Blissful moments in Thmorda Garden, Koh Kong's best kept secret - Cambodia

A planned short stop in Koh Kong turned into 3 wonderful days in the Thmorda Garden Riverside Resort. The area around the small town is stunningly beautiful with its rivers and large mangrove forests. Kayaking on the shallow waters through the maze designed by the mangrove is a superb experience.

Thmorda is perfect for families. The hotel offers family-friendly accomodation where twin rooms connect to double. It also has a floating restaurant and bar, where everyone can enjoy delicious food (the seafood fritters make excellent finger-food meals for little hands) or relax with a drink in the evening. Our little ones played hours-long in the bar-side hammock and watched cartoons on the wide screen, waiting for the heavy monsoon rain to stop. When the sky cleared, we all put life jackets on, S-size for the kids, L for us and embarked on kayaks for paddling through the mangroves. In the evening, we took a boat to go on a firefly-watching excursion.

There is more to discover around Koh Kong; ask the friendly Thmorda staff for advice and directions. 

More info: http://www.thmordagarden.com/

A touch of luxury: Inthira hotel, Takhek

After 5 hours riding in an uncomfortable tuk-tuk, we reached Takhek in the evening. We were exhausted. There were several guesthouses in town, but seeing the Inthira hotel, we felt as if we had found an oasis in the desert. The nicely decorated rooms, in Lao-western style, the large, comfortable beds and the modern showers were all we aspired to after a long trip. The hotel has neither family nor triple rooms, and the price for a double room was slightly over our planned budget. We benefitted from a special price for a twin and a double room, including a complete breakfast for all 5 of us. The breakfast, western or Laotian, is excellent. The place also includes a restaurant, where we enjoyed dinner for two after the children went to bed - an unusual touch of luxury for tired parents. 

Rice soup (Laotian breakfast)