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sleek and chic From the top: one of the rooms at the Hotel Be Angkor; the hotels restaurant, AHA; room features at Tenface, Bangkok.

fab four south-east asia

A quartet of boutique hotels which have opened in South-East Asia in the past year offer a pleasing combination of style, charm and value for money. By Anthony Dennis
fresh face From top: the Quay Hotels dining area; and open-air terrace bar.
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greaT value

in the riverfront Quay Hotel (Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh; +855 23 992 284/+855 23 224 894; thequayhotel.com; doubles from $194). actually, this cutting-edge boutique affair, which in its own way symbolises just how far Phnom Penh has come since the dark days of the late 1970s, is run by the canny Fcc Group. Fcc operates hotels and restaurants in both Phnom Penh and siem reap. dont miss Quays small, open-air roof-top terrace bar, with views over the tonle sap, a tributary of the Mekong. its the place to be at sunset, and beyond, and comes complete with a small, burbling al fresco spa bath. downstairs at street level, chow, is one of the better restaurants on sisowath Quay, whether youre after breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink.
The rooms narrow and long, the Quays 16 rooms

The Quay hoTel, Phnom Penh The look copenhagen comes to cambodia

his name with siem reaps one-room only the one hotel angkor. now hes opened the comparatively lavish Hotel Be Angkor (On the Passage, Old Market Area Siem Reap; +855 63 965 321; hotelbeangkor. com; doubles from $132) with a whopping three rooms. along with a lobby shop selling decent and often quirky local knick-knacks and souvenirs, theres also an excellent restaurant (see below) and a maleonly spa, which does mean female guests must head out into the streets to find their own massage.
The rooms well-conceived, each of the trio of large,

hoTel be angkor, siem reaP The look californian Martin dishman made

great value rooms named Bamboo, saffron and sepia are the product of the imagination of a local siem reap design identity. Bamboo, for instance, features a large, organic timber sculpture that acts a room divider of sorts. dishman assures us that problems with the hot water flow from the shower (or, more to the point, the lack of it) have been rectified since our visit.
The scene hotel Be angkor is perfectly located in the

are set around a five-storey high skylight and stairwell. Many of the highly appealing rooms feature balconies with panoramic river and city views, white arne Jacobsen armchairs and cambodian artworks and silk textiles. the spacious, well-designed bathrooms, decked out in limestone flooring, come with powerful showers, gratefully received after a hot days sightseeing.
The scene the Quay is superbly located on sisowath

vibrant old Market area, full of restaurants, cafes, shops and French colonial architecture. one of siem reaps best dining choices is aha (pronounced aha), just downstairs from the trio of rooms. although it operates within hotel Be angkor, aha, featuring an array of delicious small plate khmer dishes, is owned and operated by the nearby, and much larger, Hotel de le Paix (Sivutha Boulevard, Siem Reap, +855 63 966 000; hoteldelapaixangkor.com). hotel de la Paix also runs the must-try well-regarded restaurant, Meric, and caf de la Paix on their main premises.
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Quay, which with its profusion of pesky tuk-tuk drivers and killing fields tours is one of south-east asias liveliest thoroughfares. Just down the road from the hotel is the Foreign Correspondents Club (363 Sisowath Quay; + 855 23 724 014; fcccambodia.com; dinner for two about $122), from which the group derives their name, a favoured, atmospheric hangout for expats and visitors alike. nearby is the chic Caf Fresco (361 Sisowath Quay; cafefresco.net) which is owned by one of the Fcc partners and serves some of the capitals best coffee and snacks in pleasant, modern surroundings.
36 travelandleisure.com.au July-August 2009

scot t woodwa rd

the next outbreak of political turmoil in the thai capital, or just the latest cool place to stay in Bangkok, Tenface (81 Soi Ruamrudee, Wireless Road, Bangkok; +662 695 4242; tenfacebangkok.com; doubles from $144) is it. the hotels name is inspired by tosakan, the 10-faced giant from the thai national epic ramakien, a conceit which informs its bold graphic design. among several clever touches, the hotel can supply you with a siM card for your mobile that allows you to avoid wretched international roaming fees. the average apartment hotel but theyre far from

Tenface, bangkok The look if youre after the ideal refuge from

The rooms the rooms are the size of those you find in
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boutique boost Clockwise from top: Villa Malys pool area; one of the Villas rooms; Tenfaces Sita Bar.

average and are more smartly decorated, with plenty of cute features including a mobile (sculpture) near the entrance thats made from coat-hanger wire. theres also a handy in-room nespresso machine (though you have to pay for the pods, which is a tad mean). tenface has a watchable (nay, the only watchable) in-house tV channel weve come across with an informative video on Bangkok activities beyond the obvious.
The scene tenface has its own in-house restaurant,

wanara, as well as sita Bar but if you must go out theres a Bts skytrain station just up the road (tenface can supply a Bts card for you), which you can be whisked to in the hotels own tuk-tuk. the hotel is also close to the ratchaprasong retail district, home to centralworld the largest shopping mall in south-east asia. when sightseeing take the in-room Must see Place map, featuring favourite Bangkok attractions featured on special podcasts via hotel ipod nanos, available for use during your stay.
villa maly, luang Prabang The look Luang Prabang, the former Laotian royal

Luang Prabang, the former Laotian royal city, has become one of south-east Asias boutique hotel capitals. And just when you thought enough was enough along comes Villa Maly.

city, now world heritage-listed, has become one of south-east asias boutique hotel capitals. and just when you thought enough was enough along comes Villa Maly, (BP 78, Luang Prabang; +856 71 253 902; villa-maly.com; doubles from $261). this attractive new small hotel consists of seven low-rise buildings, housing the accommodation, that lead off from the main, beautifully restored colonial-style building with regal connections dating to the 1930s.
The rooms averaging 33.5 square metres, the

33 rooms are small for their price but comfortable and decorated with well-chosen colour schemes, furnishings and fabrics. our ground floor room featured outdoor terraces overlooking the centrepiece swimming pool. in an imaginative touch, the sinks in the bathroom are cleverly refashioned large traditional jugs with gold bowls.
The scene Villa Maly is in a good location,

discreetly positioned just off the busy main drag near Mount Phousi (popular for sunset viewings at the summit) in the captivating, historic centre of town that is full of cafes, restaurants and shops. Just a few streets away is the Mekong riverfront, lined by hawker stalls, from where Villa Maly operates its own pleasure boat, the nava Mekong, for afternoon and dinner cruises.
38 travelandleisure.com.au July-August 2009