It is no secret that we are (very) cheap travellers. Whenever we can save a dime, we will. During our four months through Southeast Asia, we on average spent under $10 total per night on accommodation.
That being said, Christmas 2014 was our first Christmas together away from Canada. We decided it would be a good time to splurge on accommodation and have a nice, comfortable Christmas.
We toured five or six hotels before being absolutely sure to spend Christmas at Away Green Oasis in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.
The lobby of Away Green Oasis
We quickly warmed up to Ian, the Australian manager, and all of the wonderful Khmer staff.
Away Green Oasis is an apartment-style boutique hotel. We had a massive unit with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a large balcony area. It was perfect! We paid $65 USD per night and stayed for three nights.
Our massive dining area and kitchen at Away Green Oasis
The location was perfect for us. Phnom Penh is a fairly small city so most things are within walking distance – so other than our one trip to the Aeon Mall to grab some food we couldn’t find at the local markets, we never had to take a tuk-tuk.
Bedroom #1
The large master bedroom of our apartment at Away Green Oasis
We put the kitchen to good use and cooked in every night. We found this to be a good way to save money and get our fix of a home-cooked meal after eating out for months.
Our kitchen all decorated for Christmas time
Breakfast was included at Away Green Oasis, though the staff were a little dumbfounded at the concept of “vegan”. Despite the initial confusion, we ended up enjoying a great fruit salad bowl (hello, dragonfruit!) and some toast. The staff were great to us and always made sure we were taken care of.
The large balcony of our unit
The bathroom...with a closed in shower?!?!?! Our first in SE Asia
Overall, if you have some money to spend during your stay in Phnom Penh, pick Away Green Oasis! You won’t regret it.
Christmas skypin' with Mom and Liam!!!