Lunchtime Vacation

All this writing about holidays on my blog has made me feel in desperate need of a vacation. So I came up with the perfect solution, I took a lunchtime vacation.  And it was the Best Lunchtime Ever.

The Boy and I decided to take advantage of my lovely long lunch break and headed to Villa Langka for an hour's holiday.  A sneaky swim and drinks by the pool anyone?

Aren't these the coolest outdoor cushions you've seen.  Made out of recycled plastic bags they're good for the
environment too!

Non-guests are only allowed to use the pool at Villa Langka during the week and you must spend $5 on food, which is not difficult.  We grabbed some fresh spring rolls and a club sandwich.

These avocado and prawn fresh spring rolls were as fresh and delicious as they look.

We also grabbed a passionfruit pannacotta for dessert.  After all, we were on a vacation (of sorts)!
It was good, but not quite as good as the one at Aria D'Italia.

After our swim and lunch, I flaked out on the sun bed for a while.

It was glorious.  The only problem was at 1.30, when I had to head back to the real world and felt insanely jealous of all the other people who really were on holiday and could relax on those sunloungers for the rest of the afternoon.  Oh, and the fact that there was nowhere for me to wash my hair, so I had to head back to the office smelling of chlorine.


Anyway, I still think it's just about the best thing you can do with a lunch break. I just might have to take little lunchtime vacations on  a regular basis.

Tweet Pin It Now!

Chilling Out: Villa Paradiso

I think the pool at the Villa Paradiso is one of the nicest in Phnom Penh.

The Boy and I recently spent a lovely afternoon relaxing here.  The pool is large and deep and surrounded by a lush garden, one end is sheltered from the sun by a large sail. There's a jacuzzi, the perfect place to relax tired muscles.  Of course the pool is primarily for hotel guests, but you can get complimentary access to the pool and jacuzzi with any spa treatment.  Honestly, I could spend the whole day here.

We grabbed lunch at the bar overlooking the pool. We feasted on spring rolls, satay and fries (but there are healthier options on the menu) and followed it up with creme brulee.

After lunch we chilled out with cocktails by the pool.

We finally left mid afternoon feeling totally relaxed.  

The Villa Paradiso is located on Street 222, you can check it out here, the spa menu is also available online here.  

Tweet Pin It Now!

Do: Swim at L'Elephant Blanc

After hearing about the swimming pool at L'Elephant Blanc for ages, I finally made it there this weekend to check it out.

I was pretty impressed with the pool, it's  large salt water pool and there's also a small kids pool.  Apparently it gets pretty busy on the weekends, but as you can see we had the area to ourselves at 11 am on Saturday.

Non-guests can access the pool for $4 (for adults, $2 for children) on weekends and public holidays, and for half that during the week.  Of course, the other option is to stay here (check out their website).

There's also a cafe, the prices are average (around $5 for a meal), I'd recommend choosing from the Asian dishes, as the sandwich I had was not great (sweet bread, plastic cheese...).  But we did enjoy the cool drinks.

L'Elephant Blanc is about 10kms (about 30 mins drive, depending on traffic) from the centre of Phnom Penh.  To get there cross the Monivong Bridge and continue along National Road 1 for about 6 kms.  You'll see the resort on your left.

Tweet Pin It Now!

Sleep: The elegant White Mansion on 240

The Boy and I recently decided to check out one of Phnom Penh's boutique hotels, in search of a relaxing weekend and a cool swimming pool.

We tried out the White Mansion on Street 240.  The building used to be a US Ambassador's residence.  I immediately fell in love with their beautiful staircase.

Our room was on the top floor, with an attic style roof.  Despite this it was really spacious.

I want some of these shower gel and shampoo dispensers for my bathroom.

I also loved the little touches around the room, fresh flowers here and there and a fruit platter.

But my favourite feature of the room was the terrace.  Sitting up above we could enjoy the rooftops of Phnom Penh (oh and, if you are so inclined, there's a bottle of Taittinger in the minibar).  

There were quite few nice touches, including complimentary soft drinks and homemade shortbread delivered in the evening.  

My only complaint is that, due to the granite floors, the hotel is quite echoey and we could hear anyone coming or going from our floor. Fortunately, as it is a small hotel, there aren't too many people coming and going, but if you are a light sleeper it could be a problem.

We slept in and then wandered down to breakfast at Le Cafe.  To be honest, breakfast is not  the best thing about this hotel...

We spent the best part of the day lazing around the lovely (25m) pool, taking a dip when we got too hot, and then dozing in one of the covered sun lounges the rest of the time.  Perfectly relaxing.

If you are thinking about staying at White Mansion make sure you check out there website where they post specials from time to time, and if you do book, make sure you ask for a balcony or terrace.  Here's what I think:

The Good: pool, service, spacious rooms, style, location

The Ordinary: breakfast, noise

Tweet Pin It Now!