicious homemade pasta.
Greenhouse. Riverside spot about 15 minutes north of the town. Directly across from Nibi Spa!
Meas Guesthouse (2 nights)
For New Years, we wanted an authentic Cambodian experience. Elizabeth found a nice family homestay experience about halfway from Kampot to Phnom Penh. It had great reviews online so we gave it a shot!
Our host, Linda, was a pleasure to talk to, along with her sweet niece and their puppy sidekicks!
Also – the traditional Khmer food they made for us was to die for!
Village bike ride
While staying at Meas Homestay, we took the bikes for a spin in the morning to explore the local village.
Guided by our small (not to scale) map, which our hosts had provided, we passed the community primary school, a few roadside shops and a couple pretty temples. It was cool to cruise through a small Cambodian community and get a glimpse of how it operated day-to-day.
About 10 minutes into the ride, we had a small moment of panic. Surrounded by mostly farmland, Mike got a flat tire on his bike. Luckily, we pulled over right in front of a nice man’s house, who brought his pump out and helped us refill the air in Mike’s tire.
Normally, we love the feeling of leaving our phones at home and going out for the day without the temptation of Instagram. But this was one of those moments where we really NEEDED our phones to take a photo of this Good Samaritan who had come to our rescue in a moment of need. Thank you, sir!
Weaving Village
The family we stayed with does a great job of supporting the local community. One of the coolest ways is their weaving business, which produces hand-knit scarves and blankets made from organic cotton. The business provides local women with skills training, jobs and stability – and the scarves are great (Elizabeth bought one!).
Here’s a photo of one of the ladies doin’ her thing on the loom!
New Years Eve!
To ring in the new year, we had a big night – sharing two beers with our host followed by reading our books and going to sleep early.
Apparently – the “real” New Year celebrated by Cambodians (and many other Asian countries) is the Chinese New Year, or “Tet,” which takes place in late January. We’ll be in Hanoi for that!
Phnom Penh (4 nights)
For our fifth and final stop in Cambodia, we drove a couple hours north to the capital city of Phnom Penh. By far the largest and most developed city in the country, we spent a few days learning about the history/culture.
Exploring the Russian Market was a hit (shown below) and we also tried one of our most memorable (questionable?) foods here: beef with ants!!!
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
In Phnom Penh, we learned a lot about Cambodia’s history and the Khmer Rouge by visiting this museum. Highly recommend paying a little extra for the audio guided tour!
The quote on the monument shown in the photo says, “Never will we forget the crimes committed during the Democratic Kampuchea regime.” We certainly won’t!
The Plantation
Our hotel selection worked out great. Every day after breakfast, we found a cabana spot by the pool to relax and catch up on work / trip planning / school / blogging / FaceTiming family and friends / etc.
And that’s a wrap for Cambodia.
We’re spending the next month in Vietnam – and we’re expecting visitors!
Until next time!