Superior Double Room at the Blue Lime Hotel

The Blue Lime Hotel is a new (opened in late 2008) addition to Phnom Penh’s amazing array of "boutique" hotels. The 23-room accommodation is on a small quiet alley right behind the National Museum, putting you just a ten minute walk from the museum, the royal palace and the riverside restaurants. The decoration has a heavy ‘concrete’ theme which you’re either going to love, or hate. The hotel has a good-sized pool, which is a rarity in Phnom Penh’s small hotels, and the rooms have free Internet to boot, making Blue Lime an extremely good value-for-money option.

Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium

Phnom Penh’s rich architectural tapestry is, for me, one of the city’s main attractions. The Olympic Stadium is certainly one of the jewels, even though it’s a bit out of the main tourist area.

If you do visit the Olympic Stadium, you may want have a wander through the nearby Orussey Market. This is where the people of Phnom Penh really shop, with a vast array of merchandise on offer. You won’t likely find any souvenirs to take home but you might find some great photo opportunities.

The casual interior of Brown Coffee and Bakery

Brown Coffee and Bakery

Brown is perhaps the newest and most ‘posh’ shop on this list. The stand-alone café is in a large building on Street 214 just next to the Pencil Supermarket. The stark white interior is decorated with comfortable chairs and sofas, with the walls covered by modern coffee-inspired art. The large space is divided into smaller areas, so the shop may not be as full as it seems when you just walk in. The cappuccino was quite good, the baked goods looked delicious but I didn’t get a chance to sample them. There’s also a menu of sandwiches, salads and breakfast. See the Brown Coffee and Bakery web site for additional information.

T & C

This small chain used to go by the name "Tea & Coffee World" but they seem to have shortened it to just "T & C". Although locally owned, the chain seems to have some relationship with Vietnam’s Trung Nguyen coffee chain. The coffee is an acquired taste, but one most people get addicted to once they’ve tried it. The prices are rather cheap, making most of their 12 branches quite popular. You can find more information at the CBM web site.

Cafe Fresco

Operated by the venerable FCC group, Cafe Fresco has a great location right on the Quay just down the block from the National Museum. The coffee is good, and there’s a nice selection of bakery items, sandwiches and some great smoothies too. They used to have another handy branch facing the Central Market, but it was closed up the last time I walked by. Check the Cafe Fresco web site for more information.

Java Café

This is one of my favorite places in Phnom Penh. They make the best cookies in Southeast Asia, in my opinion. The coffee isn’t bad either. The main café near the Independence Monument has plenty of comfortable seating – and the best selection of cookies! – but the branch at Monument books is also quite comfy, although often full. The Java Arts web site doesn’t say much about the cafés but you can find out about the art shows there.

A ‘peanut curry’ from Frizz

While there were a few international dishes on the menu, I selected a curried pork dish. It came with a thick curry sauce, stir-fried with onions and peanuts. The nuts gave it quite an unusual flavor. Although you can see bits of red chili in the dish, it’s not very spicy at all (keeping in mind that I eat things even Thais consider "too spicy").

The food at Frizz is more traditional Cambodian, rather than the "modern" Khmer food served at Rom Daeng. Both restaurants are well worth a try, and both are in areas where you won’t be bothered by touts while you’re eating. See the Frizz web site for more information, map and menu.

It wasn’t that long ago that I first visited Phnom Penh. I think the first time was in 2005, and it’s amazing how much the place has changed, mostly for the better, but the pace and degree of change is a little worrisome. When I first visited, almost every road in the city was badly in need of re-paving, and there was trash piled up everywhere.

Today, the city is much cleaner than it was, and it’s rare to come across a street that needs paving. Unfortunately, those nicely paved streets are increasingly full of cars, as well as massive numbers of motorcycles driven by madmen. There actually is something resembling a rush hour now, when those picturesque wide boulevards are almost impossible for pedestrians to cross.

Modernization didn’t stop with paved streets, of course. In the last year or so several high-rise buildings have appeared on the skyline, although only one or two are completed so far. It doesn’t appear there will be anything too ugly, but there won’t be any notable structures either.

Up to now, the new buildings haven’t significantly impacted the rich architectural history of Phnom Penh, which was one of the five things I like about Phnom Penh, although that is definitely at risk. No, for now the question is: Will the rush to modernize cause Phnom Penh to lose that special laid-back feeling that makes the city such a pleasant place to be?

Truth be told, there aren’t that many sights in Phnom Penh. You can see most of what there is in a day or less, but what makes the city worth a few days, in my opinion, is the pleasant atmosphere of walk-able streets, great cafés and the overall easy livability of the city. All that is at risk if the city gets over-developed. Like so many popular destinations in Southeast Asia, over-development could make Phnom Penh lose the very thing that attracts people there in the first place.

Noodle House in Phnom Penh

The menu at Noodle House is exactly what is sounds like: a short selection of noodles in a variety of Asian styles. There are fried noodles, noodles in curry and noodles in soup.

Thai style fried noodles – Pad Thai

I decide on the Pad Thai, since it’s been quite some time since I’ve had it. Despite being a favorite with backpacking tourists, since I’m not one of them I don’t often get a chance to order the dish. Noodle House’s attempt wasn’t bad, although it wasn’t to my liking. Like many versions of the dish, it was a little too sweet. I have a feeling it may be to some people’s liking, perhaps many people’s. If I’m there again, I’ll try something else.

Noodle House is on the corner of Streets 5 and 130. It’s open every day for lunch and dinner.

The interior seating at Rom Daeng

Rom Daeng is housed in large house that I would guess is close to 100 years old. Seating is either outside under canvas marquees or inside the large open ground floor of the old house. The walls inside are covered with paintings by the students of the organization’s school.

Grilled Beef Salad

For my dinner, I tried the grilled beef salad. It was made with large quantities of mint, sawtooth coriander, long beans, green peppers, red cabbage and bean sprouts, covered with a sweet and sour peanut dressing. This was one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. The beef was tender and tasty, and the combination of the mint, coriander and fresh crunchy vegetables was really fantastic.

All this goodness, plus a [non-alcoholic] drink came to less than $10. It really was an amazing dinner, all the more so for the low price (although admittedly a little expensive by Phnom Penh standards),

Rom Daeng is open 11:00 am to 9:00 pm every day except Monday. See the Mith Samlanh web site for additional information.

Now, I’ve never suggested that Phnom Penh was a destination in itself. You wouldn’t fly all the way from North America or Europe just to visit Phnom Penh, but as part of a trip to see the temples of Angkor, the Cambodian capital makes a nice "decompression stop" to relax and take things easy after several days spent exploring the ancient temples. There are things to see and do in Phnom Penh, but it’s more a place of atmosphere, where you can take it easy and just soak it all in.

Granted, there are other places that might fit the bill, but here’s my five reasons why I like Phnom Penh:

1. It’s not Bangkok
   Bangkok is a crazy, maddening place that never sleeps and nothing ever makes sense. I love it. As much as I’ve tried to wrap my head around living somewhere else in the last few years, I just can’t do it. Still, I am a traveler, so as much as Bangkok is my "home", the urge to go someplace else for a while is never far away. While I may like to get away from Bangkok from time to time, I’m still something of a city-person, so my preferred getaway destinations are still cities. But as cities go, Phnom Penh is, figuratively, as far away from Bangkok as you can get in an hour. Vietianne also fits this bill, but not quite as well.
2. Architecture
   A long time ago, I planned to be an architect. I even spent the five years in university to get a degree in it, but that was several careers ago. However, I still have an interest in architecture, which probably explains my fascination with every pile of stones that dots the region. But it doesn’t have to be old to interest me, and Phnom Penh has probably the best collection of pre-modern architecture in Southeast Asia. There are some lovely old colonial era villas, in various states of decay, as well as some fine art deco and modern public structures built in the post-independence years. There are, as yet, no high rises in the city, although I don’t think that will last much longer. There’s even an organization that offers Khmer Architecture Tours.
3. Boutique Beds
   Phnom Penh seems to exist in some kind of strange hotel chain-free zone, devoid of any international hotel brands, save for a single Intercontinental hotel and the Raffles affiliated Le Royal. This has left the market wide open for a cornucopia of small hotels and guesthouses. Many of these places make use of the old villas and shop-houses that dot the city, especially the quay-side. I’ve stayed in several of them now. Each has its own charms, and all have the pleasure of staying in a small hotel with character.
4. Fantastic Food
   Southeast Asia is a foodies paradise. It’s hard to beat the native foods of Thailand, or Cambodia for that matter. But variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Phnom Penh is second only to Siem Reap in the number of great restaurants, cafés and coffee shops. There’s probably the best Khmer restaurant, Malis, as well as what may be the best cookies in Southeast Asia at Java Gallery.
5. Dancing in the Park After Dark
   One of the things that struck me on my most recent trip in December 2009 is how much the locals seem to enjoy the city’s many open spaces at night. Once night falls, almost every park is filled with locals hanging out, eating or dancing. Yes, you read that right, dancing. I found this activity happening at the park in front of Wat Botum, near the Royal Palace. The park was filled with people, and projection screens showing the photos from a year in Phnom Penh as the result of the Photo Phnom Penh festival. But near the end of the park, close to the Independence Monument, I heard music. As I approached I spied rows of people dancing to the music. This was not aerobics mind you, this was… line dancing. It was a strange, and quite endearing sight.

So, there you have it, five reasons to consider Phnom Penh, whether for a long weekend or as part of a tour to Angkor.