Choosing the right place to stay in a developing city like
Phnom Penh will give you peace of mind especially where they have a plethora of
boutique hotels and resorts. Finding an oasis in such bustling city is another
bonus, the conceptualize Rambutan Resort excite mylifstylenews for a short stay during our recent visit……
Location is always the a key consideration, but with the chaotic pace of life and congestion in the heart of Phnom Penh, it is wise to choose a hotel that is in a quiet location and has every basic thing at your fingertips. The Rambutan Resort is centrally located in a quiet residential area close to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, the art deco Central Market, Wat Phnom – the historic hilltop Buddhist complex built on site of 14th century pagoda, Russian Market, Independence Monument and a short ride to the bustling Riverside promenade, National Museum and the Royal Palace. Tuk-Tuk (motorbike and trailer carriage) is by far the best option for a fun way to see the city sights.
Run a Dutchman Dirk de Graaff and his Thai partner Punnavit Hantitipart aka Tum, this polished, gay-friendly hotel in a 1960’s building with a modern annex is a hidden gem. From the chic monogrammed entrance wall, to the intimate and well laid out internal pool and restaurant courtyard with attractive signature artworks that instantly catch your attention and it is quite inspiring.
On arrival, you step away from a residential street into an oasis and set a scene of tranquil serenity, a refreshing outdoor saltwater pool with a waterfall and cabanas adjacent to the pool bar/restaurant covering all meal options all day. The art works on display stands out with its Oriental charm motif with simplicity, so already the ambience has made a statement that exudes intimate resort chic and makes you feel quite comfortably at home, which is very reassuring when exploring a new city.
The airy, relaxed rooms are a mix of understated minimalism and industrial chic comes with simple decorative touches and polished concrete floors featuring straight forward furnishings. There are some signature designer touches that are not overdone, yet make a statement, such as the outdoor stone bathtub on the balcony.
We love the less is more credo, with nothing forgotten and has everything you need as well as plenty of space to spread out and relax when not out and about seeing the sights.
Such a small and intimate city resort also had added credence to the resorts image, it was reassuring to know that they chose environmentally conscious architects for the construction of the resort, including implementing energy saving initiatives where they could. This included solar panels installed on the roof, covering the roof in grass as a natural form of insulation in such a hot and tropical climate, and using forested timbers in the furniture among other things.
Naturally breakfast is something to look forward to and the Rambutan Resort's breakfast is a set menu. For a boutique property, eschewing a buffet concept is the ideal and focusing on providing fresh food cooked a la minute. Even bigger properties shall have considered applying such concept as it is so much more enjoyable to have good food freshly cooked, even if they can’t offer the full gamut of choice but hey, how much do you need to gulp down on a daily breakfast routine?
Breakfast at the Rambutan Resort is also an unexpected pleasure to start the day. We deliberately focused on the Asian dishes for breakfast, the minced pork noodle had an excellent texture and the chicken rice congee was full of decent chunks of chicken with the right consistency. If you opt for the western choice, the freshly baked croissant is a must try, still quite fluffy yet tasty especially in such high humidity climate’s city.
You could easily be swayed by more big-name hotels when travelling to Phnom Penh to play it safe, by staying in a small, well-run resort in a quiet location that has everything caters for all your needs is quite a thorough joy. Bigger is better does not always give the greatest of outcomes, take a leap of faith and book a room at a design boutique resort like The Rambutan Resort will not disappoint you especially at this region with a haven of tranquility. We were told by Dirk and Tum that they have a sister resort in Siem Reap in which we have destined for our next visit.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 4/5
Design
& Decor: 4/5
Room
Amenities: 3/5
Food
& Beverages: 4/5
Housekeeping: 3.5/5
Service:
4/5
Value
For Money: 4/5
Experience:
4/5
Highlights:
Arty DesignService
29, Street 71,
BKK1, Phnom Penh,
Central, Cambodia
Tel: +855 12 929 328
Reviews are based on
actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision
in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement
and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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