La Residence WatBo Hotel

We were here for three nights on our honeymoon trip around Southeast Asia, and it was one of the best hotels we stayed in. The staff were so friendly and kind, always smiling and ready to help. The cleaning ladies were careful and thorough, and we'd return to a tidy room. I have nothing but good things to say and can confidently recommend this hotel to everyone.

We deeply regret choosing this hotel. We paid $44 a night, and the room was filthy, with equipment that seemed to date back to the Angkorian period. There was a moldy smell and large spiders. The water in the second pool was brown, like the Mekong River. At night, guests drank alcohol until very late without staff intervening. Then children were screaming in the pool at 7 a.m. The worst hotel on the planet.

We noticed La Residence while passing back and forth from our hotel, went in for a look, and liked it enough to book the next night. We'd accidentally booked two hotels for the same night and couldn't change the dates on Booking.com, but La Residence kindly moved our booking, so we added another two nights. On our check-in day, we had an early temple tour, and reception held our bags until we came back that evening. Our room was at the end of the first-floor corridor. It was roomy and well laid out, with big windows and a balcony overlooking the pretty pool. We enjoyed dinner there too. The US$46 nightly rate included breakfast: a pleasant buffet with fresh fruit, juices, coffee and tea, baguettes and pastries, salads, ham, bacon, eggs fried fresh, other cooked dishes, and yoghurt. There were lots of mosquitoes around Cambodia, and this hotel had them too. They didn't want us to burn mosquito coils, but provided an effective spray instead. When we went out, we left the key at reception and came back to a tidied room. They also did our laundry for US$2.50 per kg.

I fell in love with the place. The spacious room, food, facilities, and general vibe were all amazing. We stayed three nights but didn't get a chance to swim. Still, the big pools were lovely just to look at. It's away from the bustle, but Pub Street is still within a comfortable walk. I'd highly recommend staying here.