The term guesthouse is not in common use in the US. Somewhere between a hostel and a hotel, a guesthouse typically has a small number of rooms in a private home available for rent, usually at a nightly rate. The Angkor Mithona Guesthouse on Phnom Penh’s riverfront falls squarely into this category. On some sites it is called guesthouse, and on some hotel. Check prices on Expedia.
Angkor Mithona Location
The location is the best feature and maybe only good thing about this property. It is directly on the riverfront where the map says UNESCO Cambodia with lots of restaurants, bars, and convenience store options nearby. There’s a Starbucks and a Krispy Kreme one block away and a laundromat near that location as well. It is next to Wat Ounalum which predates Columbus sailing to the Americas. You can walk up and down the river promenade or through the city and easily take a tuk tuk anywhere.
If you are arriving at Angkor Mithona you should note that it is on the riverfront adjoining the hotel that is home to Le Moon Rooftop bar and restaurant, and not in Street 172 as it appears on Apple Maps. Le Moon Rooftop is a great atmosphere with a daily 2 for 1 happy hour on Heinekens and is inexpensive generally as well. There is also a casual Indonesian restaurant right next to Angkor Mithona that serves better food than you will find anywhere else around the city.
Angkor Mithona Property
There is very little to this property. Only a front desk on the ground floor and some massage chairs with a small room set up for a couple’s massage. It is a legitimate massage business but it is also out of place and just sort of weird to have to walk through. There is no elevator here and you will be walking up steps to your room. At the bottom of the steps they are constantly cooking strong smelling food in an area that is not actually a kitchen. It is not clear if this food is available for purchase by guests. Wifi is free but unreliable.
Angkor Mithona Guest Rooms
I was hit with an unpleasant surprise immediately upon arrival. I had booked a queen room and was informed that it was without a window. If your room does not feature a window it should say so in GIANT BOLD RED LETTERS on every booking site. You should never call it “Deluxe Room” you should name it “bleak windowless cell.” It should be clear to the user what they are booking. So a $10 upcharge bought a window with a pretty poor view out the back. Because this was a last minute booking and was already prepaid I had little choice but to roll with it.
It takes some doing to make a second floor room with a large window feel like a basement but that is exactly what the decor and atmosphere at Angkor Mithona feels like. Specifically, it feels like you are sleeping in an old church basement.
The room is fairly large but much of it is empty space that is not useable in any real way. The only thing for seating is the bed itself or one of the hard upright wooden chairs. There is no fridge and no safe and the TV is small with a poor picture although it does get a good handful of English channels. The bed is not particularly comfortable. the pillows feel like sandbags and the duvet with no top sheet is too small for the bed. The door lock doesn’t function so the room is never secure unless you are inside with the latch shut.
In the bathroom there is a pipe on the wall leading from the air conditioner to the floor. It releases condensation nowhere near the drain so the bathroom floor is just constantly wet all the time. The towels are small and crummy.
Overall Impression
You should not stay here. You might enjoy it if you are backpacking and really trying to keep expenses minimal and choosing this over a hostel. If you want the comforts of a hotel, this is not the place for you. You’d be much better off booking a refundable rate online at a proper hotel.
