I haven’t written for a while, and my boyfriend title has now been upgraded to “fiancé”, with another promotion to “husband” coming later this year.

I just wanted to start with this little life update so you wouldn’t think I hit my head and got his title all mixed up throughout this blog post. Haha

With so many big things to plan, we thought we wouldn’t be traveling until after our wedding later this year. But life has been a tiny teeny bit stressful for my fiancé lately, and he really needed a break.

As a responsible fiancée—the one who got him addicted to traveling in the first place eight years ago—here we were, taking a much-needed short getaway to Kampot.

My fiancé and I recently spent 2 nights and 3 days in Kampot, and below is our full itinerary.

Getting to Kampot

We were supposed to leave Phnom Penh at 8:00AM, but a few official matters held us up, so we didn’t hit the road until 9:20AM.

I needed my dose of iced latte before the road trip. If we travel by bus, I usually sleep the whole way. But when my fiancé is the one driving, I always stay awake to keep him company. So grabbing my go-to coffee is a must.

The original plan was to visit two mountains before stopping for our first seafood lunch of this trip in Kep. But since we left much later than planned, we decided to be flexible and head straight to Kampot instead.

Arrival

We arrived in Kampot right at lunchtime, around 12:00PM. Our first stop was Phum Krang Restaurant.

1. Phum Krang Restaurant

If you take a look at Google reviews or social media comments, you’ll notice that Phum Krang Restaurant doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.

Let me save you some time by summarizing the most common complaints:

• “Service is terrible.”
• “Food takes forever to come out.”

I assume most of these reviews came from people who visited on weekends or during peak hours.

My fiancé and I hate nothing more than crowded places and slow, terrible service. If I’m being honest, it’s more me than him. That’s exactly why we planned this trip for the middle of the week.

We visited on a Wednesday.

The restaurant is divided into a few areas. As soon as you walk in, you’ll find a café on the right-hand side, followed by an open Khmer-style dining area with tables and chairs.

There was no one there. Just us.

Further inside, there are several dining huts surrounded by greenery.

Eating in these huts is very common in Cambodia, especially in the provinces and on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. I like that Phum Krang incorporated this part of our culture into the dining experience.

A few of the huts at the back were occupied by other guests, so we definitely weren’t the only customers that day.

For lunch, we ordered three dishes; Fried Curry Crab, Deep-Fried Garlic Prawns, and Grilled Squid.

Our food arrived after about 25 minutes, with all three dishes coming out within a few minutes of each other. Honestly, that was faster than I expected.

One dish did come out wrong, though. We ordered grilled squid but were served deep-fried squid instead. We pointed it out, and they changed it without any issue.

As for the food itself, you could really taste how fresh the seafood was.

The fried curry crab was a little too bold and didn’t taste quite like curry itself, but more like Khmer spices.

The deep-fried garlic prawns were cooked really well and wonderfully crispy. The seasoning had fully coated every prawn.

Since they were already well seasoned, the restaurant didn’t automatically serve the usual sweet and spicy dipping sauce. I asked for it anyway because I peel my prawns before eating them, and they happily brought some over.

The grilled squid was fresh too, but it was slightly undercooked and lacked the sweet and spicy flavor I was hoping for.

Once I dipped both the prawns and squid into the sauce, everything tasted much better.

Their sweet and spicy sauce was honestly the highlight of the meal. It had a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy, and gave every bite a really nice kick.

The steamed rice was a little hard, though.

Overall, it was still a good lunch. The portions were generous, and we thought it offered good value for money. We spent $21.25 for the meal.

2. Good Time Relax Resort

After filling our stomachs, we headed straight to Good Time Relax Resort.

The resort is located about 5.6km from the iconic Kampot Durian Roundabout, a little farther from town since we didn’t want to stay right in the middle of everything this time.

We arrived at 1:15PM, and they were kind enough to allow us to check in early.

The resort is accessible by both cars and motorbikes, with a secure parking area right in front of the property.

For those driving an EV, they even have an EV charging station in the parking area.

Since the resort is a little farther from town, they also provide a complimentary shuttle service to the city center at scheduled times.

We drove our own car, so I didn’t check the timetable, but you can always ask them directly if you’re planning to stay here.

As soon as we arrived, one of the staff greeted us at the car and helped carry our luggage to the reception.

We were welcomed with a glass of fresh passion fruit juice. It was quite refreshing.

After checking in, we were escorted to our room.

We had originally booked their Bungalow Garden View at a discounted rate of $120 for two nights.

But the moment we stepped inside, we didn’t really feel the room was worth it.

So my fiancé went back to the reception and upgraded us to a Deluxe Bungalow River View for an extra $10. That made it $130 for two nights.

Again, this was a 40% discount. The regular rate for this room category is $110 per night.

The bungalow isn’t particularly spacious, but the balcony overlooking the other bungalows, with a small river and mangrove palms in between, made the whole place feel much more refreshing.

Now, let’s do a proper room review.

The room itself was clean when we checked in. However, it was obvious that maintenance hadn’t been done very well.

We noticed visible footprints on the lower parts of the walls, yellow stains in the toilet, swollen wooden flooring, broken decking on the balcony, and small insects around the walls and corners of the room.

There were four things I especially didn’t like about this bungalow.

First, there wasn’t any divider between neighboring bungalows.

Each bungalow is split into two rooms, but the balcony is shared. That made us uncomfortable drying our clothes outside, knowing the guests next door also had access to the same balcony.

Second, despite having a high ceiling, the room only uses a 1HP air conditioner. Since we upgraded on the spot, the AC hadn’t been turned on before we arrived, so it took quite a while for the room to cool down.

Third, the hot water wasn’t really hot unless we showered in the middle of the day when the weather outside was already warm. In the morning, even with the shower handle turned all the way to hot, the water was only slightly warm.

Lastly, the bidet was extremely stiff to press, and it leaked water whenever we used it.

The mattress was also quite firm, and the bed frame wasn’t very stable. My fiancé and I move around quite a bit while sleeping, and every time one of us turned over, the other could feel the whole bed shake.

That said, the atmosphere around the resort is lovely. It’s surrounded by greenery, and all you could hear are birds and insects singing. It felt peaceful.

To be honest, we could somehow see the owner’s vision for this resort. It has the potential to be a really charming place. But perhaps because of the construction quality or the materials used, it didn’t quite turn out the way they had imagined.

The resort also has private residences further inside the property. They might offer a better experience, but I can’t say for sure since we only stayed in one of the bungalows.

The staff at check-in explained all the facilities and operating hours clearly. Everyone was polite, professional, and obviously well trained.

What we felt was missing, though, was that genuine warmth in hospitality. They were kind and helpful, but it just didn’t reach us.

Overall, our experience was… okay-ish.

We understand this isn’t a five-star resort, and that’s not what we’re judging it against. There were just a few things that felt a little off.

If the owner or staff ever happen to read this, please take it as constructive feedback rather than a complaint.

3. Thmor Muk Yeak Café

We rested for a while before heading out again. At 2:30PM, we left for Bokor National Park to check out a new attraction, Thmor Muk Yeak Café.

Thmor Muk Yeak Café isn’t at the top of Bokor. It’s about halfway up the mountain, so it took us around 40 minutes to drive there from the resort.

We arrived at about 3:10PM, and there were only three other guests. The perks of traveling on a weekday.

We ordered an iced matcha, a lemon soda, and a sausage.

For a café halfway up a mountain, $2.50 per drink was actually cheaper than we expected. We asked for 20% sweetness, and they got it just right.

As I mentioned in my other blog posts before, whenever we travel somewhere new, we usually split cafés into two categories; one for the view and one for the taste.

This one was definitely for the view, so we didn’t have high expectations for the drinks. But they actually surprised us, they were quite good.

I took one bite of the sausage and found it a little too greasy for my liking. My fiancé, on the other hand, liked it so much that he ordered another one.

We sat there for about an hour, soaking in the view before continuing our drive around Bokor.

4. Bokor National Park

We left the café and continued driving up Bokor at around 4:30PM.

It was a beautiful sunny day. The views were refreshing, and there were monkeys everywhere along the road.

You do have to be careful while driving, though—you definitely don’t want to hit one.

I didn’t mean for the monkey photo to look that Gen Z blurry style. That was the only photo I got of them. 🤣

By the time we reached Thansur Bokor Resort, the weather had changed completely. The sky had turned dark, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Since it was already 5:00PM and we weren’t sure what time the national park closed, we decided to head back down instead of visiting the other attractions at the top.

Even so, it was still a really pleasant drive.

5. Reatrey Oyster

It was just in time for dinner when we got back to town.

If you search for places to eat in Kampot on Facebook or TikTok, you’ll probably see Reatrey Oyster pop up over and over again.

It’s one of the locals’ favorite seafood restaurants. I honestly can’t believe I’ve been to Kampot so many times and always skipped this place.

The videos and comments also mentioned that Reatrey Oyster is usually packed with customers.

Knowing that, we even had a backup restaurant in mind in case they couldn’t accommodate us. But again, traveling on a weekday has its perks.

The restaurant itself isn’t very big, and there were already around six to eight occupied tables when we arrived. Luckily, we still managed to get a table.

For dinner, we ordered three dishes; Grilled Oysters, Glass Noodles with Steamed Scallops, and Deep-Fried Lobster with Garlic.

Despite the number of customers, we were surprised to get our food in less than 30 minutes, although each dish arrived separately.

The grilled oysters came out first. They were rich, buttery, and packed with flavor. A little bold, but still good.

The deep-fried lobster with garlic arrived shortly after. I really liked how they presented the dish with flowers and vegetables.

No, I don’t think the flowers were edible. Haha

The lobster was fried beautifully, golden and crispy.

What I didn’t like, though, was that they sprinkled sugar over the lobster. Once I peeled off the shell, I could actually feel and taste the sugar on my fingers.

I’m also not a fan of the lobster having eggs. And when there’s roe, there’s usually less meat. Personally, I would’ve preferred more lobster meat instead.

The glass noodles with scallops came last, and they weren’t what we had expected.

We thought it would be similar to a Cambodian-style glass noodle salad with pieces of scallop mixed throughout.

Instead, the dish came with four individual scallops, each topped with glass noodles.

It wasn’t what we had imagined, but it tasted really good. Just the right balance of sweet and sour.

The seafood was fresh, and overall, we enjoyed the meal.

One thing that stood out to us was that the way these dishes were prepared didn’t really feel like the typical Cambodian seafood restaurant style.

Correct us if we’re wrong, but they reminded us much more of Vietnamese seafood restaurants.

We don’t mean that as criticism at all. We’ve traveled to different parts of Vietnam many times and eaten a lot of seafood there, so the flavors and presentation felt very familiar to us.

We spent $27.75 for dinner, and the portions were definitely worth the money.

So, if you’re wondering whether Reatrey Oyster is worth trying while you’re in Kampot, my answer is yes.

6. Old Market Rooftop Bar

I told my fiancé that I wanted to walk around Kampot Riverfront after dinner to see what had changed since our last visit and take a few photos.

We drove from one end of the park to the other, but couldn’t find a parking space anywhere. So we gave up and decided to come back the next day instead.

After our little drive along the riverfront, we headed to Old Market Rooftop Bar for drinks.

Monkey Republic is usually our go-to place whenever we’re in Kampot, but this time we wanted to try somewhere new.

Kampot is quite a small town, so most of the bars are located in the same area and are within walking distance of one another.

Old Market has both a ground-floor bar and a rooftop bar.

Naturally, we chose the rooftop.

This is the stairway leading to the top.

The decoration reminded us a lot of the Temple Group bars, although I don’t think they’re owned by the same people.

There’s a stage here, so it looks like they have live band performances. But no one was performing during our visit. Maybe they only have them on weekends. I honestly don’t know.

Since we’d already had dinner, I ordered a cocktail, my fiancé got a beer, and we shared a small appetizer, deep-fried taro.

My cocktail was called Viral Party. I could definitely taste the alcohol, but it was far too sweet for my liking.

I ended up asking the staff for half a shot glass of lime juice and a full whiskey glass of ice.

I’m no mixologist, but it became much more drinkable after mixing the lime juice into the cocktail and adding more ice

The deep-fried taro, on the other hand, was really good. It tasted just like the fried taro, potatoes, and bananas you get from Cambodian street carts. We both loved it.

The drinks and appetizer came to $9.25.

I think the view from the rooftop here would look really nice during sunset.

You could see all the old buildings all the way to the riverfront park.

We didn’t stay for long. As soon as we finished our drinks, we headed back to the resort for our beauty sleep.

Day 2

Taking a break from work means we don’t have to wake up early to rush through an itinerary. So we slept in until 8:00AM before starting our day.

As I mentioned earlier, our room came with breakfast for two, so we headed to the resort’s restaurant to start the day.

Breakfast was served buffet-style, with the usual hotel breakfast spread—cereal, pastries, bacon, salad, and a few other staples.

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for the past two years, so free breakfast doesn’t entice me anymore.

My fiancé had a small bowl of kuy teav, and he said it tasted okay.

After breakfast, we headed out to get our daily dose of coffee before officially starting the day.

1. Café Espresso Roastery

We’ve been hearing that Café Espresso Roastery serves the best coffee in Kampot for the past seven or eight years.

We’ve wanted to try it every time we visited Kampot, but somehow there was never a parking space. So we ended up skipping it not less than five times until this trip.

We finally made it.

As soon as we walked in, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit us. The whole café smelled amazing.

We ordered an Iced Flat White and an Iced Latte, both without sugar.

When the drinks arrived, I honestly thought something was wrong with my taste buds. I took a few more sips just to make sure.

Nope. Their coffee really wasn’t that good.

My iced latte tasted very watery and light. It didn’t leave much aroma or coffee flavor after each sip. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as I had expected.

After missing out on this café for so many years, I have to admit it was disappointing to find out it wasn’t quite what the little birds had been whispering.

I couldn’t even finish my drink and ended up throwing it away.

My fiancé’s flat white, however, was a little better. I took a sip, and at least that one left a pleasant coffee bitterness that lingered on my tongue.

2. Phnom Teuk Thom

We were originally supposed to visit Phnom Teuk Thom and another mountain on our first day. But since our plans had changed, we moved it to Day 2 instead.

We did mess up the flow of our itinerary a little. But stay with me, I’ll share a better itinerary at the end of this blog post.

Phnom Teuk Thom is located right next to the Cambodia–Vietnam Prek Chaak Border. It’s about 51km from our resort, roughly a 1-hour and 10-minute drive.

Google Maps, however, had other plans for us.

What should have been a smooth drive turned into a little off-road adventure. Instead of taking us through the main entrance at Phnom Reab Pagoda, it sent us to rough, unpaved, narrow roads.

These photos were taken when the road condition got better.

So, if you’re planning to visit Phnom Teuk Thom, turn left at the blue Phnom Reab Pagoda entrance. From there, it’s only a few minutes drive to the mountain.

We finally arrived at around 11:00AM.

In front of the mountain, there’s a row of small huts selling fresh coconuts, drinks, and snacks.

You’ll also find locals selling lotus flowers for those who wish to offer them to the Buddha statue.

From here, you can also take a small rowing boat into the cave. I didn’t get a chance to ask the boatman, but I think there’s only enough water for the boats during the rainy season.

We didn’t start with the cave ride, though. We wanted to check out the bamboo bridge behind the mountain first, so that’s where we headed.

The bridge stretches across a beautiful rice field, with views of the surrounding mountains and countryside houses.

See that grumpy-ass buffalo?

He certainly looked grumpy. The moment I walked onto the bridge near him, he suddenly charged toward me.

I wasn’t even wearing red, I had black and blue on. I have no idea what offended this mf, but he gave me a proper jump scare.

After successfully escaping the buffalo, we headed back to the front of the mountain and took the boat inside the cave.

We thought the boat ride would take us much deeper into the cave. Nope.

It’s only about a five-minute ride before the boat stops at another Buddha statue inside the cave.

From there, you can climb a staircase to ask for blessing from the buddha statue.

We’re Buddhist, but we’re not really the praying type. Plus, it was already 12:00PM, and we were getting hungry. So we skipped the stairs and asked the boatman to take us back.

There isn’t a fixed price for the boat ride. You simply give whatever amount you think is fair.

We gave 10,000 Riels ($2.50) for the two of us.

After that, we headed to Kep for lunch.

3. Kimly Seafood Restaurant, Kep

The familiar feeling kicked in as soon as we arrived. It had been two years since our last visit.

Kimly Seafood has always been our go-to lunch spot whenever we’re in Kep.

Every previous visit had been on a weekend, so the restaurant was always packed.

It felt incredibly nice to finally be here on a weekday, with only one other occupied table.

We ordered two dishes; Fried Milky Crabs and Deep-Fried Butter Prawns.

The food came out surprisingly fast, in just about 15 minutes.

I’m not sure if our taste buds have changed over the years, or if the chef simply had more time to cook carefully because there were fewer customers, but both dishes tasted bolder than we remembered.

They were still really good, though. This lunch cost us  $21.25.

4. Yey Sork Krorng Grilled Squid Skewers

We’d already been in Kampot for a whole day, and somehow we still hadn’t eaten our favorite food, grilled squid skewers.

Our original plan was to buy some from the Crab Market. But then TikTok influenced our decision and led us to Yey Sok Krorng, a lady who used to sell inside the market but has now moved to a stall just outside.

According to countless TikTok videos, her grilled squid skewers are really good.

So we ordered 10 skewers, which cost us 25,000 Riels ($6.25).

I have to say, that’s pricier than the ones sold inside the market. Normally, 10 skewers cost around 18,000–20,000 Riels ($4.50–$5.00) there.

There was a sign saying the squid would take about 10 minutes to grill, so that’s how long we waited.

I imagine the wait would be much longer on weekends, considering how popular this place is.

When the skewers arrived, they looked incredibly appetizing.

But after the first bite… nope.

The flavor just wasn’t for us.

I think they brushed the squid with the spring onion oil that Cambodians usually use for pork rice. Because of that, the skewers tasted quite greasy, and we got tired of eating them pretty quickly.

On top of that, we didn’t think the squid was very fresh, and it wasn’t grilled the way we like it.

To us, the perfect grilled squid skewer has a nicely charred exterior without being burnt, while the inside stays juicy. These were slightly undercooked, but still edible.

Grilled squid in Cambodia is usually eaten with the famous sweet and spicy Koh Kong dipping sauce.

This place is well known for its dipping sauces, offering two versions; the classic sweet and spicy sauce, and a sour and spicy one.

Surprisingly, we preferred the sour and spicy sauce here, even though we normally go for the sweet and spicy version elsewhere. Their sauce is decent, but not at the level that would make this place a must-visit for us.

I’m not trying to de-influence you. You should still give it a try and let me know what you think.

As for me, next time I’m in Kep, I’ll definitely be buying my grilled squid skewers from the market again.

5. Ca Feve Coffee & Eatery

We originally wanted to head back to the resort and rest for a while after leaving Kep.

But it was already 2:00PM, so we decided to go straight to the popular photogenic café, Ca Feve Coffee & Eatery.

We arrived at around 2:30PM, and even on a Friday, the place was still packed.

My fiancé and I ordered an iced matcha oat milk and an iced latte. Each drink cost $3.25, so $6.50 in total.

It’s on the pricier side, but considering the location and the Instagrammable setup, I think the pricing is fair.

We waited around 30 minutes for our drinks.

I didn’t like my iced matcha oat milk at all. It reminded me of Cambodian green soy milk.

You could actually feel the grainy texture in the drink. I’ve had plenty of matcha before, including some with a bit of texture, but this one was just… not good. I couldn’t even finish half of it.

My fiancé’s iced latte was okay.

But then again, we came here for the photos, not the drinks. So I wasn’t expecting much in the first place. And the drinks pretty much confirmed that.

We spent about 30 minutes taking photos before heading back to the resort.

6. Sightseeing Boat Trip

The resort we stayed at offers a complimentary 20-minute sightseeing boat ride.

If boating isn’t your thing, you can also borrow a kayak and paddle around the resort for free.

We knew the sunlight at 4:30PM would still be quite harsh, but I wanted to be at the riverfront in town by 5:30PM, so we didn’t really have a choice.

During the ride, we noticed quite a few new resorts that had opened since the last time we took a leisure boat trip here in 2024.

Even so, the scenery still felt beautifully untouched.

So if you’re planning to take this complimentary boat ride and don’t have anywhere else to be afterward, I’d recommend going around 5:30PM instead.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy the views much more then.

7. Kampot Riverfront

Wish fulfilled. We arrived at the riverfront in town at around 5:30PM.

Despite having been to Kampot so many times, this was actually our first time walking from one end of the riverfront park to the other.

There were plenty of street vendors, people out exercising, and lots of new outdoor restaurants set up along the man-made beach.

The view along the river was honestly something else.

It was incredibly refreshing. No wonder so many people come here to exercise, while others simply sit by the riverside and relax.

As you’re strolling along the park, don’t forget to look across the street too.

The old buildings on the opposite side are just as beautiful and add so much character to Kampot.

And of course, don’t skip Cambodia’s version of the Merlion.

Kidding. It’s a seahorse.

Go ahead, open your mouth and pretend you’re drinking the water, just like people do at the Merlion in Singapore.

Or pose as if you’re shampooing under the fountain. Do whatever silly pose you can think of and have fun with it.

Trust me, you won’t be the only one making weird gestures. 😄

8. Rikitikitavi Hotel, Restaurant & Bar

When I was searching for new places to have dinner in Kampot, the one that caught my attention the most was a new restaurant on a boat called Kdam Kampot.

But when we arrived that evening, it looked like the whole place had been booked for a private event.

And if you’ve made it this far into the article, you’ve probably already realized how much I dislike crowded places. So naturally, we skipped it.

We crossed the street to the row of old colonial buildings and took our time looking through the menus of several restaurants.

In the end, we settled on Rikitikitavi.

The food wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really stand out either. I’d describe it as average.

We ordered an Aussie Beef Tenderloin Steak and Pepper Winglets, which are chicken wings sprinkled with Kampot black pepper.

We also ordered their Happy Hour 1 free 1 cocktails. I ordered a Cosmopolitan, while my fiancé went with a Margarita. The cocktails were average as well.

One thing I didn’t realize was that I had to tell the staff we wanted just two cocktails first, with the other two served after we finished the first round. I thought that was the natural way to do it.

Apparently not. All four cocktails arrived at the same time.

Our dinner came to $31.50.

9. Kampot Riverfront Water Performance

When we drove past the riverfront park the night before, we happened to catch the water dance performance.

But since we couldn’t find a parking space, we decided to come back on Day 2 to watch it properly and record a few videos and photos.

I’m not exactly sure what time the performance starts every evening, but I’d guess around 7:00PM.

We were there at that time on two consecutive nights and managed to catch it both times.

It’s not the most spectacular water show you’ll ever see, but it’s still nice to stop by and watch if you’re already in the area.

After we’d had enough of the water dance performance, I walked into a nearby salon for a hair wash because I was feeling too lazy to wash my own hair.

It cost only 10,000 Riels ($2.50).

There wasn’t much of a scalp massage, it was mostly just a wash, but my hair felt really fresh afterward.

The last glimpse of Kampot Riverfront before we went back to the resort.

10. Good Time Relax Resort’s Bar

The cocktails at the pub the night before had disappointed me, so we decided not to go anywhere else after my hair wash and headed straight back to the resort.

My fiancé suggested we grab a few drinks at the resort since they also have a bar. He even joked, “Who knows? Their cocktails might actually be good.”

We got back to the resort and headed straight to the pool. While my fiancé enjoyed a late-night swim, I ordered a cocktail called Passion Breeze.

And damn, it was unexpectedly good and refreshing.

And it was only $4! A $4 cocktail at a resort? That’s cheap.

I ended up having two glasses.

My fiancé ordered a beer and a Negroni. There’s not much to say about the beer—beer tastes like beer. 😆

But he said the Negroni was actually pretty decent.

The swimming pool closed at 10:00PM, while the bar stayed open until 11:00PM.

Our cocktail cravings were better satisfied—not completely, but enough. After that, we headed back to our bungalow and called it a night.

Day 3

There was one last stop before we headed back to Phnom Penh.

It’s incredibly rare for my fiancé to want to wake up for sunrise. We’ve been together for eight years, and this was the first time he was the one suggesting it.

He said the sunrise at Thmor Muk Yeak Café, where we had gone on our first day, would be beautiful since the café faces east. So he suggested we wake up at 5:00AM and drive there.

Of course, I obeyed his command. I mean, this happens once in a blue moon—we had to go.

So I set my alarm for 5:00AM.

And then… it never rang.

Not because I slept through it. It genuinely never went off.

Why?

Because I had set it for Monday to Friday, and the day we needed to wake up at 5:00AM happened to be a Saturday. 😂

Sorry, fiancé. But also… not sorry.

He’s missed plenty of sunrises with me too. Haha.

We finally woke up at 8:00AM, packed everything, and headed to the reception to check out.

1. Lotus Café

If you’ve been reading my blog since I first started writing, you’ll probably notice that I almost never skip Lotus Café whenever I’m in Kampot.

We stopped by for one last coffee before heading to the final destination of this trip.

It had been two years since my last visit, and I noticed they’d changed both the logo on their cups and the coffee itself.

Their coffee tasted noticeably lighter than I remembered, but it was still good. Better than most places in Kampot.

2. Cai Café

We also stopped by this trendy café, Cai, with its so-called old Hong Kong vibe for a quick photo.

I didn’t try their coffee, so I can’t really comment on how it is.

3. Phnom Domrei

Our final stop before heading back to Phnom Penh was Phnom Domrei (Elephant Mountain).

Yes, this was originally supposed to be part of our Day 1 itinerary together with Phnom Teuk Thom.

But plan changed, so here we were, visiting it on our very last morning instead.

For what felt like the millionth time, Google Maps made getting there way more difficult than it needed to be.

Just like our trip to Phnom Teuk Thom the other day, it led us onto narrow red dirt roads, up and down hills, through rice fields, and eventually to the mountain.

It wasn’t until we left Phnom Domrei and started driving back toward Phnom Penh that we realized there was a much easier route. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you which road to take after this.

Google Maps took us down plenty of wrong routes, but in a way, we were grateful for it.

We got to see just how breathtaking the mountain range around this area really is.

Phnom Domrei is part of the Kampong Trach mountain range. There aren’t any resorts or homestays in this area, just endless rice fields, villagers’ homes, and several local Cambodian restaurants.

If I had all the money in the world, I’d build a resort and some activities here because it’s just that beautiful.

I genuinely couldn’t get over how stunning this place is.

After countless wrong turns and Google Maps adventures, we finally arrived at Phnom Domrei.

I honestly couldn’t make out the shape of an elephant from where we were standing.

Maybe you need to see it from another side or a drone to really see why it’s called Elephant Mountain.

And my photos don’t do this place any justice.

Trust me when I say it’s far more breathtaking in real life. My camera somehow managed to downgrade its beauty.

If you’re traveling to Kampot from Phnom Penh, I’d highly recommend setting aside at least half a day or even more than that to explore the Kampong Trach mountain area. It’s absolutely worth it.

Okay, as promised, let me save you from the same mistake we made.

If you’re traveling from Kampot or Kep, turn left at the paved road directly opposite the blue building, N K Guest House.

This road will take you straight to the Kampong Trach mountain range, including Phnom Domrei, on a much easier drive.

Revised Itinerary for a Smoother, Better Trip

I told you we messed up our itinerary a little.

As promised at the beginning of this blog post, here’s how I’d rearrange it for a smoother trip if you decide to follow a similar route.

I think we did pretty well over the next two days, so the only thing I’d do differently is Day 1.

• Depart from Phnom Penh at 7:00AM
• Visit Kampong Trach mountain range (Phnom Kampong Trach, Phnom Domrei, and other mountains around there)
• Visit Phnom Teuk Thom
• Have lunch in Kep
• Drive to Kampot
• Check in to your resort

This way, once you arrive in Kampot, you can spend the rest of your trip exploring Kampot alone without driving back and forth like we did.

Then on your last day, you can simply head back to Phnom Penh directly from Kampot.

Expense Breakdown

With all the seafood we ate, I honestly thought we had spent way more than we actually did.

But once I sat down and calculated everything, I realized the total was lower than I expected.

I wouldn’t call it cheap cheap, but it was still comfortably within our budget.

• Gas: $32
• Resort: $130
• Food & Drinks: $154.82

That brought our total to $316.82 for two, or $158.41 per person.