Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mittapheap
North of the market
T
042 941565.
One of
the best deals in town, this friendly and unassuming little
hotel provides neat and clean tiled rooms with TV and
fridge. Excellent value, if you
do
n't
mind
being a few
minutes' walk from the river. Fan
$6
; a/c
$12
Monorom VIP
Riverfront
T
092 777102,
W
monoromviphotel.com.
The most upmarket hotel in
town, and good value at current rates, with huge, minty-
fresh and immaculately clean rooms, all with a/c, hot
water, TV and fridge - more expensive ones also have
bathtubs and tea/c
offee
-making facilities plus balconies
with Mekong views.
$15
Phnom Brak Trochak Cheth
827749.
Basic family-run guesthouse right in the thick of
the riverfront action and with some of the cheapest beds in
town. Rooms (fan only) are poky and slightly grubby, with
tiny (or no) windows, although a small communal b
alc
ony
overlooking the Mekong offers compensatory views.
$5
Rana
7km towards Kratie on NR7
T
012 686240,
W
rana-ruralhomestay-cambodia.webs.com or
W
rana
-cambodia.blogspot.co.uk.
Enjoyable American-/Khmer-
run homestay just outside Kratie which aims to give visitors
a real insight into local rural life, with trips to nearby
villages. Advance booking essential. Minimum two-night
stay. Rates in
clude
all meals, tours, plus tea, coffee and
bottled water.
$50
Riverfront
T
0884
EATING AND DRINKING
There's an excellent little cluster of restaurants and cafés along the waterfront. Food stalls can be found around the
transport stop and market, while late in the afternoon further stalls set up
along the riverfront. The tourist-oriented
riverfront restaurants are usually fairly lively
after dark
, although most places usually shut up promptly at 10pm.
Destiny Coffee Shop
Vithei Pasteur, just off the
riverfront.
This chic café is more Phnom Penh than
Kompong Cham, serving up good coffee and shakes plus
snacks and light meals including all-day breakfasts, salads,
sandwiches and a short selection of Western and Asian
mains (around $4).
Mon-Sat 7am-6pm.
Lazy Mekong Daze
Riverfront.
Simple little backpacker
café serving a decent range of Asian and (slightly pricier)
Western food - a good place for breakfast or a sundowner,
watching the sun dipping down into the Mekong. Pool
table. Most mains $3.50-5.
Daily 7.30am-10pm.
Mekong Crossing
Riverfront
lively, this bar-restaurant is the town's best place for a drink,
either in the cosy interior or lounging on a wicker chair on
the shaded terrace outside. Tipples include the biggest
selection of beers in town plus a decent cocktail list, and
there's the usual menu of Asian and Khmer staples (mains
$2.50-3.50) plus pricier Western dishes.
Daily 6am-10pm.
★
4
Smile
Riverfront
T
017 997709.
The top restaurant
in town, run as training centre for orphans and vulnerable
children and serving up excellent Khmer food, bursting
with flavour, plus a decent range of Western dishes,
salads, sandwiches and snacks. Most mains around $4.
Daily 6am-10pm.
T
017 801788.
Always
DIRECTORY
Internet and wi-fi
Almost all the hotels and restaurants
reviewed here have free wi-fi. There's also a trio of cheap (1500
riel/hr; roughly daily 8am-8pm) and well-equipped internet
cafés around
Destiny Coffee Shop -
GreenNet, just north of the
café, and Mekong Internet and Speed Up, both opposite.
Money
The ATMs at the Canadia and ANZ banks both
accept foreign Visa and MasterCards (although the ANZ
charges a $5 commission); the ATM at the nearby BIDC
accepts Visa cards.
Post and phones
The post o
ce and the Camitel o
ce
are next to each other, north of the centre. You can make
domestic and international phone calls at the Camitel
o
ce, and Mekong Internet (see above) also has
international phone facilities.
Around Kompong Cham
Several low-key sights dot the area around Kompong Cham. Glimpses of traditional
Mekong life can be had close to town on the idyllic
Koh Pbain
river
island, while it's
well worth making the short trip out to the edge of town to visit
Wat Nokor
, a fine old
temple with quirky modern additions, and the hilltop religious complex of
Phnom
Bpros Phnom Srei
.
Koh Pbain
Around 1km southeast of Kompong Cham, the island of
Koh Pbain
, in the middle of
the Mekong, is perfect for an out-of-town jaunt, especially by bicycle. During the dry
