July 2010
The Blue Lime is the latest addition to Phnom Penh's rich collection of small hotels. The 23-room hideaway is on a narrow alley just behind the National Museum, which puts it in a great location, if not an easy to find one. The hotel consists of two buildings, one a four floor older building and a newer single story one. The interiors sport a "concrete" look, with bold accents of color. It's a very striking look, which goes down well here in the tropics, but I wonder how well it will age.
Photos of the Blue Lime Hotel in Phnom Penh. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image.
I had a superior double room for my stay. The room was on the third floor (fourth floor if you're American) and there's no lift, so it was a bit of a climb up to the room. My room had the additional quirk of having to go out on the balcony to access the bathroom. A quick check of other rooms makes me conclude that mine was one of only two rooms that had this particular quirk. The concrete look of the walls is actually a clever effect created by white-washing over dark painted walls. The open 'closet' using a piece of re-bar as a rod was a nice touch. The room also had a wired Internet connection, which was very good. Wi-fi was also available in the room, although I didn't use it.
Outside the room, the hotel has a rather large (for Phnom Penh) salt water pool. There is a pool-side restaurant where breakfast is served, or you can order a meal at any time of day. The lobby has several computers for use if you didn't bring your laptop.
Breakfast, served pool-side, is a rather continental affair of bread, a large dish of fresh fruit, tea or coffee, an orange-passion fruit juice and, optionally, an egg cooked to your choice. It was an unusual, but very delicious, breakfast arrangement. Much better than a vast array of cold low quality items to choose from, in my opinion.
It's perhaps worth noting that Blue Lime is an "adults only" hotel that does not allow guests under the age of 16. They refer families with children to The Kabiki. However, lest you get the wrong idea, Blue Lime also has a "sex-travelers not welcome" policy. Also worth noting is that the hotel employs solar heating for hot water, so it may take some time for you to get hot water from the tank.
Hotel facilities include a restaurant and swimming pool.
Rooms feature air conditioning, fan, hot and cold water, wired Internet, color televisions with a wide range of international channels, hair dryer and safe.
Pluses: Excellent location, near restaurants, sights and shopping.
Minuses: Some rooms have some quirks (see above), but I'm sure you can request a low floor room if any of these quirks is an issue.
Update: In August 2010 Blue Lime added four rooms with private pools. The group also opened yet another property, The 240.
See the Blue Lime Hotel web site for additional information, booking details and rates, or use Hotels Combined to compare rates from dozens of sites.