New Gay Hotel in Phnom Penh?

[bobsaigon2]

A few months ago I stayed at the Rambutan Resort in Phnom Penh. Nextdoor to that, a new hotel was under construction and said to open this month. Does anyone have any info about that?

Thanks.

[paulosussex]

Hi,
I was at Rambutan a couple of weeks ago and could see that the place next door had the bar, restaurant and pool open but the rooms looked like they were slill being worked on so I don't think it's fully open yet.
Cheers

[bobsaigon2]

Thanks, Paul. I'll try to check progress of the new place in a couple of months. At Rambutan, I didn't really care for the presence of families with children.

[bobsaigon2]

www.arthurandpaul.com That's the new place on Street 71. Just opened. Ten rooms.

[fedssocr]

The marketing looks good. Best of luck to them!

[paperboy]

dont think it will last that long with those prices
way way way over the top for cambodia
looks good though

[goji]

dont think it will last that long with those prices
way way way over the top for cambodia
looks good though

Exactly what I thought.
In PP it's possible to get immaculate hotel rooms for under $40. Admittedly this may be superior, but is there enough demand for this type of thing?

[Wesley]

If there was a gay hotel there, I would have to see if my heart would get me there.

[bobsaigon2]

www.arthurandpaul.com The website is still there and as far as I know they are still in business (see a447's reference to a recent stay). The high prices reflect the fact that there are no females on the premises, no families with children, no female staff.

A few months ago I exchanged some emails with the foreigner who is the assistant manager. Below his closing signature, he gave his position as "Ass Manager". I quickly suggested that he change that to "Assistant Manager", though perhaps, in view of the nature of the establishment, he could have left it as it was. :)

[a447]

Yep, they are definitely still there - I've just booked for early January. They will have completed the upper floors by now, adding 5 new rooms.

Hopefully, being high season,mothers will be more guests at the hotel, and the fantastic facilities will be fully utilised - the restaurant, bar, pool, jacuzzi (nude only!), and sauna.

I know you can find cheaper places, but I always believe that you mostly get what you pay for. At US$110 per night, I thought it was a bargain.

And as Bobsaigon rightly points out, you also pay for not having to put up with families. I feel much more comfortable in a full on gay hotel - no women or screaming kids frolicking around the pool, or ogling you and your "guest" as you eat your breakfast

BTW Bob, I think the assistant manager's self title - Ass Manager- was probably not a mistake on his part. The hotel has a very gay atmosphere, with rude prints decorating every wall in the room.

[goji]

This looks nice & I hope the business is successful.

However, personally I'm not in the market for $110 a night hotels in Cambodia when $30~40 generally gets a satisfactory room.

Hopefully, being high season,mothers will be more guests at the hotel ...I feel much more comfortable in a full on gay hotel - no women or screaming kids frolicking around the poolHuh??

[a447]

Lol

Sorry, I meant "others."

Autocorrect!

BTW, beware any guest who pisses in the pool - they have a urine detector. (Damn!)

[Nirish guy]

Lol

BTW, beware any guest who pisses in the pool - they have a urine detector. (Damn!)

lol and you know this HOW exactly ! ?? :-)

[a447]

They have signs posted on the walls around the pool.

I spotted them just in time! Phew!

[Nirish guy]

Ewwwww actually im not exactly sure as to whether it impresses me or not that a 100 dollar plus a night hotel feels the NEED to put up a sign requesting and advising their guests not to piss in their pool as they have a device to spot you as that to me is more sending a mixed message to me as to the type of guests they REALLY think they are hosting ;-) like I said ewwww :-(

Ps I've often heard of such devices but never seen one in action, so does anyone know DO they actually work and if so how, see the James Bond side of me would like to imagine something with loud klaxon like sirens going off and 1 million watt search lights automatically swinging round on pedestals to illuminate the offender but I'm guessing the truth is a little less dramatic, which for a gay hotel is I fear quite disappointing :-( lol

And see the trouble with such a sign being displayed to me would be that from a kid I've always had mad urges to rile against any sort of authority and if there's a sign saying don't do something it's usually was fairly sure way of getting me to try it. As a kid if I seen a sign over a big red button saying do NOT push except in emergency in elevators or walkways etc then stand back as I was SO pressing it ! :-)

So any big sign saying "we have a device to spot people pissing in the pool" would I fear just force me against all my better judgement to have to put it to the scientific test just to see if they were bluffing or not ! - meanwhile being sure that I was of course standing right next to some other poor guest so that when the sirens and lights went off I could loudly blame them in mock disgust as I left the pool scowling at them and tutting loudly about the low class of guests staying at this establishment to the management !! Lol. ( joke !!)

[a447]

In my experience, there seems to be no correlation between the price of the hotel room and the behaviour of the guests.

I frequently stayed in a very nice hotel in Paris when I was working; it cost a lot more than the A and P hotel (I didn't pay - the company did) and the behaviour of some of the guests was often disgusting. For example, one night we were chatting in the lobby before going upstairs to bed when an immaculately dressed group staying at the hotel returned and all pissed up against the door before coming inside! The next morning, reception told me that the police had been called and the guests were evicted - with no refund.

People spewing in the corridors on the Wilton-Berber, ugly fights over dinner in hotel restaurants, a food fight(!!!) at breakfast...I've seen it all. And I'll bet I'm not the only one who has witnessed people behaving as if they were staying at a youth hostel.

I don't know how the urine detector works; probably a chemical in the water that turns bright red or something when it detects urine. But in any case, the water in the pool is purified and apparently chlorine-free, and it really is crystal clear. Anyone pissing would be spotted immediately - no dye required.

[bobsaigon2]

Arthur& Paul: Checked in 23 Dec, checked out 25 Dec, five nights earlier than I had booked. Two problems for me (70+ yrs old): Loud music about 10 hours a day, emanating from the bar/restaurant below my room, and spiral staircase with no handrails and a hazardous descent for taller guests (they've even installed padding so that when you bumb your head it won't hurt so much).

Guests who are younger and shorter than me, and less influenced by the Puritan upbringing I was subjected to in the 1950's, will probably enjoy the ambience, but to me, viewing a 60 yr old Frenchman sunbathing nude was not a pretty sight. (If there had been a number of young, cute Cambodian guys doing the same, I would not have checked out.) I did not use the sauna. I can't imagine anyone enjoying the sight of me wearing only a towel, or less.

Still, if it is important for you to stay at the most expensive gay hotel in PP simply because guests and staff are all male, then Arthur&Paul would be recommended. All of the reviews on Tripadvisor are very positive.

So, I moved next door to the Rambutan Hotel, gay friendly but not exclusively gay. Warm reception from those staff who rememered my earlier visits. I had stayed there twice, slightly disturbed by the presence of families with children and thought it was noisy when outside guests used the pool on Sundays. This time no children, and now I have a very quiet room reached by a standard staircase which is user friendly.

I much prefer it this way. Short tuk-tuk trips to Hatha Khmer massage on Street 368 give me all the gay ambience and satisfaction that I need. Never had a bad experience there.

[a447]

I agree with you, Bob, about the age thing - I saw an old naked guy there, too, sunbathing nude and it certainly wasn't a pretty sight! But I lived in the hope of seeing a few young guys, but it wasn't to be. I'm hoping for better things - I'll be back at A and P in January, and then it should be more crowded.

I never had a problem with music and was able to sleep in until lunchtime without any problems.

I like its location, so close to Hatha. And like you, it's basically all I need.

Keep up the good work. You're proving that age is no barrier and I admire your determination to get out there and enjoy yourself. We are all heading your way age-wise,and you give me hope...lol. Even if we slow down, we can still have fun.

You're a real inspiration.

[SGodfrey]

why do you need a gay hotel? just book a normal hotel

[bobsaigon2]

Gay hotels are usually free of children and critical attitudes of straight guests. As a447 wrote, above, in November 2014, in reference to the A&P hotel, "I feel much more comfortable in a full on gay hotel - no women or screaming kids frolicking around the pool".