One of the new breed of boutique hotels in Phnom Penh, the 240 offers great rooms, helpful staff, free wifi and a decent cafe right on the premises, all within one of Phnom Penh’s most picturesque areas
The 240 is a new Phnom Penh hotel thats been open for a couple of years on, you guessed it, the leafy, boutique-y Street 240.
This is one of the key tourist areas in Phnom Penh, a relatively tranquil tree lined avenue which has beautifully presented clothes shops and Cambodian craft boutiques next door to some of the city’s best restaurants and bars – Fring, Freebird and Tamarind are mere steps away from The 240 Hotel, ARTillery Arts Cafe is a 5 minute walk and other stalwarts are walk able or a short tuk tuk ride.
(By way of comparison, Street 178 is a similar cheek by jowl setup of restaurants, shops and bars with a more backpacker vibe – see the excellent Canby Publications maps of Street 240 and Street 178 for more orientation).
The Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace are also a short walk away at the end of the street – it’s hard to beat as a location especially as currently free of hassle from touts and beggars that frequently happens on the riverside.
Even if, like me, you’ve no interest in shopping for clothes or ethnic handicrafts, having these shops around does add an undeniable lift and interest to the street with their impressive window displays. The 240 hotel with its spacious, all-white, clean lined look very much follows its neighbours’ aesthetic.
There’s only 10 rooms and its done out immaculately in classic Khmer style – white walls, dark wood and splashes of colour from local silks and paintings. My room was sizable, airy and spotlessly clean. Most importantly it was quiet as it looked out over a small, usually deserted park rather than a busy road. Equipped with a comfy bed, decent desk to work at, daybed (aka place to throw all my stuff), fridge with minibar, air con, decent water pressure shower and sink with mirror , plus kettle with free coffee and tea and a Free litre of bottled water each day too. The speedy, good coverage wifi is free throughout the hotel and in the adjoining Naturae cafe next door where the included breakfast is served. There’s computers available for internet use if you don’t have your own laptop.
The staff were great too – smiley, efficient, helpful. I didn’t have any particularly strenuous demands but they were always quick to sort out anything I did require.
Basically then the 240 did everything I expect from a hotel without any fuss or mysterious extra charges or staff that were hard work to deal with. All for less than $50 a night. I’ve stayed in five star hotels that were 5 times as expensive and didn’t come anywhere near the 240 for service.
I’m trying hard to find something negative to say about this place but it’s hard work There’s no swimming pool and sometimes the hot shower goes cold – that’s about the worst I can do. You can go and use the swimming pool at their nearby sister hotels The Plantation and Kabiki – these hotels are all part of a group including the 252 that seem to focusing on this small, well-managed style of accommodation.
Finally the hotel’s own restaurant, Naturae, (more of a cafe in terms of its vibe) is great for healthy organic food with lots of veggies, salads, wraps and smoothies. It’s pretty expensive – $5.50 for a wrap, $2 for coffee – but it is consistently good. The Mango Madness smoothie is corking. If it seems too overpriced to eat, it’s still a nice spot to linger over a drink with grass literally growing in the middle of the table to promote that green feel and free wifi along with pleasant staff who are happy to let you hang out.
In conclusion, then, the 240 is a quiet, clean hotel with spacious, thoughtfully organised rooms, free wifi and helpful staff located in one Phnom Penh’s most interesting areas with plenty of places to eat and things to do nearby. I’ll certainly be back.
