La Maison d'Ambre, Phnom Penh - Cambodia

Being a hotel brat myself, I couldn't resist writing a review on one of the boutique hotels we stayed in, in Phnom Penh, La Maison d'Ambre (http://www.lamaisondambre.com/). The hotel has been designed by the owner, who is a French interior designer, and also owns her own boutique nearby, Ambre. The attention to detail in this hotel is what makes it truly special. The lobby even had it's own signature Christmas tree in keeping with the rest of the décor - a cute addition I felt.

What makes this hotel so unique is it's 10 individually designed apartments which each have a theme based on a city or country. I stayed in the 2 bedroom Mogambo suite. The apartments are incredibly spacious, so much so that I would quite like an apartment like this in London!

Mogambo Suite

The themes the rooms are inspired by range from Japanese to Manhattan  The apartments are also designed so that they are large enough to host small parties in. 

Casablanca Suite

One of the biggest highlights of the hotel, I felt, was the rooftop bar The Fifth Element. With decadent cocktails using fresh local fruits, we really enjoyed the view of the sun setting over Phnom Penh. The vibrant tones of orange and purple gave the decor a very modern twist.  

Mango Daiquiri & Lime Daiquiri

The Fifth Element Bar

The view was beautiful so we decided to stay for dinner. For starters I had Salmon Tartar (a favourite of mine) wrapped in rice paper rolls. The salmon was impeccably fresh but perhaps a little bit too much chilli for my taste, though this is probably a result of my weakened spice palate since living in Europe. For my main I had the Bouillabaisse with sea bass. The fish was cooked to perfection but the bouillabaisse itself was too fishy and overly salted. The service was friendly but a little slow, however when the story of the wait staff was explained to us we suddenly had a bit more patience. Basically, the hotel hire young adults from a local orphanage who reach the point where they are too old to be dependent on the orphanage but lack formal training to find a job. La Maison d'Ambre then train them in various departments of the hotel so that they can work and become independent, regardless of whether they choose to keep working for the hotel. It's a great concept, and something I think more countries could benefit from. 

8/10 would be my total rating for this hotel. Despite the gorgeous hotel, the food still needs a bit of work. Definitely my top pick for Phnom Penh though!