The hotel was booked through Asia rooms, which seem to give great rates, but can take up to 48 hours to confirm your booking. In our case we paid £38 for a standard room, which was quite large and overlooked the town. While other rooms might boast a view of the Mekong river, there is a considerable amount of rooftop in between !

We got a taxi from the airport, and agreed a rate of US $7, which seemed about right. The journey took 30 mins, although the taxi driver did try dropping us off at another hotel first, evidently as he was on commission.

The Cambodiana is an older hotel (once part of the Sofitel group as an old guidebook photo showed). However, in fairness, there was a great deal of renovation going on while we were there, and perhaps some of my criticisms will have been addressed in future months. We checked in quite early (9am), after our flight from Bangkok on Air Asia, at the low fare of £53 return. Although the room wasn’t ready, housekeeping quickly got to work, and we were in our room by 10am.

The room itself was large, clean, and the bed comfortable. The main problem was while the room itself was a little “jaded”, the shower in the bathroom was very old, with mould on the sealant, badly replaced tiles around the bath, and very tarnished fittings, which leaked profusely when turned on. This really let the overall standard of the rooms down, and I hope they have a refurbishment programme planned.

However, what the room lacked, the staff certainly made up for and everyone we met was cheerful, helpful, and courteous. The buffet breakfast was outstanding and so was the one evening meal we took there. There was also evening entertainment in the main bar, with 2 acts, with the Asian Tom Jones taking some beating ! Drink prices were fairly reasonable.

The pool area was small but clean, but does lose the sun in the afternoon. It benefits from a snack booth, which has a chef and wood fired pizza oven, so the pool snacks are both reasonable and of a high standard. The Jacuzzi, while looking attractive, is not heated. There is a well equipped gym underneath the pool.

The hotel is on the banks of the Mekon, and from the door, you can walk up one bank for several miles, although you will undoubtedly get accosted by the street children begging. They are very persistent, and no sooner as you have given to one, then more appear. An alternative is to hire one of the many motorcycle tuk-tuks that hang around outside – these are really cheap, and you can hire one for about US$15 for a day, or $2-3 to get just about anywhere in the city. The drivers all speak a reasonable amount of “tourist English” and are quite friendly, so I would recommend this as way of seeing the sights, while experiencing Cambodian traffic first hand.

In summary, while there may be better hotels available, we thought the Cambodiana was a good choice, and no doubt if all the renovations continue to the rooms, would make it an excellent choice. We especially commend the location, value for money, and staff attentiveness.

This place is good, clean and very comfortable. We stayed here recently and if you are after a commercial hotel, which is not cheap then this is perfect. If you are after something with more charm then look at the FCC hotel which mates stayed at and loved, or the pavillion which gets great reviews.

The rooms are inpecable, the pool good, but like all massive hotels it lacks character.

Tip: Hire a Tuk Tuk for the day ($20) and they will take you to the killing fields, museums etc

We got a low price for our two nights stay, so I wont complain too much. But if you want a nice room, you should look elsewhere. Another thing that may be annoying is smoking allowance in the breakfast area.

Wew stayed here for two nights as part of a tour. Coming in from the airport at night, the first sights of Cambodia are depressing. Looks like rubble everywhere and not a lot of lights. Coming up to the Cambodiana, it's like going to another world. Flashy, modern and very impressive. This feeling continues inside in the lobby and everywhere else you look.

However, things change once you get in the room. Somehow it all looks rather run down. The bathtub had a hole in the side. This was on the outside part, not in the tub, yet the floor flooded when taking a shower. There was a safe in the room that seemed quite secure, but it wasn't attached to anything! I was able to lift it with one arm. I guess that, for a poor, developing country like Cambodia, it was pretty good, but not for the North American prices they charge.

As someone else mentioned, they have loud music poolside, which disturbs anyone in the north wing (the no-smoking section). However, it didn't go on till very late, fortunately.

Good location, very good breakfast. Get up at dawn and go outside by the river to watch the sun come up.