Sokha Phnom Penh hotel – A review

There are hundreds of hotels in the city ranging from the luxury of Raffles to central, budget hotels costing £1 per night. If you’ve never been lucky enough to stay in 5* luxury, Cambodia is the place to do it as most hotels are within an affordable price range. I chose to stay on the opposite side of the Tonle Sap River to the Royal Palace, allowing my stay to be both cheap and in a great location.

Have you ever stayed in a hotel which actively bans Durian from entering? No me either, until I stayed in Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel. Unique little quirks are what I love about staying in many different brands of hotels while travelling.

Location

Personally, I found the location of this hotel to be perfect because it was far enough away from the centre, whilst not being too far away from the cities main attractions. There are two options to get into the centre of Phnom Penh, I used a bus because I was on a trip. Though traffic in Phnom Penh is no joke, and a short trip can take a lot longer than initially planned. There is also a shuttle bus into the city centre from the hotel, and staff in the hotel are able to organise taxis and transport . But outside the hotel, there is the option to take a boat across the river to the Royal Palace for $0.20. I think this would have been a great way to experience the city like a local (but we all know I’ll take any excuse to go on a boat).

I was glad to be away from the city centre as I like to be able to relax, this hotel was the best as I didn’t feel like I had to travel miles to get into the city, yet the river separating us allowed me to relax fully. This hotel is a world away from the chaotic downtown area, I felt it was the only place I could fully relax during my time in the capital because of all of the scary stories I had heard.

The Room

Weirdly the hotel appeared to be empty when I arrived, except for the crew of a Korean Air flight. This had its perks as I was given a deluxe room on the 15th floor. The room was absolutely huge and so luxurious, with everything I could have needed during my stay. At first, I thought I had been given a free upgrade. I can’t imagine how nice the suites and club rooms are in this hotel. The room was so nice, it was almost a shame to go out and explore.

I had an incredible amount of space in my room, with a corridor separating the beds from the entrance. The separation ensured I had a really quiet room, perfect for a peaceful nights sleep. My room had a king sized bed for me and a rollaway bed for my photographer. Each bed was incredibly comfortable and the hotel also offers a turndown service (I didn’t use this service). My room had blackout curtains to block out the early morning sunrise, but I thought it was a shame to block out such an incredible view of the city.

I was glad to see the room had a table and chairs near the window so I could enjoy the view with a cup of tea. The room had a fully stocked tray of complimentary tea, coffee and bottles of water on top of the fully stocked minibar (paid). The in-room flat screen television welcomed us to the hotel with a kind message, I thought this was a lovely touch from the staff. The aircon was powerful and also very quiet, almost to a point that I forgot it was on during my stay. I was grateful for this because rainy season in Cambodia comes with a side dish of stifling humidity.

I also had a full sized dressing table/ workspace which came complete with a calendar. The in room safe was a god send whilst in Phnom Penh as there is a very high rate of pickpocketing (I don’t want to moan but take as little as possible onto the streets). The wardrobe was massive, just smaller than a walk in wardrobe, and a great place to store my photographer overnight (they could actually do the macarena in it comfortably). Although, I only stayed here for one night, it was nice to have the space to unpack my backpack and reorganise it properly. The room was huge and had flat wooden floors throughout making it accessible for everyone, there was also enough space in the room to use a wheelchair or mobility aide (this includes the bathroom).

The hotel gifted me a small box of toiletries which was really helpful since a certain photographer forgot to bring their hairbrush to Asia (I’m not mentioning any names). I also received a huge bottle of water which was needed after exploring the city in the stifling heat.

Standard rooms cost between £50-£100 per night, making 5* luxury extremely affordable in Cambodia (I found Sokha Phnom Penh to be cheaper than some budget hotels).

The bathroom

My Photographer would like to rate the bathtub 10/10. I would like to agree as I had a spa-like experience in the bathroom. The bathroom itself was big enough to have a party in, I thought the Sheraton was big but this one was three times the size!

I loved the décor of the room which made it feel like a Thai spa. I had a full sized roll top bath and a separate rainfall shower. I love it when hotels have the shower and the bath separate as it makes the shower a lot more accessible for those who struggle with mobility.

I loved the addition of the Japanese toilet because I like pressing all of the buttons so it can sing. Weirdly there was a telephone next to the toilet, as a dinosaur I did not understand this but I guess it is a luxury some humans like to have.

The view

Normally I would review the balcony but I didn’t have one. Instead I had an incredible view looking out over Phnom Penh – I could even see the Royal Palace. Not only could I watch Phnom Penh’s skyline shimmering at night, I could also watch the boats floating past on not one but two separate rivers. I loved seeing the brightly coloured dinner cruises float by. Honestly, I could have sat at the window for several hours just watching the world go by.

The hotel is in a horseshoe shape but my room was not overlooked at all, the buildings surrounding the hotel are all low rise so my view was unobstructed and I wasn’t looking into anyone’s house or balcony. Complete privacy was a lovely feeling as I wasn’t worried that other people would think I was staring at them from my hotel room. There was so many rooms available, and I think every one of them came with a beautiful view.

Dining

Breakfast was delightful, and was a buffet style affair with Khmer, Asian and Western options. I really enjoy Asian food, but was more than happy to have a few pieces off an English fry up, followed by a pastry for breakfast. The hotel has a whole host of restaurants but it was so quiet in the hotel, most appeared to be closed.

Out if all the bars and restaurants, I did try out the rooftop bar so I could drink coffee whilst watching the sun set over the city. I will admit the hotel needs to work on the coffee presentation because I was expecting something as beautiful as the one from Victoria Chau Doc Hotel. Though it is worth coming to the rooftop bar just to see the view, and I was overjoyed to find that I could practically do a full circle of the roof to get a panoramic view of the city below.

I am just disappointed that I couldn’t try out more of the hotels eateries during my stay, the Japanese restaurant looked incredible. Staying in the hotel for only one night meant I had to make a hard decision. Whilst I am glad I experienced Phnom Penh at night, I also wish I had stayed in the hotel to make the most of their dining options. A human who I travelled with ate at one of the hotel’s restaurants and could not recommend it enough.

Facilities

The swimming pool was absolutely huge, and there was no one using it during my stay. If I had enough time, I would have definitely tried out the slide! Sokha Phnom Penh is basically a mini-resort and has a gym, spa, shops, and a karaoke room so you don’t need to leave unless you have to.

The hotel also has a heliport, for when you want to bypass the cities traffic on the way from the airport. I didn’t spot a helicopter during my stay, but the hotel is so big and private, I could have been staying in the same hotel as a huge celebrity and would never have known.

The hotel had complimentary Wi-Fi which was really fast and I managed to stay connected to it in all areas of the hotel I visited.

The hotel lifts came with wheelchair accessible buttons and enough space to fit in lots of humans. I found this to be one of the most accessible hotels I have visited in Asia. There is the option of an adapted room, but I don’t think it’s needed with the great layout of the hotel.

Overall

This hotel is incredible but also reminded me of the sad truth of the after effects of COVID. Many rooms stand empty, and if it wasn’t for the cabin crew and business travellers I don’t think anyone would be staying here. Yes, the hotel is slightly dated by western luxury standards but it I don’t think it should be compared to UK or American standards (some of the trip advisor reviews were quite amusing). I like how they tied modern with traditional Cambodian designs, especially the huge dome shaped entrance lobby.

I would definitely recommend the Sokha hotel chain for anyone travelling to Cambodia and would not hesitate to stay at their hotel in Phnom Penh again.