Hotel Review: Cambodia: Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh

Never mind the dusty construction on the riverfront, the sputtering "motodups" (Cambodia's version of the motorcycle taxi) and the constant haranguing of drivers and table-to-table book sellers in other parts of the city. The noisy, if compelling, chaos of Cambodia's capital is quickly forgotten here under the fanned palms of the opulent Le Royal, the most sedate hideaway in the whole city and the most comforting, its simple splendour liable to swallow one up. Located away from waterfront's hustle bustle in the former European Quarter, not far from the city's namesake stupa -- the hilltop Phnom Wat – Le Royal, the undisputed grande dame of Phnom Penh evokes colonial Cambodia when the French were charmed by this land of pepper, coffee, rubber and the magical ruins of Angkor War, so taken by the exotic locale that that they roped it (along with Vietnam) into French Indochina, never wanting to leave, although finally granting independence in 1953.

With a décor of pale yellows and dark woods – set off by gleaming black and white tiles -- the gardened hotel of high ceilings, subtle chandeliers and sweeping wood staircases that opened in 1929 (an event so important it was attended by King Monivong himself and the jazz band of then-Prince Sihanouk played for the occasion) fittingly was designed by a Frenchman who doubled as Phnom Penh’s urban planner, creating a city of tree-lined boulevards and columned mansions, little of which now remains after years of carpet-bombing and shelling – save for this fine testimony of understated elegance. Once sleeping grounds for celebrities from Charlie Chaplin to Somerset Maugham, Charles de Gaulle to Jackie Kennedy – for whom a special champagne cocktail (the raspberry and cognac-spiked Femme Chic, which came in a specially-designed fluted glass) was created for her 1967 visit – the hotel is now a property of Singapore-headquartered Raffles, which runs a ritzy sister operation Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap; Raffles laudably kept an eye to preserving the old-fashioned glamour of this beauty, from the clawfoot tubs and original light fixtures to the oval murals of pachyderms in the ever-popular Elephant Bar, a favorite haunt of ambassadors and journalists who once hunkered down in the hotel to cover war-torn Southeast Asia of the 1970s, but now pack in for the happy hour when the sound of live piano fills the room and trays are loaded with the Singapore Slings invented in the Raffles Singapore and the Million Dollar Cocktails immortalized by Somerset Maugham.

The swimming pool that spreads out under palms in the back courtyard is a leisurely focus of activity – although less frenetic than the early days when it was populated by monkeys – but don't overlook the outlet of chic and surprisingly affordable fashions designed by Cambodian fashion goddess Romyda Keth, whose boutiques are found in exclusive locales from Paris to Tokyo. And while whiling away the hours, you won't go hungry, whether dining at the mind-boggling buffets at Café Monivong for lunch and breakfast (you can wake up to noodles, dim sum, seafood, cheeses, health drinks and/or flaky pastries) or opting for the Burgundian tasting menu of delicacies – or perhaps the duck served tableside -- in the elaborately muraled Restaurant Le Royal that's regarded by many as the city's finest French fare; even the on-site gift store sells a dozen varieties of fresh and fabulously chewy bread and a decent selection of wine. Grab a loaf, a bottle and order the plate of French cheese from room service, and picnic on your balcony – perhaps in the comfy Cambodian print robe, after a long soak in that clawfoot tub. Here in the eye of Phnom Penh's hurricane, it's just too easy to get lost in the sweetly luxurious past.

Written by Melissa Rossi, August 2008.