The River Lodge

The tours Mika arranged made the stay especially easy. On the first afternoon, our driver took us to the pepper and salt farms, then to Kep beach for a tasty seafood dinner. The next day we did a full Bokor National Park tour, which was fun and informative, and finished with a beautiful night boat cruise where we met lots of cool people. It may not get much attention, but I thought it was underrated. Mika took care of everything, so we felt in good hands. The river views are gorgeous, and River Lodge is a great place to book a private room for very little money. It was clean, and Mika was a hospitable host. There’s also a bar with a pool table for passing the time. We liked the setting on the far side of the river, peaceful after Phnom Penh, while still being near the riverfront activity. Kampot itself is a sleepy town compared with Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, but the three of us ended up loving it, with Mika’s place a big part of that. At night we enjoyed drinks at the bar, then went next door to Dragon Club. It seemed like Kampot’s liveliest spot, and it was packed with locals both nights we went, including, I think, a Friday. Drinks were dirt cheap and we had a lot of fun dancing the night away.