Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh
Central Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Location
Central Phnom Penh
The hotel stands in central Phnom Penh on a tree-lined avenue in the former French quarter, a short walk from Wat Phnom and the riverfront and a short tuk-tuk from the Royal Palace, the National Museum and the Central Market. There is no beach — this is the capital's heritage base, usually a one- or two-night city stop bookending Siem Reap and the coast.
Transfer
A Phnom Penh transfer
Fly into Phnom Penh International Airport, a short drive of about 9 kilometres. Wat Phnom and the riverfront are a short walk, with the Royal Palace and National Museum a short tuk-tuk away.
Villas
175 rooms, suites & apartments
175 rooms, suites and apartments across the 1929 wing and a garden extension, in Art Deco, French Colonial and Khmer style — from State Rooms through the Personality Suites and Le Royal Apartments to the two-bedroom Le Royal Suite.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples and culture-minded travellers who want a colonial-heritage base in the capital — the Elephant Bar, Royal Khmer dining and walkable Phnom Penh — as a city leg of a Cambodia tour.
Board Basis
B&B
Booked on bed and breakfast, with half- and full-board options. Restaurant Le Royal, Café Monivong and the Elephant Bar cover Royal Khmer cooking, all-day dining and the city's most storied cocktails.
About the Resort
The Phnom Penh heritage base
Raffles Hotel Le Royal is the Phnom Penh grande dame — a 1929 colonial landmark on a tree-lined avenue in the former French quarter, its Art Deco, French Colonial and Khmer detail intact across the original wing and a sympathetic extension wrapped around gardens and pools. Its 175 rooms, suites and apartments keep wooden floors, ceiling fans, claw-foot tubs and silks, with Personality Suites named for past guests and the two-bedroom Le Royal Suite the grandest. The heart of the hotel is the Elephant Bar, a Phnom Penh institution — more than two hundred gins, its own Elephant Bar Gin, and the 'Femme Fatale' cocktail created for Jackie Kennedy in 1967 — while Restaurant Le Royal serves Royal Khmer cooking from Royal Palace recipes alongside modern French. Two pools sit in tropical gardens, and the hotel carries real modern history, having served as a Red Cross haven during the Khmer Rouge years. It is the capital's heritage base, walkable to Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace and the riverfront, and a measured starting point for the sobering Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields memorials — a city stay, not a resort.
Accommodation
Rooms, suites & apartments
175 rooms, suites and apartments across the 1929 wing and a garden extension, in Art Deco, French Colonial and Khmer style — wooden floors, ceiling fans, claw-foot tubs and silks. They run from State Rooms through the Personality Suites, named for past guests, and the residential Le Royal Apartments to the two-bedroom Le Royal Suite.
Entry
State Room
Sleeps two. Colonial features, wooden floors and a claw-foot tub, with garden or city views — the entry room.
Claw-foot tubGarden/city view
Suite
Personality Suite
Sleeps two. A suite with a living area and memorabilia of past guests, with garden views.
MemorabiliaGarden view
Apartment
Le Royal Apartment
Sleeps two to three. A residential apartment with garden access, with pool or garden views.
ResidentialPool/garden view
Apex
Le Royal Suite
Sleeps four. Around 228 square metres — the two-bedroom Le Royal Suite, with a dining room, lounge and pantry — the signature address.
228 sqmGarden
Food & Drink
Dining
A heritage roster, anchored by one of the region's great bars. Restaurant Le Royal serves Royal Khmer cooking from Royal Palace recipes and modern French; Café Monivong is the indoor-outdoor all-day room; and the Elephant Bar is a Phnom Penh institution, with a poolside terrace alongside.
Khmer
Restaurant Le Royal
Royal Khmer cooking from Royal Palace recipes, alongside modern French.
Café
Café Monivong
An indoor-outdoor all-day room for international dishes and breakfast.
Bar
The Elephant Bar
A Phnom Penh institution — more than two hundred gins and the 'Femme Fatale' created for Jackie Kennedy in 1967.
Terrace
Poolside terrace
Drinks and light meals on the terrace by the pools.
Wellbeing
Raffles Spa
Raffles Spa offers traditional Khmer and modern treatments across five treatment rooms, with sauna, steam and a jacuzzi. Two swimming pools, including an outdoor lap pool, sit among the tropical gardens and courtyards.
Khmer & modern treatments
Traditional Khmer and modern treatments across five treatment rooms.
Two pools
Two swimming pools, including an outdoor lap pool, in the tropical gardens.
Sauna & steam
Sauna, steam and a jacuzzi within the spa.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
Heritage and the capital on foot. Order a 'Femme Fatale' at the Elephant Bar, dine on Royal Khmer at Restaurant Le Royal, watch an Apsara dinner-dance in the gardens, and walk out to Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace and the riverfront.
The Elephant Bar
The Elephant Bar — a gin flight and the 'Femme Fatale', a Phnom Penh institution.
Royal Khmer dining
Royal Khmer cooking from Royal Palace recipes at Restaurant Le Royal.
Apsara dinner-dance
Apsara dinner-dance evenings in the gardens, weekly from November to March.
Colonial heritage
The 1929 colonial architecture and the hotel's rich modern history.
Walkable Phnom Penh
A walk to Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace, the National Museum and the riverfront.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By road
A short drive from the airport
A short drive of about 9 kilometres from Phnom Penh International Airport.
In the city
Former French quarter
In the former French quarter of central Phnom Penh, near Wat Phnom and the riverfront.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- Booked on bed and breakfast, with half- and full-board options and a heritage dining roster.
Setting
- A 1929 colonial grande dame in central Phnom Penh, in the former French quarter — the capital's heritage city base, not a beach or resort stay.
History
- Rich in modern history — a Red Cross haven during the Khmer Rouge years — and a measured base for the Royal Palace, the National Museum and the sobering Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields memorials.
Getting there
- A short drive of about 9 kilometres from Phnom Penh International Airport.
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Budget per person (flights + hotel)
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