Phnom Penh

I was there in 2012 so I am sure things have changed. I was only there for two nights but could have easily stayed for more. I can't remember the name of the hotel but we were close to the river and where the Night Market it held. We arranged for a tuk tuk driver for the day. He took us to the Genocide Museum and Center, Russian and Central Market. It was around $15 USD to have him for the day. I really loved the markets and the Genocide Center and Museum are must see's. We really loved the night market too, it was a wonderful and cheap way to spend the evening and the food was really good too! Didn't see any of the temples as by that time we were templed out.

I remember watching Anthony Bourdain's show and he would say that in South East Asia the best places to eat where the small restaurants with those cheaper plastic chairs and tables outside. I would have to agree and we were never disappointed. Some of the best meals were at those places and rarely cost me over 5 dollars and that included a beer.

We were there last September. We were there as volunteers to help a school that was doubling in size, so we spent most of our time out at the village. But, we did stay the last two nights in Phnom Penh at the Dyvith Hotel. The room was very nice, and they have a spa and large swimming pool, etc. The breakfast on the top floor was excellent with many international options.

In Phnom Penh, we went to the Genocide Museum, the Russian Market and we took a 2-hr leisure boat ride late afternoon on the river. Sorry, I can’t remember any names of restaurants since I didn’t need to help in the planning of the itinerary for this trip.

I'd add the National Museum - it's gorgeous - particularly the exterior design and gardens. The interior is interesting and nicely laid out. I'd recommend a sunset boat trip, also - you see life on the river plus the silhouette of the temples against the sky is lovely. I'd skip the FCC - we found it noisy and underwhelming, though friends of ours enjoyed having a drink there. We took a 2 hour trip to Phnom Chisor, which is an ancient Khymer temple on a mountain top - a bit of a sweaty climb up, but interesting with expansive views.

Spent a couple of nights there on a river cruise (which was wonderful) some years ago. We took tuk tuks to the Royal Palace which has some wonderful gardens and pagodas, the National Museum and a then tour around Phnom Penh to see some of the French colonial buildings. We visited the Killing Fields Mausoleum and burial sites as well as the Genocide Museum. A very sobering experience. The first night we had a really enjoyable show put on by a youth dance group, unfortunately don’t remember their name.