Comfy beds, extremely quiet rooms, an incredible rooftop pool and breakfast overlooking the Royal Palace, look no further than Penh House Hotel for the perfect stay in Phnom Penh.
On our recent trip to Cambodia, we decided to spend 3 nights in the capital Phnom Penh. We wanted to have a full day to see the Tuol Sleng Genocidal Museum and Choeung Ek (the Killing Fields), as well as another day to explore the Royal Palace, National Museum and night market.
While I could have spent another week exploring Phnom Penh, shopping along the river and enjoying the rooftop pool at Penh House, I would say that for this trip, 3 nights was the perfect amount of time.
Getting to Penh House Hotel
It’s very easy to get to and around Phnom Penh. We took a bus from Kampong Thom for $10 each, which dropped us off at the railway station in Phnom Penh. We then hopped in a TukTuk for 8,000 Riel ($2) that dropped us right at the door of the hotel.
Penh House Hotel is on Street 240. It’s just steps away from the Royal Palace and Wat Botum Royal Pagoda. You can be down on the riverfront in minutes as well and around the corner is a quiet street lined with spas and boutique shops.
We spent our time in Phnom Penh either walking, or taking TukTuks around the city, even taking one to the airport for $5.
I suggest downloading PassApp, a Cambodian transport app that can help you get anywhere you need to go in a car or Rickshaw / TukTuk.
About the Hotel
One of my favorite things to do in preparation for a trip is research hotels. Since we’re traveling full-time, we’re always on a budget and we try to spend less than $30 a day (each), but when you’re in a country where your dollar goes further, you can book incredible hotels for a fraction of what you’d pay in the US or Europe.
When I start my research, I always look for boutique-style accommodation. I love smaller hotels that are conscious of their impact and have unique features like a beautiful spa, rooftop pool or themed rooms. Penh House ticked all the boxes for me!
The hotel has only 52 rooms, which is perfect in a city like Phnom Penh where hotels might have hundreds of rooms (and hundreds of people sharing the pool with you!). It also features a spa, gym, rooftop restaurant and rooftop pool (my favorite part!).
The entire hotel is also covered with greenery! And as soon as you walk inside you feel like you’ve stepped out of the city.
Penh House Hotel Room Tour
Our room at Penh House was perfect. The bathroom and shower were huge! I appreciated the sustainable toiletries that were in the bathroom, I love when a hotel has shampoo and conditioner. You definitely don’t need to pack any extras for this trip. They even had hair gel and lotion!
In the room, we had a sofa and balcony where we could sit together and put our feet up after a long day exploring the city. There was a wardrobe where we could hide our bags away, keeping the room feeling clean, and a writing desk/workspace. As a travel blogger, having somewhere in the room to work is always a treat!
There was a TV on the wall that could be watched from bed or the sofa, though I’ll be honest, we didn’t turn it on once. I was so tired I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow each night.
One incredible feature about the room was the ‘soundproofing’. If your room is facing out to the street, it could get very noisy. But by lifting your balcony door handle, it seals the door in place creating a peaceful environment inside the room. I would’ve never guessed we were situated on a busy street when the door was closed.
And while you can drink the tap water in Phnom Penh (we did the whole stay!), Penh House also provides you with glass bottles of filtered water for drinking.
Restaurant, Bar and Rooftop Pool
You could tell that every detail throughout the hotel had been carefully thought of, but my favorite feature was definitely the rooftop pool. We never missed a sunset swim during our stay.
Each morning we also had breakfast at the restaurant. The breakfast was well done, with plenty of western and local flavors. Alongside an egg station you could order soup, rice or noodles (all typical dishes to eat for breakfast around Asia). They also had fresh coffee, homemade yogurt, and a variety of fruit.
On our last night in Phnom Penh, we decided to eat at the rooftop restaurant. I had the ravioli and Andrej had the ratatouille, and for dessert we shared the vanilla creme brulee. Everything tasted amazing and you get to enjoy your meal overlooking the city skyline.
Penh House Hotel Info
A double room at Penh House Hotel normally starts at 90 USD with breakfast included. You can book directly with them here.
Penh House Hotel is a 4-star hotel in downtown Phnom Penh. They have a cafe downstairs, spa, fitness center and rooftop pool and restaurant. The entire hotel is covered with greenery, making you feel as though you’ve stepped out of the city and into the jungle.
I was invited to stay at Penh House Hotel for 3 nights in March of 2024. Each hotel that I choose to work with is somewhere that I would 100% pay to stay. I would never recommend a hotel I didn’t absolutely love. If you’d like to stay at Penh House, let them know you found them here! It’s by far the best way to support this blog.
As always, all opinions are my own.
For even more travel inspiration, make sure to follow me on Instagram (@justynjen). I share my daily adventures there. You can also follow me on Pinterest for easy tips to help you plan your trip and start traveling more!
Cambodia Travel Essentials
Here are some of the essentials that you’ll need when planning your trip to Cambodia. You can also explore my blog for more tips and travel hacks!
Flights: Find affordable flights to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap on Kiwi.
Visas: If you’re traveling from the US or Europe, you’ll need a visa to enter Cambodia. You can apply online 5 (business) days before your trip, or get your visa on arrival for $30 at the airport. Make sure to have $30 in crisp USD.
Travel Insurance: I never travel without travel insurance! As a full-time digital nomad, I highly recommend SafetyWing. Learn more and get insured here.
Airport Transfer: You can pre-book an airport transfer with Penh House Hotel, or use the Cambodian App, PassApp for easy travel throughout Phnom Penh.
Accommodation: Find the best Cambodian hotel deals on Booking. You can also find a great deal at Penh House Hotel on Booking.
Cambodia Guidebook: Get your copy of the new Lonely Planet Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam guidebook.
5 Things to Pack for Cambodia
Walking shoes. Trust me, from the temples of Angkor Wat to the Genocidal Museums of Phnom Penh, you are going to want a very good pair of walking shoes for your trip.
Modest, lightweight clothing and a scarf for visiting the temples and memorials. It’s very important to dress modestly in Cambodia. You are going to want flowy, lightweight pants, lightweight tops with sleeves, and a scarf that you can use to cover your shoulders. Keep in mind that for some temples, simply covering your shoulders with a scarf won’t be enough. You’ll need to wear modest clothing.
A reusable water bottle. Cambodia definitely suffers from plastic pollution, but the tap water is drinkable in Phnom Penh! Make sure that you bring a reusable water bottle. Most restaurants (and Penh House Hotel) will be more than happy to refill it for you. I love this water bottle because it comes with a lid for coffee or a smoothie!
Entertainment for long travel days. It’s usually 50/50 if I’m going to get motion sick on a long bus or ferry ride. Luckily, I always travel with motion sickness drops and tablets so that I can spend long journeys reading. My Kindle has explored more countries than most American adults! I love using the Libby App to borrow Kindle books even while I’m abroad.
Wet wipes and tissues. Bathrooms across South East Asia don’t usually have toilet paper, so I like to keep wet wipes and tissues in my purse. It also doesn’t hurt to carry hand sanitizer.
