Trip to Kampot

After asking my esteemed fellow forum members a few weeks ago for advice, I finally opted to stay in Kampot as the general consensus was that Kep was dull as dishwater.

I initially tried to book at the Nataya Roundhouse Coral Bay Resort, but they took three days to reply, by which time I had booked Villa Vedici. Shit happened the day before we were to depart, I thought I wouldn't be able to go, and I had to cancel. Then shit unhappened (is that a word?) but I could no longer book Villa Vedici. I ended up booking Montagne Residence.

Booking train tickets was not entirely straight forward either, as the Royal Railway page was down. I had to go via an intermediary. But finally, all was squared away, and we were good to invade Kampot (it's a German thing). So here goes:

Day One



Sunday morning saw us at the Phnom Penh train station at 06:30. There was some chatter on the Internet about e-tickets. Some said that they needed to be exchanged for proper tickets at the station, other said that it was not necessary. Our more pressing concern however was that there is bugger all to eat at the railways station this early. Heck, we couldn’t even get a coffee! The Khmer passengers were smarter, they had packed so much food that I was beginning to worry that the trip might last two weeks instead of the promise 3.5 hours.



We started looking for our seats, passing a nice-looking train. Turns out it wasn’t ours, we ended up in a much more basic carriage. There were actually two trains leaving at almost the same time but nary a sign which one was going where. I understand that there are only 2 passenger trains a day, surely putting a sign wouldn’t been too much trouble.



When we boarded, we started looking for our seats, only to realize that the numbers on our tickets, or anyone’s tickets for that matter, did not actually exist. Not a biggie, as the train was only about half full, split down the middle between Barang and Khmer. We settled in and, unlike German trains these days, we started rolling at 07:00 on the dot. A staff came around to ask for the tickets and she did not even glance at the paperwork I handed her.



The first hour or so, we slowly made our way through greater Phnom Penh, past both all new buildings and shacks. Not very scenic, but there wasn’t much else to do except watch. The constantly blaring train horn made it impossible for me to get some shuteye, whilst my Missus and her kids had passed out within 5 minutes of us leaving the station. But then, they are Vietnamese and thus oblivious to any sort of noise.



We started to travel through the countryside, and I was really beginning to enjoy the trip. I think the train did not go faster than about 40 kilometers an hour, plenty slow to take in the sights and sounds of rural Cambodia. It was a little dusty as quite a few windows could not be closed but I do not think that the carriages are air-conditioned, so I was happy with the open windows.





The rest of the journey was uneventful, as far as I know, we did not hit anything or anyone. We did have a 15-minute stop in Takeo, but still no coffee or anything edible in sight (I do not consider crisps or Chocopies edible). Good thing we arrived in Kampot on time, at 10:20, and we could hoof it and track down a late breakfast/early lunch. There were plenty of Tuk-tuks waiting but as I hate the hustle, I was happy to find out that PassApp works in Kampot.



A few people had recommended Artisans and thus we hopped into the Tuk-tuk and headed there.

Artisans Kampot
Riverside Road 15
Open 7 days a week from 08:00 to 21:00



Located right by the river, the restaurant is pleasant enough, both outside and in. Staff were very friendly and, most importantly, the food was quick to arrive. I ordered the Beef Lok-lak Burger. It was tasty enough but in retrospect, I should have gone with the Duck Magret that the Missus ordered. Cooked to perfection and it came with very nice mashed potatoes and veggies. I had a blueberry smoothie that was pretty damn good. This is not a place for cheap eats, the meal set us back 56 Dollars, but I thought it was well worth it. The restaurant will actually feature in my trip report again.



From here, we got back on our Tuk-tuk. I was very happy with the Tuk-tuk driver. Young and enthusiastic, he drove well. He also did not speak a word of English, but between hands, feet, and Google Translate, we managed. I would end up hiring him for our entire stay. Once settled back in, we headed to our hotel, the Montagne Residence. When we got there, there was a little confusion, as there is a Montagne Residence, a Montagne Boutique, and a Montagne Regency. We were at the Montagne Residence, I think. It also turned out that our hotel was 2 kilometers from the riverside and only 200 meters from the railway station as the crow flies.

Montagne Residence
National Road #3
Room rate: USD 50 for a bungalow



The hotel is in a very quiet area and has very lush gardens around a nice swimming pool. We had booked to bungalows, and both were very spacious and nicely designed. Beds were fantastic, and I liked the outdoor bathrooms (one with a bathtub, the other with shower and toilet). Overall, a very nice hotel, with one big caveat: the curtains are too short. I am a very light sleeper, and as soon as the sun came up, I was awake. If it wasn’t for that, I would recommend the hotel without hesitation. It did not pose a problem for the girlfriend, but then nothing wakes her up.







We had booked the rooms with brekkie, but we only ate there once. The breakfast wasn’t bad, but we were confident that we could find better in town.

After having dumped our bags and a shower, we were all covered in dust, we headed back into town. We all like walking so the 2-kilometer hike was not an issue. The main reason we walked today was that Thao, my girlfriend, had spotted Durian sellers along the road as we came back from Artisans. Therefore, the first stop was at a Durian stand. Now personally, I cannot stand Durian, but Thao declared it the best she has ever had. At 5 Dollars a kilo, it was also quite cheap. She ended up buying two kilos and started digging in on the spot. We agreed that we would continue with her 5 meters downwind from me, in search of a beer.



Along the way, I did see a few changes but not as many as I had expected (the last time I was in Kampot was probably 10 years). Yes, there are a few high-rises along the river, some ugly banks, and the monstrosity from Temple Group right on the riverside, but that was pretty much it. Oh, and there was the constant blasting of Swiftlet calls from all the swift nest houses. How these are allowed to be built in the middle of the town, and why the neighbors don’t kill the owners, beats me, but I guess this is Cambodia.







First stop was at Rikitikitavi as I had eaten there way back when. It was still early, and we just wanted to sit downstairs, but were told that the tables set up there were not served. I was thirsty and wasn’t going to hang around, so we moved upstream a few meters to Oh Neil’s Irish Bar (not a spelling mistake). We were a few minutes early, they open at 16:00, but the lady setting up the chairs was more than happy to accommodate us. Thus, it was beers for me whilst Thao and the kids demolished the Durian.

We all wanted an early dinner, after a very early lunch, and we trotted over to Al Cioccolatino, an Italian restaurant that was recommended by a few people. Although it was only about 18:00, the restaurant was quite busy, that seemed to be a good sign. I did pop into Tarawin Minimart but that was the only time; staff were unfriendly bordering on the rude. It was 7-11 from then on.

Al Cioccolatino Kampot
Street 724a
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 08:00 to 22:00

We sat down outside and were soon attended to by the Italian owner(?). I had been watching him for a little while, and just watching him made me dizzy. A seriously hyper individual. First thing he told us was that the Chef was off and that they only had pasta and pizza. Not a great start but we weren’t going to move. The Italian gentleman recommended the homemade Lasagna which he claimed to have just made and we ended up ordering that, along with a ham pizza.



The food came soon enough, but I wish it hadn’t as it turned out to be complete disaster. The pizza itself was good enough but the ham was mushy like hell. It seemed like some very cheap ham that had been repeatedly thawed and then refrozen. As for the hyped lasagna: I could have eaten it through a straw, it was that overcooked. The whole affair tasted off, and the cheese was ancient. Service also left a little to be desired, we were virtually still eating when our plates got yanked. All in all, not a great start to our holiday, but we were not going to let that upset us.



Back to the hotel, shower and bed. We were all knackered and I slept like a baby until being awoken by the sun coming in below aforementioned curtains.

Following . . . Never been to Kampot. So far, I am underwhelmed.

Many tourists/expats in town?

Great report, Hanno.

will u still be there saturday?
if so the Bokor mtn bike hash has a run

if u get to kep, head to Martinis for lunch /dinner, great food 6 1/2 kms form crab market thou

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 5:20 pm will u still be there saturday?
if so the Bokor mtn bike hash has a run

if u get to kep, head to Martinis for lunch /dinner, great food 6 1/2 kms form crab market thou

2nd Martini's. Pretty much the only place worth going in kep

For something local (very local) in kampot try នំបញ្ចុក សម្លរម្ហិច ចែណា | Mhech Khmer Noodles

If no khmer you can always

verdebandit wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 6:53 am I had the same issue with that lasagna a few months ago. By far the worst I've ever had and I'd never eat there again.

Yeah that spot is heavily overrated. Think it's location is one of the only reasons that it's still there & ofc, it's up for sale

ExPenhMan wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 5:13 pm Following . . . Never been to Kampot. So far, I am underwhelmed.

Many tourists/expats in town?

Great report, Hanno.

Thanks. No, not all that many tourists or expats that I saw. Pretty quiet, actually. Many restaurants were closed.

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 9:57 am

verdebandit wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 6:53 am I had the same issue with that lasagna a few months ago. By far the worst I've ever had and I'd never eat there again.

Yeah that spot is heavily overrated. Think it's location is one of the only reasons that it's still there & ofc, it's up for sale

We met friends who live in Kampot there the next day. We didn't eat (obviously) but they did and told me the next day that it was very mediocre.