Phnom Penh is still a rather small city, especially by Asian standards.
There are - as yet - few high-rise buildings, which is one of its charms.
There are many small and medium sized hotels, especially budget accommodations.
I've stayed at many of them over the years, and you can find all my
hotel reviews here. Those looking for a bit of
history may want to consider a night or two at the
Hotel Le Royal, which was originally opened in 1929.
Phnom Penh's iconic Hotel Le Royal
Recommended Phnom Penh Hotels
As with almost any destination, getting a hotel in the right location may greatly affect your experience of Phnom Penh. For most people, this means a place in the Sisowath Quay area, near the Royal Palace and all the restaurants that line the quay. The best options in this area are the Bougainvillier, FCC, the Amanjaya and the Quay. Another, somewhat quieter, option is the Boeung Keng Khan area south of the Independence Monument. Many of the places in this area are smaller, and not listed in the larger booking sites. See my list of guesthouses for suggestions in this area.
Here's a short list of hotels that you can book on the Internet through our hotel partners. I'd like to point out that we do not receive any compensation for listing on this page, and no compensation or free nights were received in exchange for reviews. We will receive some compensation if you do book a stay through the links shown. If you don't like our selections, you can search Hotels Combined to find the best rates from dozens of site on all Phnom Penh hotels.
8 November 2007
The Bougainvillier hotel is a real bargain if you're looking for a nice hotel on the river. The small hotel has just a dozen or so rooms. While the basic rooms at the back are nice, the front rooms facing the quay are fantastic. The back rooms are comfortable enough, if a little small, but their main drawback is that they face another building just across the alley.
Phnom Penh has an amazing array of some very good small hotels and guesthouses. Many of these are so small that they're not listed in most of the major on-line booking sites. Here are a couple of selections that I've been able to personally check out.
Anise Hotel Popular boutique hotel in the “BKK” area south of the Independence Monument. Blue Lime Nice contemporary Khmer styled hotel tucked in an alley behind the National Museum.
Here's a list of all the hotels that we've personally stayed at and written up in Phnom Penh. I would definitely recommend any of them, with some caveats as noted in the reviews. There are lots of hotels to choose from so if you don't fancy any of these, the use the search box on this page to find the best rates from dozens of sites using Hotels Combined.
My room at the Amanjaya The Amanjaya has a nearly perfect location on the waterfront in the middle of Phnom Penh. The National Museum is just a block away, with the Royal Palace just a block further, while Wat Phnom is just a short walk away in the other direction. Each of the large 20 rooms has either a view of the river or of Wat Ounalom and Sisowath Quay, or both.
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.
June 2011
Blue Tongue is a solid budget hotel near Phnom Penh's central market area. The location puts it a short walk from the main tourist area, but not too far to be inconvenient. Blue Tongue is a simple hotel, but it covers all the basics well.
Blue Tongue hotel room I had a superior room for my stay. The top-floor room appeared to be the smallest one they had.
May 2011
The Quay is a small boutique hotel run by the same group as the FCC Hotel. The little hotel is right on the riverside quay in Phnom Penh, which is one of the best areas to stay in if you want to be handy to restaurants and the sights.
Photos of the The Quay Hotel in Phnom Penh. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image.
