Battambang Accommodation – Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse Review

We stayed nine glorious nights at Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse just on the outskirts of the town of Battambang in Cambodia. It was one of the better accommodation choices we have made thus far. It was clean and comfortable, and the family who runs it looked after us very well.

We took an air-conditioned room at Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse.

Contents

The Room

Our room had two distinct areas, the bedroom and the living area, separated by a divider. The divider was the perfect height to lean on.

The bedroom section had a comfortable firm queen sized bed. The bedding was pristine and smelt beautiful. Two fairly high pillows, a fitted bottom sheet and a thin but warm duvet / doona was provided. Unfortunately there was no top sheet which we do prefer so we can have something over us without getting too hot.

A simple cane corner shelf with three sections was in the bedroom area. It was enough to hold all of our little things. There is a power outlet near the bed. Being able to charge the phone overnight next to the bed is always handy.

The living area had a cane setting consisting of two comfortable cushioned chairs and a little coffee table. It would have been nice to be able to use the table for a desk but it wasn't the right height. We still sat in the chairs while we worked and watched television.

Cable TV had great reception and we were able to access many English language channels. Even thought the TV itself was small, it was set up high on the wall and movable. We were able to see the TV from bed and in the sitting area. We thought the wall divider might get in the way of the tv when laying in bed, but no, a little manoeuvring, and we were fine.

The air-conditioner worked very well. The room has open air vents up high on two sides of the room so air flowed through the room very well provided there was a breeze. We didn't need the air conditioner on all the time. It would have been nice to also have a fan on the wall in the sitting area so you don't need the air-conditioner just to get some air circulation.

A bar fridge was included in our nightly rate. We didn't use it but it's there if you purchase takeaway. There was a spare power point by the fridge. We received two free bottles of water daily.

Finally, we had a hat stand and a lockable wardrobe that had keys for us to use. Inside the wardrobe there was quite a few coat hangers. Nice. The room was decorated simply but beautifully. A mixture of plastic plants ran down the walls with vases of real plants along the walls and on the tables.

We received a map of the area to take with us and on the back of the door there was a coloured in depth map of Battambang province.

The Bathroom

Cold showers aren't for everybody. It certainly isn't for me first thing in the morning. For the rest of the day cold showers are fine. Andrew will happily have cold showers with no complaints. None of the rooms have a hot water system. Honestly, it really is only a problem first thing in the morning. I solved this problem by holding off on my morning shower until after breakfast.

Apart from the cold shower, the bathroom amenities were fine. The western toilet worked well, we received fresh toilet paper when we needed it. When we arrived there were two toothbrushes with toothpaste, two packets of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, and a couple of soaps to use. We automatically used the toothbrushes, and bought a bottle of body wash to use instead of the soaps. Not because we don's like soap but because we use the body wash to wash our clothes as well.

There was a shelf in the bathroom big and strong enough to hold some bathroom things and a mirror to look at yourself. A towel rack was hidden under the leafy wall decorations.

One thing to note about the bathroom is that it is open-roofed. This means that when you go to the bathroom, there is every chance that the person you are sharing the room with will be able to share the experience with you. Andrew and I didn't really have much of a problem with this. Just turn up the TV.

Breakfast

We're a big fan of staying places that include breakfast. This isn't entirely because we are lazy, which we mostly are. It's because we like to have one meal organised for us. One less thing to think about.

At Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse, the room included a Khmer breakfast every day. It turned out to be the best Khmer food we have had anywhere thus far. Every day we received something different.

One morning we ate a fresh noodle and vegetable dish that came with curry soup. Another day we had Khmer style omelette and fresh baguettes. We ate fried rice, soup, noodles. Delicious food. All washed down with big pots of Khmer green tea.

 

Digital Nomad Friendly

Since we work location independently, we need to stay at places that are digitally nomad friendly.

Work Locations

Unfortunately our room wasn't particularly digital nomad friendly. We did have comfy chairs to sit on and a table to use however the table wasn't high enough to use as a desk. We would often move from chair to bed and back again when working in our room.

There was enough power points in the room to power our IT equipment. One power point near the bed and one near the fridge near the table and chairs.

Outside of the room, we had a gazebo to work in. Other guests at the guesthouse started calling it our office. The gazebo is where we would have breakfast and then spend some of the morning working. The gazebo had a little fan attached to the roof to keep the air moving. It also had a light if you wanted to sit out there at night.

There was a power point on the wall near the gazebo but not quite close enough. We borrowed an extension cord from a long term tenant.

wifi / internet

There is nothing like being able to access really healthy Internet. We were certainly spoilt here. The Internet did go down for a few hours once but came back just as fast. No ports were not blocked, the wifi signal was sensational and we were able to upload and download perfectly. Skype worked beautifully too.

Video

Amenities

Kun and his family have thought of everything. When we contacted Kun and booked the room he organised for a tuk tuk to be waiting for us at the bus station. Every hotel, hostel, guesthouse and homestay should offer this service.

The guesthouse has push bikes for guests to use. They were well kept, clean and the brakes worked fine. We were given locks and keys to be able to lock up our bikes when we went into town.

The homestay is in a gated community. There is a bell to press out the front and one of the family members will come out and unlock the gate for you. It felt very safe.

Services

Along with providing an awesome place to stay, Kun and his family were happy to advise you of anything you wanted to know about Battambang. They organised a pick up at the bus station for us.

We also asked Kun to contact a tuk tuk driver so that we could go on a tour of Battambang. The driver suggested for us spoke incredible English which helped with the tour a lot.

Kun also organised our bus tickets from Battambang to Phnom Penh and a tuk tuk to take us to the bus station.

The guest house will lend you a bicycle during your stay but can help you rent a motorbike if you prefer.

For long term guests, you can use the kitchen areas. Just sort out some kitchen gear and you will be all set.

 

Location

The location of Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse is far enough from town to be quiet, rural and pretty, but close enough to town to be able to enjoy the city well enough.

It took about 30 minutes to walk into Battambang city. It's a lovely walk past local people leading their everyday lives. It takes about 10 minutes on a bicycle. A good healthy ride.

There aren't any restaurants nearby really. There are a few little places a few blocks away, otherwise you can get food take away and eat it in the complex. We just ate lunch and dinner in town.

Details

Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse can only be booked via their website – email or phone.
Website: bbmhguesthouse.com
Email: bbmh.guesthouse@yahoo.com
Phone: +855 12 30 02 49

Costs:
Air Conditioned Room – $13 USD per night or around $300 USD per month (includes electricity and water)
Fan Room – $7 USD per night or around $100 USD per month (includes electricity and water)

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