The Best of Cambodia & Laos

70
PHNOM PENH
5
WHERE TO STAY
OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS
Expensive
Hotel InterContinental Phnom Penh The InterContinental is the place for
business travelers. This luxury behemoth has every amenity and every in-room convenience—from
wireless and in-room Internet to fine fitness, health, and beauty services.
The downside is the location; the self-contained hotel is a long way from the city’s action
in a fairly dreary part of town. Rooms are done in tidy carpet, dark-wood furnishings,
patterned couches, striped raw silk curtains that match the spreads on the king-size beds,
and marble detailing in the entryways. Everything is large and luxe and beds are fluffy
and comfortable. Well-appointed bathrooms have separate showers and tubs with Art
Deco faucets. Oak desks and floor-to-ceiling windows give guests that “power broker”
feel (even if you’re just a small fish). The large outdoor pool has an Angkor Wat waterpark
theme to it; there are stone carving decorations, and a red stone fountain of three
elephant heads is the centerpiece. There is, however, an elegant water-level bar, and the
fitness center is the best in town.
296 Blvd. Mao Tse Toung. & 023/424-888. Fax 023/424-885. www.ichotelsgroup.com. 346 units. $150–
$190 double; $300 Executive/Regency suite; $3,000 Regency/Royal suite. AE, MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants;
bar; 2 snack bars; babysitting; children’s playroom; concierge; great fitness center; Internet;
outdoor pool; room service; sauna; spa. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar, Wi-Fi.
Juliana Hotel The Juliana is a good distance from the center of town, near the Olympic
Stadium. It is popular with group tours. Rooms are situated around a luxurious
central pool shaded by palms and with a terrace and lounge chairs: a bright spot in an
otherwise dull landscape. The hotel is Thai-owned and managed and popular with
regional businessmen. Standard rooms aren’t especially attractive and have aging red
carpet and the nicks and scrapes of heavy use. That said, superior and deluxe rooms are
large and well appointed in tidy carpet and light wood trim. Regal headboards top large
beds, and there are nice rattan furnishings throughout. Be sure to request a nonsmoking
room and check it out before checking in. Billing as a “city resort” kind of comes up
short, but the Continental restaurant is inviting and the pool is a standout, even if rooms
don’t quite pass muster.
16 Juliana 152 Rd., Sangkat Vealvong. & 023/880-530 or 885-750 www.julianacambodia.com. 82 units.
$60–$70 double; $200 suite. AE, MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants; lobby bar; babysitting; small health
club; Internet; outdoor pool; room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.
Moderate
Town View Hotel There are two Town View hotels very close to each other
and they are both orientated very efficiently to the business traveler. Sparkling, clinical,
and bright, they are actually a little antiseptic in a city that is anything but. The rooms
are large and airy with TVs and every convenience you might need. The staff is also very
helpful. They have meeting rooms, a business center, and a conference hall, and the location
is convenient both for the airport and the offices around Monivong Boulevard. For
Phnom Penh, the Town View amounts to a high-rise and the views from the upper floors
give a good view of the city and its astonishing pace of development. The place is lacking
in atmosphere, but its efficiency makes it a fantastic deal.
No. 53 St. 113. & 023/991-139. Fax 023/991-139. www.townviewhotel.com. 56 units. $19 double with
bathtub; $17 double with shower. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; Internet; meeting rooms; room
service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.