The Best of Cambodia & Laos

170
SOUTHERN CAMBODIA
8
KAMPOT
Business Hours Business hours are generally between 7am and 7pm from
Monday to Friday. Kampot closes down early in the evening, though a few bars
stay open late. They are hard to miss since they have lights on.
Doctors & Hospitals There is no medical care in Kampot. Head straight to Phnom
Penh if you have medical problems.
Internet Access There are Internet cafes scattered along the riverfront. Both
Bokor Mountain Lodge (see below) and Rikitikitavi have free Wi-Fi for customers
at respectable speeds.
Post Office The main post office (River Rd. toward the south of town) is open
Monday to Friday from 6am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to noon.
Telephone Internet cafes are equipped for long-distance calls.
Tourist Information The best source of information is from guesthouses and
hotels.
WHERE TO STAY
Blissful Guesthouse An old, colonial villa fashioned with heavy wooden beams,
Blissful Guesthouse has hammocks swinging from every veranda and under every tree, a
quiet upstairs sitting area, and lots of cozy cushions and couches to curl up with a book
and rest. Rooms are guesthouse basic, with hard beds and small shower-in-room bathrooms,
but everything is clean. Angela, the friendly Danish owner, is a font of local
information. The bar hops late and this is a great place to meet up with other travelers,
perhaps arrange a taxi share, or get metaphysical late into the night.
Just a short walk east of the river, past the “2000” monument. & 012/513-024. www.blissfulguesthouse.
com. 10 units. $4–$8 double. No credit cards. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; helpful car and motorbike
rental. In room: Fan only, no phone.
Bokor Mountain Lodge This old colonial building lined with cool travel photos on
the riverside has the best location in town. Open colonnaded walkways overlook the
quiet street below and river beyond. Breakfast is included and there’s a good in-house
tour company that can arrange excursions. The rooms at the front with a river view are
definitely worth the little bit extra since they are larger than the rooms at the rear and far
more pleasant. They also have good Wi-Fi access throughout.
Riverfront Dr. (riverside at the center of Kampot). & 033/932-314. www.bokorlodge.com. 6 units. Oct–
Apr $35–$45 double, $60 family suite; May–Oct $30–$40 double, $50 family suite. Rates include breakfast.
MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room: A/C, TV, Wi-Fi.
Le Manguiers This riverside gem (which translates as “the Mango Garden”)
is legendary among resident expats in Cambodia. It is popular with NGO types,
UN wallahs, and embassy staff. There is a good reason for this awed and hushed popularity.
Les Manguiers is simply a superb experience—so much so that they do not need to
do any advertising at all. It is situated 2km (1 1 ⁄4 miles) north of Kampot up a rough dirt
road. A complex of beautiful stilted wooden houses overlooking one of the most scenic
locations in Cambodia, it is a place to kick back with friends, keep an eye on the kids
swimming in the placid waters of the river, and enjoy a place that manages to be truly
rustic (they even have their own working rice paddies in front of the bungalows) while
also feeling eminently sophisticated. The bungalows range in size and shape and there is