Cambodia - Safe For the Kids Too!
© Photographer: Badboo | Agency: Dreamstime.com
By Fred Tittle
As Nathalie Parize, the French owner of the Villa Langka (14 St 282), points out: "Five years ago you didn't see many families with children. People aren't afraid of Cambodia anymore." Styled as a "boutique hotel", it has 27 rooms in four categories and a swimming pool to relax by. To underline its family friendly credentials, Parize explains that her bigger rooms have sofas that can be turned into beds for children, adding that the larger rooms suitable for families range from $88 for a deluxe to $120 for a one-bedroom suite.
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Many of the smaller, family owned and run hotels in Phnom Penh provide bunk beds and cots for families with children. But the excitement of a new city and the inevitable tiredness from sightseeing can make children a noisy handful. Isn't that a problem for other guests? Not so, says Karen Latade, assistant manager at The Kabiki hotel (22 St 264), which is also a member of the ChildSafe (child protection) network. "I think the kids are well behaved," she says, adding she has never had any complaints about excessive noise.
Like other hotels, the Kabiki provides free internet and cable television, which offers the Star TV network, many different language channels (from French through Italian and Spanish to Khmer, Indian, Chinese and Japanese) and the Cartoon Network, which are popular with the whole family. The hotel goes even further by offering the free use of bicycles and skateboards, which Latade says are very popular. Lounging by a swimming pool is a family priority on most days and the Kabiki has two: a small one for children and the main pool, which is quite shallow. Room prices range from $50 for a double to $75 for a family room.
Eric Jay, owner of the Scandinavia hotel (4 St 282), has a different take on noisy and disruptive children. "The truth of the matter with kids is - they break everything," he says. But that doesn't mean the Scandinavia isn't friendly to families. Jay adopted a policy of allowing only one family to stay at the hotel at a time. That's because, he says, other guests complained about not being able to use the swimming pool as it was too crowded with kids.
Although he recognizes the downside of catering for families with children, Jay says he and his staff ensure that the one family which stays at the hotel is well looked after. "We really try to give them a special time," he says. Crayons, coloring books, televisions in every room and his two dogs keep children occupied, he points out.
Safety and security are big concerns for hotels that go out of their way to cater for families. The Billabong hotel (5 St 158) is unequivocal about the kind of guests which are welcome and its website even points out in capital letters that "sex tourists are not welcome".
A spacious, Riviera-style hotel in a tropical garden, its freeform saltwater swimming pool with shaded sitting out areas is just outside the main building, so parents can keep an eye on their children while they splash about, says Andrew Newman. He adds that the grounds are walled in so children cannot wander off and to take the organizational problems off parental hands, it even offers a chauffeur and guide service. Rooms range in price from $36 to $62. Many hotels in the city such as the Billabong also offer baby sitting services for families that are staying with them.
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