Where to stay in Cambodia: bases, room types and six nights

The six-night starting point

For seven days, keep the route simple: Siem Reap nights 1–4, Phnom Penh nights 5–6, departure on day 7. The dated room model below arrives in Siem Reap on 16 November 2026, moves on 20 November and checks out of Phnom Penh on 22 November. There is one intercity hotel move; Kampot, Kep and the islands are alternatives, not extra nights hidden inside the plan.

Use the first Siem Reap full day for Mad Monkey’s guided Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm sunrise tour, the second for a Big Circuit return outing and the third for a slower town day. This is why the room base matters: you return to it after each outing. Take the daytime bus to Phnom Penh on day 5, leaving day 6 for the city and day 7 for departure.

The lowest room total is not always the best choice. A private room at a party hostel still shares the property’s evening atmosphere; a riverside suite buys a different setting. Decide whether you need twin beds, an ensuite bathroom, quieter evenings or a balcony before comparing rates.

Siem Reap: central streets or the road towards Angkor

Central Siem Reap is the straightforward choice for eating in town after the temples. Mad Monkey is on Rose Apple Road and describes itself as a social hostel with pool events, a bar and private rooms as well as dorms. Its Superior Double sleeps two in one double bed and has an ensuite bathroom. Choose it for a social stay; a private bathroom does not turn the property into a quiet retreat. For evenings, central town puts the Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street into the same city outing: Grab groups these with King’s Road Angkor in its City Center service area. Choose the centre when browsing and eating after the temples matter more than remaining at the hotel.

Preah Sihanouk Avenue is a concrete hotel alternative on the road towards Angkor Wat. Tara Angkor Hotel places itself on this avenue. Its Studio Double has one double bed; its Studio Twin has two single beds. Both are described as rooms for one or two guests, with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a hot-water shower. This is a useful distinction for friends who want separate beds rather than assuming a room called “double” can be changed into a twin. That road-side base suits a hotel-first evening and a planned ride into the market-and-Pub-Street area. It does not remove the need for a vehicle to Angkor: the museum and town are different outings from the archaeological park. For the dated four-night hotel example, the hotel’s own public offer priced an Executive Suite for two adults at US$579.15 for 16–20 November, including breakfast, all tax and service charges. This 57-square-metre suite is a higher tier than the hostel private room and costs more; the sunrise tour leaves from Mad Monkey’s lobby, so you need a ride there.

Temple-road accommodation is still a Siem Reap base, not a room inside Angkor Wat. Book the temple transport around the actual hotel address. For either area, check whether breakfast is available early enough for the outing: a dawn collection and a normal restaurant breakfast are different arrangements. Arrange the airport transfer separately when reserving the room.

Phnom Penh: river-facing suites or a central social stay

The riverside suits a stay built around the water and a room you want to spend time in. Amanjaya Pancam places its hotel beside the Tonle Sap and Mekong. Its Junior Suite has a king-size bed, lounge area and private balcony in 45 square metres. The bed type is clear, but the room page does not supply a maximum guest count; book the actual party rather than assuming a sofa is an additional bed. For the area around the palace, add Street 240: Cambodia Tourism Board describes its cafés, wine bars and craft shops behind the Royal Palace and names the National Museum nearby. A riverside base makes the riverfront and this palace-and-museum cluster the organising theme of the stay.

BKK1 is the alternative in the six-night price model. Mad Monkey describes its Phnom Penh property as being in BKK1 and gives the address 32 Oknha Pich Street (242). It advertises a beer garden, swimming pool, restaurant and bar, plus an evening social programme. Its Standard Double sleeps two in one double bed with an ensuite bathroom. The model combines the Tara Angkor suite with this lower-cost private hostel room; it is a comparison of two different accommodation styles, rather than a single hotel tier.

For the BKK1 area itself, the national tourism portal highlights quiet streets, coffee and mid-range boutique hotels. Choose it when you want meals and café time around your room, then use city rides for the palace-and-museum outing. By the river, build the day around the waterfront, palace and Street 240 instead; the same portal describes Sisowath Quay as convenient and loud. Compare that evening setting with BKK1’s quieter streets before choosing the room. Give 32 Oknha Pich Street (242) as Mad Monkey’s address when ordering a ride.

A different hotel tier is JD Polman in Sen Sok, at No.1688, Street GuangDong (Street 92). Its published 2026 walk-in tariff lists the Superior Double with Balcony at US$70 per room per night, standard occupancy two, one 1.8-metre-wide double bed and 32 square metres. Tax and two breakfasts per night are included. Applying that tariff to 20–22 November gives 2 × US$70 = US$140 for two nights, compared with Mad Monkey’s US$70 for the same two nights, where taxes and breakfast are not included. This is the hotel’s published 2026 tariff. Sen Sok changes the location choice: choose it for the hotel room and facilities, and plan city rides rather than treating it as a riverside or BKK1 address.

Kampot riverside and Kep’s coastal villas

Kampot riverside is the mainland option when the riverfront is the point of the stay. Rikitikitavi is on Riverside Road, with a terrace restaurant overlooking the river and mountains. Its rooms are in a historic wooden-framed rice barn. The Double has a king-size bed; the Twin has two queen-size beds. The Family layout has a king-size bed and two single beds, interconnected bedrooms and a shared ensuite bathroom. Bed counts describe the layout, not an automatic occupancy allowance.

Rikitikitavi lists breakfast among its hotel amenities. Check the selected rate’s inclusion and guest allowance when booking; it publishes no nightly rate for these rooms, so it is not in the budget. The Superior rooms put the bedroom on a mezzanine reached by stairs, which matters more than a decorative photograph if stairs are difficult for you.

Kep coast offers a different stay from the Kampot riverfront. Knai Bang Chatt has rooms in restored villas, with garden and sea outlooks. Its Suite occupies a second floor reached by a spiral staircase and has a private ocean terrace. A Twin room shares a private terrace with a Superior Double. Choose the exact room arrangement for your party rather than booking the broad “villa” label.

For these alternatives, start with the room and the transport stop together. Giant Ibis’s dated Phnom Penh–Kampot example takes four hours to Street 724 near ABA Bank; its Kep example takes four hours ten minutes to Ponleu Chne Trachak Chet Kep Ville, Phum Thmey, Prey Thum. A riverside or coastal room can still need a local ride from that stop. These overnight alternatives and their return journeys are outside the six-night budget.

Koh Rong and Samloem: choose the landing beach first

On Koh Rong, Koh Touch is the settlement-and-evening option: ASEAN’s tourism guide describes bars, guesthouses and eateries around its beach. Long Set is the longer beach-stay choice. Mad Monkey identifies its beachfront property as Long Set, also called 4K Beach, and directs guests to Long Set Pier. Its Superior Bungalow sleeps two in a double bed with an ensuite bathroom. Its bar and evening events are a reminder that a Long Set room can still be social; choose the actual property’s atmosphere, not a blanket promise that the whole beach is quiet.

For a Koh Touch room, select the ticket’s Koh Touch landing; for Mad Monkey’s Long Set stay, use Long Set Pier. The named GTVC Long Set example in the transfer section below is longer than the general Community Pier crossing. Keeping the landing beach with the hotel reservation avoids arriving at the wrong settlement with luggage.

On Koh Rong Samloem, compare a village-front stay with a self-contained beach retreat. Beach House Cambodia places itself in M’Pai Bay village, with beachfront accommodation and a sunrise-facing setting. Its own arrival instructions finish at M’Pai Bay pier, then turn right and walk 100 metres along the sand. That is useful for a village stay, but matters if rolling luggage is difficult. Its guide names GTVC and BuvaSea as arrival options and warns that a generic Samloem ticket may instead land at Saracen Bay; get the M’Pai Bay service for this room.

Lazy Beach offers another Samloem style: its own sandy beach, a laid-back bar and restaurant, with jungle around the property. It suits an evening based at the property rather than in the village. GTVC does not list a Lazy Beach landing, so ask the resort for its boat arrangements before booking a ticket. Saracen Bay/Orchid Resort–GTVC is a different arrival area, with the specific service priced below. Neither that arrival nor an island-name ticket includes every final hotel connection. Keep the island return separate from the flight home.

Transfers that change the room decision

For Siem Reap, use Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI). Book the Bangkok–Siem Reap leg by air.

On 15 October 2026, Siem Reap Airport Bus listed US$8 each way between Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and its town stop on 7 Makara Road in front of ACE School. The airport counter is on the left after leaving arrivals. Book on the operator’s website.

For the dated room model, use Royal Angkor Tours’ private SAI transfer directly to the Siem Reap hotel. Its own transfer page lists US$45 one way for a car carrying one to three passengers, including driver, vehicle, bottled water and hotel drop-off. Its KTI service for the final Phnom Penh hotel-to-airport leg is US$35 plus the mandatory US$20 KTI car surcharge: US$55 one way for one to three passengers. Book each one-way car on its own transfer page with the date, flight and hotel address. Both services advertise availability around the clock and free cancellation until 48 hours before pickup.

For the model move on 20 November 2026, Giant Ibis’s booking results listed the 08:45 Siem Reap–Phnom Penh Universe Luxury service, arriving at 14:45: a scheduled six hours. Boarding is Behind Old Stadium, Khmer Pub Street; arrival is Road 106, Sangkat Doun Penh, Khan Doun Penh. The fare was US$17 per seat, plus its US$1 online service charge per passenger, giving US$36 for two. In Phnom Penh, Grab’s published two-hour GrabTukTuk Rent package is KHR32,000 for a three-seater within the city; it is an app-only hire and must finish by 20:00. Use it for the Road 106 arrival-to-hotel connection, with the route agreed before starting. Toll and parking fees are extra; overtime is KHR150 per minute with a minimum one-hour extension.

Book Giant Ibis directly on its website, choose your departure and seat, and check the fare for your date before paying. Siem Reap Airport Bus publishes no journey time for the airport run; the airport operator places SAI 50 km from Siem Reap provincial town; allow for that road transfer.

For Phnom Penh, book flights to Techo International Airport (KTI), which took over major airline services from the old Phnom Penh airport in September 2025. From Bangkok, travel by air.

Techo International Airport’s own transport page places KTI approximately 20 km south of Phnom Penh city centre and names Grab, WowNow and PassApp alongside official taxis. The model uses the prearranged US$55 Royal Angkor Tours door-to-door departure transfer above. The Siem Reap airport bus remains a lower-priced alternative: choose a departure and use its free town-station-to-hotel drop-off only if the hotel is within 2 km; the model uses the private car instead.

GTVC runs scheduled speedboats between Sihanoukville and Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem. Book through its website or Sihanoukville office. Weather and demand can change the schedule.

For the named beaches, GTVC’s results checked on 15 October for 22 October 2026 listed Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Gate 1 → Long Set Pier at 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00, taking 50 minutes, and Gate 1 → Koh Rong Samloem, Orchid Resort–GTVC at those same times, taking 30 minutes. Both examples listed adult tickets in USD at US$17 one way or US$30 return. These are dated fare-and-timetable examples; choose your travel date on GTVC’s booking page and select the named pier.

The main operators for these crossings are GTVC, booked on its website or at its Sihanoukville office, and BuvaSea, booked at buvasea.com; Beach House Cambodia names both for M’Pai Bay. BuvaSea’s fares are not listed here. Neither operator publishes a separate pier fee, and the island crossings are outside the six-night total.

Be at the pier 30 minutes before departure. GTVC includes one bag up to 20 kg. Return tickets are open-dated: arrange the return at its counter or pier. If bad weather prevents the departure, GTVC says it refunds the ticket.

Meals near the two city stays

For the default route, eat in Siem Reap on the four temple-and-town evenings, then Phnom Penh for the last two. HAVEN’s amok and sour soup give two different Khmer dishes in Siem Reap; Malis’s beef lok lak and saraman give another pair in the capital. These are named menu dishes, rather than assumptions about a hotel restaurant.

On 15 October 2026, HAVEN listed amok at US$7.50 and somlor m’chou kroeung at US$6.75, including 10% VAT and with no service charge. Malis Phnom Penh’s linked menu listed beef lok lak at US$13 and saraman beef at US$21; that menu did not state a tax or service-charge basis.

SPOONS is another Siem Reap meal option in the model: its breakfast menu lists num banh chok at US$3.50 and beef kuy teav at US$3.25, while its main menu lists beef saraman at US$8.99 and turk kroeung at US$7.95. Breakfast is 07:00–11:00 daily, so the first sunrise outing uses the tour’s separately ordered breakfast box. SPOONS’ menu gives no tax or service-charge basis. Tell the restaurant about allergies when ordering.

A six-night model for two: US$1,157.53 plus KHR32,000

This 16–22 November 2026 model for two adults was checked on 15 October. It combines Tara Angkor’s Executive Suite, 16–20 November, US$579.15 for four nights with breakfast, all tax and service charges, with Mad Monkey Phnom Penh’s Standard Double, 20–22 November, US$70 for two nights, the hotel’s own rate. The hostel room sleeps two and has an ensuite bathroom; Mad Monkey’s taxes and breakfast are not included. The two room amounts add up to US$649.15. The model deliberately combines a hotel suite with a private hostel room.

Main travel: Royal Angkor Tours’ SAI-to-hotel car US$45 + Giant Ibis Siem Reap–Phnom Penh at 2 × (US$17 + US$1) = US$36 + the Phnom Penh hotel-to-KTI car at US$35 + US$20 surcharge = US$55: US$136. Add KHR32,000 for the two-hour GrabTukTuk city hire used from the Phnom Penh bus stop to the hotel. The package takes two adults in a three-seater.

On 15 October 2026, Angkor Enterprise listed an Angkor pass at US$37 for one day, US$62 for three visiting days with expiry in seven days, or US$72 for seven visiting days with expiry in 30 days.

Two temple days: two three-day passes cost 2 × US$62 = US$124, less than buying a one-day pass twice. The first day uses Mad Monkey’s sunrise tour at 2 × US$18 = US$36, including guide, transport, water, lunch and a drink on return; its breakfast boxes add 2 × US$6 = US$12. The second uses Angkor Friendly Driver’s Big Circuit Option 1 car at US$50 per vehicle for up to three passengers, including hotel pickup and return, fuel, parking, water and towels. An English-speaking temple guide for that car day is an optional US$50. The budget includes the driver and car, not that optional guide.

Meals: two HAVEN dinners for two, one amok and one sour soup each evening, cost 2 × (US$7.50 + US$6.75) = US$28.50. Two SPOONS dinners, one saraman and one turk kroeung each evening, cost 2 × (US$8.99 + US$7.95) = US$33.88. Tara Angkor breakfasts are included in the room rate; the separately priced sunrise breakfast boxes are retained for the dawn departure. Two Malis dinners of one lok lak and one saraman each cost 2 × (US$13 + US$21) = US$68; two breakfasts for two of its US$5 Khmer rice noodle soup and US$5 grilled pork rice cost 2 × (US$5 + US$5) = US$20. These priced meals total US$150.38, with the sunrise breakfast boxes counted above.

Trip subtotal: US$1,157.53 + KHR32,000 for two, calculated as US$649.15 room components + US$136 main travel + US$124 passes + US$36 sunrise tour + US$12 breakfast boxes + US$50 Big Circuit car + US$150.38 other meals, plus the separate KHR32,000 Grab hire. Keep US dollars and riel separate. The sunrise tour leaves Mad Monkey’s lobby at 04:15; the Big Circuit car collects from the hotel at 08:30 and returns around 15:00.

Not included: Mad Monkey Phnom Penh’s taxes and breakfast; local rides with no published fare (Tara Angkor to the Siem Reap bus stop, Tara Angkor to Mad Monkey for the 04:15 sunrise departure, and other town rides); parking, tolls and overtime on the Grab hire; four other full-day lunches and meals on arrival or departure; extra drinks; the optional temple guide and Phnom Penh admissions; flights, visas and insurance. No coast, ferry or island-room cost is in this total; those alternatives need their own room-and-transport total.