Renakse Hotel

Charming Hotel in front of the Royal Palace in PP

by Fleaartist about Renakse Hotel

This is a chance nobody staiyng in Phnom Phen should miss, this hotel hasn't been bought from a big luxury chain, so is still a real place, is not really luxury but is so charming, and so cheap!Is really small so if you want to stay there you have to reserve a room in advance. I really loved the fact to be in such a beautiful palace right in the heart of the city, in a quiet place, is amazing you can't here the noise of the tuc tuc! Is like being in a colonial film!
And we paid 40 USD a room for three people!

Royalty Gate (Royal Palace - Phnom Penh)

by Sharrie

The entrance for the public is at the eastern part of the palace ground, opposite the Renakse Hotel. Security is tight & one needs to hand over all items for checks. Guns & explosives are definitely no-no! I'm serious, there's a sign saying so :-P

This is the 2nd tourist sites we visited after the Independence Monument & I was very much impressed by the grandeur of the palace. Expectation does play an important part in this case. Well, I suppose most of us have been misled by the press as well as others who chose to highlight the poverty of this war-torned country. Truly, I didn't expect anything of such scale left with prior knowledge that this was once a ghost town!

Thus, I enjoyed the tour of this palace a great deal. It's a great feeling to be able to witness the splendour of the past & to know that it was once a rich country with an awesome civilisation.

A note to future travelers. When entering the Throne Hall or the Silver Pagoda as well as many wats in this country, it is necessary to take off one's shoes as in Thailand. However, be very extra careful if you are sporting brand new shoes. A Taiwanese tourist literally lost his pair of shoes after visiting the Throne Hall & days later, we found out that there are 2nd hand "markets" for shoes & clothes in Cambodia! Perhaps the unlucky fella will find his there ;-)

A lot of different faces

by Fleaartist

"Sweets"

I don't exactly know what are this, but I know they were so beautifull! I saw this basket full of sweets in Battambang market and I really wanted to try one, but finally I thought it was better to take a picture, less fattening! then eating one!

"Renakse Hotel, Phnom Pehn"

I alreay a wrote a tip about it, but I wanted to put the picture on this kind of album! This place was amazing, silent, right in front of the royal palace of Phnom Pehn, cheap, clean and in a beautifull old building! You can pretend to be a king or a queen! Just got remember to reserve in advance! Is always full!

"Life on the river"

We met this kids during the trip from Battambang to Siem Reap, they were taking their father to catch the boat! Is like going to take the bus! In Cambodia there is so much water, so many river that they use so many boat!

"The shops on the river"

Always in the same river during the same trip, we have seen so many "shops" like this, they were wandering around to find some customers maybe swimming in the water!

"Obviously Angkor"

The faces of the demons taking care of the Angkor Thom! So misteriuos and serious! They have been there for so long time! Wish they could speak to tell us what has passed in front of their eyes!

"Road of Battambang"

It was a lot of fun having a ride around Battambang with the guides and their motorbike! All the people smiling us and we have seen so many beautifull places!

"I know is not a face but a backside (me)."

The main reason I went to Cambodia was to see Angkor, I really loved to wander around the temples just taking my time to see whatever I wanted to see. I really recomend to go there by yourself, I mean not in a group, with somebody telling you what to see and how much time to stay in a single place. Angkor is so big, there are so many temples and you got to take the right time to see things. I love to sit in the shadow reading about the history of the place and let my mind immagine what was visiting this temples whene they where alive....

"The sunset on the Mekong in Kratie"

Kratie is a little town on the way to Laos, on the Mekong. The dolphind lives here. I guess they choose this place because here the river is so big that seems is neverending, like the sea! Got to go.