Hotel Old Cinema
We had ordered a taxi to Kampot, a 20 min drive, however, the taxi could not arrive until noon. We were in a rural area and taxi availability was not the same as in big cities. The ride was indeed short and hassle-free. We immediately saw upon entering Kampot that it looked like a nice town, much more relaxed than Phnom Penh and a bit more lively than Kep. The traffic was not so hectic.
We had made reservations at the Hotel Old Cinema, a vintage boutique hotel that had opened 6 months earlier. The owners were a Dutch-French couple, Bas and Pauline. The welcome was very friendly, the hotel itself stunning and the rooms pretty and comfortable. The restaurant was so good that we ate there several times during our stay. In one word, the hotel is a real ‘gem’.
Discovery of Kampot
After having dropped our luggage in the room, we started with the exploration of the town, which at first sight was very charming. We stopped at the Epic Arts Café for lunch, it is part of a charity for people with disabilities. We tried the apple-carrot-ginger shake, very healthy! After having done the tour of the town, we returned to the hotel and decided to have dinner there.
Dinner @ Hotel Old Cinema
There was a choice between different platters to share as well as a selection of main courses. We decided on the ‘Kampot’ platter, which contained grilled shrimps and squid, caramelised pork, mango salad, chicken and beef skewers, crab meatballs and rice. As mains we chose a burger and chill con carne. Everything was super delicious !
The next morning, we started with a fantastic breakfast. Koen opted for the healthy version containing a fruit salad, yoghurt and granola. I chose the ‘full’ option with pancakes. Both of the selections were very tasty.
Bokor Mountain
The day before, Bas had arranged a tuk tuk for our visit to Bokor Mountain. He had recommended the white tuk-tuk because those with motorcycles had serious difficulties to get up the mountain.Lim, our driver, picked us up at 9:30 am and as always the drivers are very well on time.The mountain, apparently had some very nice views in store for us together with a number of abandoned buildings, an old church, a buddha and a pagoda site.
Statue of Yeay Mao at Bokor Mountain
On our way up, we indeed enjoyed some beautiful views of Kampot and surroundings. We also came across a few stranded cars… After 30 minutes, we reached our first stop of the day, a female Buddha, who apparently is the keeper of fishermen and tourists. It is the statue of Yeay Mao.
Black Palace at Broker Mountain
After walking down the stairs and crossing the road, we came across several abandoned buildings of the Black Palace, occasionally decorated with graffiti. It is a pity that it is not maintained a bit better.
Bokor Mountain under development
We also noticed that Bokor Mountain was “under development”. It would not take very long before several resorts would occupy that area. The view is actually a bit destroyed by the construction of houses and buildings… the charm will be fully lost in a few years…
Wat Sampov Pram at Brokor Mountain
We drove further up the mountain and arrived at the Wat Sampov Pram Pagoda. Also here were ugly buildings surrounding it. The site was not in a very good condition, such a shame.Then we drove to the Bokor Hill hotel, the building was completely renovated but it seemed very empty. It certainly would have looked more charming in the previous state.
Catholic Church at Broker Mountain
A bit further downhill, we came across a Catholic church. At the back of the hill there must be a fantastic viewpoint, but unfortunately, we were completely in the clouds so no view for us.
Bokor Hill Station & King’s Villa at Bokor Mountain
The last stop of today were the Bokor Hill Station and the King’s Villa where we spot some artful graffiti.
All in all, a very nice trip. We were happy that we chose the tuk tuk option instead of a car.
Kampot by Night
Dinner at Rikitikitavi
Next, Kampot by night! We decided to visit an address that was first on our accommodation list. At Rikitikitavi (name comes from R. Kipling’s eponymous short story), we had the possibility to drink tasty cocktails and eat kmer dishes and this with a view of the river. The business belongs to a British-Dutch couple.
We were lucky and got a place with river view. Just too late for happy hour it seemed, but Koen still gets 2 mojitos for the price of 1 (4 usd !!!). The food was very tasty! So also an address to put on your list when traveling this way …
Evening stroll in Kampot
After dinner we went for a walk to compensate for the extra kilos. The riverwalk is decorated with lights and so are the bridges. There are food stalls everywhere and the restaurants seemed to have many customers. We even ran into a wedding! The party tents were put in the middle of the street. There was a lot of ambiance.
This was a very nice ending to our Kampot trip. We had to pack our bags because we were leaving for the Cardamom Mountains in the morning (hopefully we would spot some wildlife, a tiger would be too much to ask for…).
