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Checking In: La Villa Hotel, Battambang

18 August 2011
Filed under: Hotels — Tags: , , — Michael @ 8:49 pm

La Villa is very likely the best hotel available in Battambang at the moment, although with so little to choose from, that might not be saying much. Housed in a converted 1930s villa, it’s certainly the most charming. The hotel faces the river opposite to the main part of the city, so that in the mornings you have a great view of the old buildings lining the river, if you have one of the four rooms that face the river.

Room Number 6

Room Number 6 on the top floor of La Villa

The hotel has seven rooms (note, however, that they were closing for remodeling in June 2011, so things might have changed). Four of the rooms are in the main building, while the remaining three are in a secondary structure. There is a pool, which is unusual for such a small hotel, as well as a large bar and restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. There were also a couple of computers in the lobby to use the Internet, and there is free wi-fi available throughout the hotel.

Breakfast is served in the ground floor restaurant. There is no buffet, but a selection of about half a dozen options.

Rooms at the La Villa Hotel may be booked through their web site only.

Checking In: The Quay Hotel, Phnom Penh

11 August 2011
Filed under: Hotels — Tags: , , — Michael @ 9:08 am

The Quay is a small boutique hotel run by the same group as the FCC Hotel. The little hotel is right on the riverfront in Phnom Penh, which is one of the best areas to stay in if you want to be close to restaurants and the sights.

Standard Room

A standard room at The Quay hotel in Phnom Penh

I had a standard room for my one night stay. These are the smaller of the two room types available. They’re also at the back of the building, so the only windows they have are small translucent panels that let in some light but no view. Despite this, the room didn’t feel at all claustrophobic, which was probably due to the open plan and light color scheme. The bathroom was large, although it was a rather odd plan. There was a good sized walk in shower and the bathroom was separated from the sleeping area mainly by a large translucent panel. The room has both wired and wireless Internet access for free.

The small hotel has a ground floor restaurant and a roof top lounge. There were several options for breakfast, including many unusual selections. I went for something different, a large slab of toasted banana bread with some cream cheese and butter on the side.

For a longer stay, you would probably want the larger rooms in the front. You can find more details and links to booking sites on The Quay Hotel details page.

Checking In: Phunacome Resort, Dan Sai

8 August 2011
Filed under: Site News — Tags: , — Michael @ 9:35 pm
Resort Buildings and Grounds

The lobby building (left) and one of the guest wings of the resort.

"What’s a nice resort like you doing in a place like this?" This thought occurs to me quite often in my travels, especially around Thailand. I arrive in some out-of-the-way, middle-of-nowhere small town, and there it is: a completely out of place resort that’s very nice if not downright luxe. Such was the feeling I had when arriving at Phunacome Resort just outside of Dan Sai in Loei province.

Dan Sai really is a small town; not much more than a wide spot in the road, high up in the mountains near the Lao border. The only reason it’s on the tourist map at all is due to a singular annual festival called Phi Ta Khon, or the "Ghost Mask Festival". If you’re taking in the event, the resort is the best place to stay. For the rest of the year, the only reason you would come here would be to use the resort as a base for exploring the rather spectacular natural scenery of the province.

The resort is laid out in a small valley just about 10 minutes from town. The floor of the valley has been formed into a series of ponds. On one side are the standard guest rooms, lobby building, and the meeting rooms. The other side of the valley is devoted to what the resort calls its "Isaan Village", a group of medium to large traditional style wooden houses which form the resort’s suites.

Standard room bed

The bed of the standard room at Phunacome

I had one of the standard rooms. It was very large, with wood floors, a king-size bed, balcony and large bathroom. Wireless Internet access was freely available throughout the hotel. Breakfast was served in the small dining area off the hotel lobby. There wasn’t a lot of choice, but most everything was well done. Guests could also enjoy complimentary coffee or tea at any time of day in the dining room.

The resort also had a few mountain bikes for free use by the guests. I used one on one of the days during my stay. It was easy enough to get around to the other sights of Dan Sai, although the ride back uphill to the resort is going to leave you huffing and puffing a little. During the festival, the resort offered a free shuttle serve to take guests into town and bring them back.

You can find more information and links to booking sites at the Phu Na Come Resort details page.

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