The only nonstop flight from Hanoi to Phnom Phen was at 8:30 pm, arriving at around 10:30 pm (US$371 x 2 = $742). The ride in the Lotte Hotel car to the airport was excellent. We could only get a economy plus seats, but that gave us Lotus Lounge privileges at the Hanoi airport and seats in the first row of the plane (that looked like first class seats). However, the luggage allowance was only one suitcase each so we had to pay for extra luggage (US$120 for 2 suitcases). Dimitri liked the food offerings for dinner at the Hanoi airport Lotus Lounge and we amused ourselves there. That was good because the food offering on the Cambodia Angkor Airlines flight was atrocious. (The Airbus was rattling and very old; piloted by someone who sounded Russian).
We went through immigration control speedily and got our luggage. Outside of luggage, was the Hyatt Regency representative who showed us where the ATM was and waited while we got money. The hotel's car was waiting at the curb, and off we went to the hotel (US$87 and worth it). We had booked a Regency Suite (approximately $430.78 per day, including breakfast and club benefits) at the Phnom Penh Hyatt Regency. Ratha, an Assistant Front Office Manager, met us at the late hour we arrived and took us to the suite (we didn't like it). Then we asked to see the Executive Suite and we liked it much more. We asked him to upgrade us, and he said he didn't have the power. We decided to stay in the Regency Suite one night and talk to Ratha's manager in the morning. The next day, we were indeed upgraded by the Assistant Director of Rooms, and we were thrilled.
Our Doings in Phnom Penh
On our first day in Phnom Penh (after moving rooms), we walked to the Institut Français and had lunch (not a good rendition of Croque Monsieur). Walking during the day was really hot if you can't find some shade. Dimitri "parled Français" with Charlotte, a woman who was also sitting in The Bistrot. She told us of a gathering on Friday at the Institut called the “Acceuil”. In the meantime, Dimitri learned from Charlotte that Grab worked for getting taxis in Cambodia. Not only could you get a Grab car but also Tuk-tuks, Remorques (which is a larger and more open version of a Tuk-tuk) and SUVs (for only 60¢US more). Across from the Institut, was a Frenchman making crèpes on the street - yes, street food by a French expat. We had one and "parled Français" with him. We took a Tuk-tuk back to the hotel from the Institut.
From our room at the Hyatt Regency we could see the Royal Palace and on Thursday afternoon at 2 pm when it opened we went on a tour (Entry fee KHR 80,000៛/US$20.00) with Surim our guide (KHR 40,000៛/US$10). We enjoyed him and the tour. We learned interesting factoids, such as the King's flag was flying meaning he was in residence that day. Also we learned that during the Khmer Rouge period, the then king had the treasures of the palace buried so that they couldn't be looted. Surim said he could speak Thai and that Khmer (the Cambodian language) and Thai are sort of similar. Looking at written Khmer and Thai, the squiggles look (sort of) similar. We've had other people say that the 2 languages that are similar are Khmer and Laotian, not Khmer and Thai so we don't know. The Palace had just re-opened after COVID on December 1st. We felt lucky because, honestly, there aren't so many touristic things to do in Phnom Penh.
Ann, the Hyatt Assistant Guest Experience Manager helped us with restaurant reservations during our stay after Dimitri sent her his choices. You can read all of our Phnom Penh restaurant reviews by clicking here. Our first dinner in Phnom Penh was a huge success; delicious food in a beautiful setting. We went to Sombok with a Grab car and walked back to our hotel along Sisowath Quay, the lovely riverside promenade. At night, walking in Phnom Penh is hot but not unpleasantly so. Dimitri called it balmy and he loves balmy weather. We vowed that we would walk more of the promenade some evening after dinner and we did. It was pleasant. The woman who spoke good English at Sombok, who helped us during our meal, suggested a local restaurant on the Mekong River a little outside the center of Phnom Penh which we decided to try the next night. Frommer's also suggested the Prek Leap area.
We noticed during our stay in Phnom Penh that it was a quieter and less frenetic city than Hanoi. There is car, scooter, Tuk-tuk, remorque and bicycle traffic but it moved and the drivers seemed to generally stop at traffic lights and to yield. There are even left-hand turn arrows that people obey. The population of Phnom Penh is a third of what it is Hanoi, of course. We also noticed a Rolls Royce dealership near the Royal Palace and Maybachs and Hummers on the road. This was an economy in transition in 2022. In a few years the street food venders (including Dimitri's favorite sugarcane juice vender across from our hotel) and the micro-shops will be gone and the road traffic will be gridlocked.
Although it's difficult for us to judge, we think that the absence of Chinese tourists (due to COVID travel restrictions) has had a positive effect on our touristing. Otherwise, COVID doesn't seem to have had a lasting effect on the city.
Our dinner on Thursday night was an experience. Dimitri arranged for a Grab car to take us to Romdoul Preak Liep អាហារដ្ឋាន រំដួលព្រែកលៀប. The Grab taxi found it without too much difficulty. The place was ½ hour out of town and it was literally on the Mekong River. The bamboo and wood slats holding the place together were over the river. We had the hotel make a reservation, meaning they knew that foreigners were coming. They sat us over the river in one of the many stalls separated by wood. Our table was by the edge of the river and we had a terrific view of the Mekong and the full moon that night. There was no menu in English and we were the only foreigners. It was challenging but we did communicate that we wanted sour soup with fish: Samlar machu with fish (KHR 35,000៛). We also communicated we wanted rice (and with the help of Google translate) a small starter and water and no beer, an English word that they knew. Google translate worked only a little because the cell signal was poor. We had a young woman server (who was beautiful) and she helped us (and knew some English). All of the food came at once and the small starter turned out to be BBQ frogs (KHR 35,000៛). There was nothing special about the samlar machu but it did have lemongrass and other green ingredients as well as basil and lime. The sauce on the frog was tasty. They didn’t have any desserts. Then the adventure began. With some help, Dimitri was able to order a Grab taxi back to the hotel. But it couldn’t find us and the cell signal was so weak we couldn’t communicate with the driver. One of the 6 people trying to help us tried using his cell phone; no luck. Finally a tuk-tuk came by, we negotiated a price (US$5/ KHR 20,000៛) and off we went. It wasn’t too uncomfortable and we were glad we weren’t stuck outside the city. We spent KHR 76,000៛ / US$19 for the meal and the unique experience.
On Friday morning we went to the “Acceuil” at the Institut Français. Dimitri learned all kinds of interesting information "parling Français" with the people there. Audre was bored and didn't speak to anyone. She didn't think that they were sympa (sympathique). We met Jean Pierre, the owner of Kanika, at the “Acceuil” and decided to go on the sunset cruise on Saturday at 5 pm followed by the dinner cruise at 7. In a few days in Phnom Penh we have met more French speakers than in the two weeks we spent in Vietnam.
In the afternoon on Friday we walked across the street from our hotel to the famous Cambodia National Museum of Culture (KHR 84,000 ៛/US$25) and speedily went through it. We didn't get a guide and we did not learn how the art was safeguarded during the Khmer Rouge period. Later, we did learn that during those years the museum was closed. It is chock full of beautiful pieces.
We found a Mediterranean restaurant around the corner from our hotel where Mansour from Lebanon spoke Arabic, French and Italian with Dimitri. We had his falafel, hummus and pita bread, They were all good. His baklava was also very good.
Friday night's dinner at Malis was another great meal. Malis is known as the best restaurant in Phnom Penh and it was excellent. We sat outside and we were comfortable for most of the evening with the fans. We ordered four dishes from the à la carte menu and we were impressed. The tastes were complex, the textures excellent and the service was a delight. We had lots of leftovers which our server suggested we take home. Since our Executive Suite had a full kitchen, we did and we ate multiple lunches with the leftovers.
During the day on Saturday we went to the big market known as the Russian Market. That was a bust. Audre had one of her pearl earrings repaired in Hanoi, then promptly lost it. She wanted to replace it in Phnom Penh and were told we could find jewelers around the Russian Market. At noon they were closed and in any event the area did not look auspicious--just junky. We walked the market quickly and got out of there.
On the Kanika cruise on Saturday, there were about 8 French people (some of whom we had seen at the Acceuil), a Japanese couple with a baby, and, maybe 10, others. None of the French people were interested in talking to us. There was a DJ playing loud, modern rock, a painter at an easel (?) and various staff members serving small plates and drinks. We used our free drink chip for juice. We got as far away from the music as possible, at the back of the boat, but the smoking French table next to us was choking us. We were at a wooden table with flimsy wooden chairs that were very uncomfortable. The sunset views were obscured by the big buildings and the play with the clouds was not great that evening. We took some snaps but it really wasn’t that interesting a cruise. We decided to disembark after the sunset cruise and have dinner elsewhere. The cruise was not for us. We spent KHR100,000៛/US$24.70.
We quickly decided to go the the sister restaurant of Malis, called Khema, but its menu was totally French. Instead we took the suggestion of the man at Khema and went to Leuk Chhouk Restaurant ភោជនីយដ្ឋាន ស្លឹកឈូក. We had a unique and exotic meal there so we were happy.
On Sunday and Monday we just hung out and rested, relaxed and reposed--Dimitri felt under the weather (and then Audre started coughing too). Our dinner Sunday night was not a success. Dimitri did not like the food at Eleven One Kitchen, although Audre thought it was very tasty. There were Cambodians there (as well as foreigners) and we thought that was good (unlike Hanoi where we never saw Vietnamese at restaurants we went to.) At many restaurants the Asians we see are Koreans, like in Hanoi.
The days we were in Phnom Penh were generally sunny and clear (such a nice change from smoggy Hanoi) and really hot in the sun. We were amazed at the quality of the wi-fi even at local restaurants. It was a joy and very helpful in getting our Grab taxis, for example. Many, many businesses quote their prices in US Dollars. We think this is annoying. Since we pay in Cambodian riel it's a high finance negotiation to get the amount converted.
The streets are pretty quiet actually, without dogs barking. The streets are fairly clean too. The sidewalks tend to be slanted making walking on them difficult. So, we walk on the street single file.
Our Hyatt Regency in Phnom Penh
We have not stayed at Hyatts often and really do not know the brand. We have been impressed with the Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh. The staff was doing everything it could to make our stay pleasant and to our liking. We had a view of the Royal Palace and the Tonlé Sap, which is a lake or tributary and part of the Mekong River system. Our view was really lovely. We have morning sun too, which we love. Our first room, called a Regency Suite (1227), was too small and cramped and we didn’t like it or feel comfortable. There was no desk and we had to share a table for our laptops. It took a lot of doing but we finally were upgraded to the Executive Suite at no cost.
The Executive Suite had an entry hall with a second toilet which Audre used as her main bathroom. Walking into the Executive Suite there was a room with a long desk (good for two people) with lots of electrical outlets and a leather surface. It also had a snazzy leather box with office supplies that Audre loved. There was a bookshelf in that room with Khmer pieces of art--bowls, jars, and other art pieces, that was well-lighted. The office room was enclosed in glass doors that could be opened completely. The walls of the suite were (sort of) picture windows overlooking the Royal Palace and the surrounding streets. Walking past the office room was the living room/dining room/kitchen. The living room had a sofa and chairs. The chairs are all VERY HEAVY—like prestige in Cambodia is accompanied by chairs that can only be moved by strong servants who are always nearby.
The dining table seated 4 comfortably or maybe 6. The kitchen was well-equipped with a refrigerator, stovetop, a dishwasher, a microwave oven and a coffee machine (like Nespresso). There were coffee table art books, a lovely Khmer sculpture in a glass-enclosed case, as well as on the table behind the sofa. There were 2 orchids in the room as well (which Audre loved). The bedroom was large and there was a large dressing area. In the main bathroom there was a separate shower room, toilet as well as a tub. Improbably, there was only one sink. Hence, Audre used the other bathroom as her main one. Neither bathroom had a Toto toilet (although we did find Toto toilets in the men's and women's bathrooms at the Regency Club). There was plenty of storage area in our Executive Suite for clothes. So, we unpacked everything. There was an extra room where we could store our suitcases. We were happy with the space of the Executive Suite.
With the suite we booked "Regency Club" privileges (approximately $430.78 per day for the suite, including breakfast and club benefits). The club had a lovely space on the 10th floor with a lovely outside area too. It's hours and food were limited but we tried to go for appetizers at 5:30 pm because they were generally good. We didn't talk to any other guests--it just didn't happen.
With the help of the IT man, we were able to input Alexa’s MAC address and get Alexa to work in Phnom Penh. Everyday we went to the spa using the separate men's and women's areas. We used the “air bubble seat” in the men’s and women’s but it was never hot enough for Dimitri. We also used the steam rooms but Dimitri thought the men's was too hot and Audre thought the women's wasn't hot enough until one day when it was scalding. The floors in the spa were really, really slippery so we wore our outdoor sandals in the area. Also there were no handrails so we had to be really careful getting in and out of the hot tub. There was a small-ish gym and an outdoor pool with chaise lounges around it.
The breakfast buffet was large and had everything, including helpful staff. Sutheavy, a manager, was wonderful to us. We didn’t like the tables (too low) or the chairs (too heavy). When they remembered, the staff would put a "reserved" sign on the table that we liked the most. The staff also arranged for us to have congee with chicken as well as oatmeal made with milk. That made us very happy. The buffet had fresh mango but it wasn't mango season when we were in Cambodia and the mango was a little too sour. There was lots of fresh fruit and good croissants.
We were very impressed by the staff Phnom Penh Hyatt Regency and how well they spoke English. They were very well trained. Our suite was very quiet. When we were convalescing with our colds, we hung out in our suite very enjoyably. We were really grateful for the upgrade!
A map of the spots we visited
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