Billabong Hotel delightful and efficient
by TripAdvisor Member HallTravelers
We stayed 2 nights in a pool view deluxe room in mid-March. The staff was efficient and friendly, the food (particularly the smoothies) in the hotel cafe was good and the room was clean. The pool area is a very welcome oasis amid the surrounding area and one really gets the sense of being in a private garden. We had airport transportation booked through the hotel and hired the driver/guide for the rest of our stay. We can strongly recommend Mr. Long - he works frequently with the hotel. His English was very good and in addition to the must see sites in Phnom Penh he took us to some of the surrounding villages which was a wonderful experience.
Not the best but ok
by TripAdvisor Member Lou&Paulo
We found this hotel on trip advisor - it wasn't our first choice but this was booked up.
We have paid about $40 for a standard room with pool view.
The room is clean, although quite small and the shower is good with hot water on demand.
If you want a lie in then do not stay here - there is a school next door and there is a speech to classes on a p/a system from 7am every morning, there are also building works happening next door. We were also kept awake one night as there was a wedding happening next door but I guess this is a one off.
Pool wise, I'd forget about using this on a weekend, as I sit here about 20 people have filed in and taken all of the sun loungers. The pool is full of kids (when we arrived on Sunday the noise was very high level) and during the week there has been a steady flow of old men and young cambodian girls in there. The problem is that it's open to the public which is good for the hotel owners at $5 a time but not so good for guests.
The staff are really nice and friendly, the rooms are cleaned every day as well as bedding change too.
Food and drinks are very expensive but this seems to be the way here - I do think that $2 for a bottle of water is a bit steep!
For wider location, nothing is more than a $2 tuk tuk ride away, don't try walking, the pavements are for car parking and waste storage silly!!
Overall, I wouldn't stay here again but having not had chance to stay anywhere else here I have nothing to compare to. We wanted to get in at the pavilion, I read it's good.
Not Bad at all!
by TripAdvisor Member TJEmerson
We stayed for 5 nights and had a very nice stay. The pool was great and the extra touch of the waitress bringing out a free cold drink was good.
We also heard the school loudspeaker but could live with that.
The dog next door took his job very seriously and barked throughout the night.
I would stay again as the staff and the pool made up for any negatives.
Great little hotel in heart of the capital
by TripAdvisor Member Melchie
I have stayed at the Billabong twice now, once earlier this month (April 2007) and the first time late last year. On both occasions I have been in the city in connection with local rugby tournaments - an activity VERY close to the heart of one of the owners (if not both) of this delightful establishment.
This is truly a great place to stay - unprepossessing; clean with a good pool. The location is good, being just a 10 minute walk from the centre of most activity in the capital, and tuk-tuks or other transportation are readily available if you need to go further afield.
The local staff are very friendly and helpful - and the breakfasts are excellent.
There are Better Options
by A TripAdvisor Member
The Billabong is very clean and inexpensive. The rooms are small, but nicely decorated. You are in the city, so noise is to be expected. The staff is very nice and helpful. the food at the cafe is not good. The primary reason to stay somewhere else is that the hotel allows sex tourists to use their pool for a fee.This is quite a problem in SE Asia and it is unfortunate that the owner/manager is contributing to this sad circumstance. We were looking forward to using the pool, but the last thing we wanted to do was get into the water with several red faced, corpulent white men and the young Cambodian girls that were their "dates". A better choice for a little more money is The Boddhi Tree. Their restaurant is excellent and they are situated on a quiet side street, but they do not have a pool.
There must be better places!
by TripAdvisor Member sunbird2
We stayed 3 nights at the Billabong with our 2 children, mainly because of the pool as they seem a bit thin on the ground in Phnom Penh for our price range.
The room was nicely decorated and it had a nice balcony. The bathroom was a bit of a mess, just a shower on the wall that wet the entire floor including the toilet and pressure that went up and down the whole time. It was also incredibly hot and you had to be careful when turning it on, not great with kids.
Breakfast had a great selection and we were very happy with the standard of the food. The staff didn't seem too interested in us however and hardly smiled. When we returned for our last night after visiting Siem Reap they made a point of asking us our name even though the hotel had hardly anybody in it and we were prebooked with stored luggage.
There is also a very large construction site at the rear of the hotel getting ready to start operations. When we were there it was quiet since they were still assembling sleeping shacks for staff and bringing equipment to site. When it starts full operation it will be very close to the bedrooms.
Our biggest disappointment with this hotel was the sex tourism as stated by another reviewer. Having to have the prostitute conversation with my 10 year old had not been top of my agenda for our holiday at the Billabong. My daughter turned to me and said "God mum are those people really married?" It would have been really hard to fib since one of them didn't look much older than her.
I'm not sure how much this is a problem at other hotels, if I had to return to Phnom Penh I'd try somewhere else.
Too pricey for the room size
by TripAdvisor Member MarathonBug
Turned out to be a disappointment from the pics.The std rooms was small and location was isolated. Had 2 power failures (once while showering b4 the gen-set kicked in) during our 2 nights stay b4 we checked out to New York Hotel which was much better. Toilet does not have toiletries x'cpt for a bar of soap and towels. Checked out and left an overcoat behind. Called the hotel after 1 day but could not locate it. Breakfast was good though. Internet was chargeable. TV reception was poor. Back was having a construction. Windows was having a flimsy vertical blinds. No slippers provided.Nights was scary as we had to walk back in pitch darkness about 10pm due to power failure. For the price charged you can get better hotels.
Forum Posts
Recommend a hotel in Phnom Penh
by AddictedToAsia
Looking for a nice hotel in PP, preferably on the riverside and/or with swimming pool. Under USD 50.
Any comments appreciated!
RE: Recommend a hotel in Phnom Penh
by Mittnic
Hi!
I plan to spend a few days in PP next month and done some research on the subject. Good information can be found on
http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-phnompenh-guide-stay.htm and
http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/pphotels.htm
I've decided for Raffles Hotel Le Royal which can be booked on http://www.directrooms.com from $151 for two nights. It's above the budget you mentioned, but consider where else can you live in a five star hotel described as one of the best hotels in the world for $75/night? Why don't you stay the first two or three days at a $5-guesthouse and then up-grade!
RE: Recommend a hotel in Phnom Penh
by pmarshuk
There are not too many hotels on the riverfront with swimming pools, the only one I remember is the Cambodiana. But it is probably above your budget.
If you want a hotel on the riverfront I would try the Calfornia 2. This is situated between Wat Ounalom and the Royal Palace, so a great location (see http://www.cafecaliforniaphnompenh.com)
Alternatively if a swimming pool is a priority then check out the Billabong Hotel (see http://www.thebillabonghotel.com).
RE: RE: Recommend a hotel in Phnom Penh
by dancingroads
www.bougainvillierhotel.com very nice, good location on the riverside (but no swimming pool)
www.thebillabonghotel.com run by Australians with a nice garden and pool (not on the riverside though)
For more info or ideas you might like to check http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/pphotels.htm or www.cambodiapocketguide.com
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