Phnom Penh
A social hostel above a bar built so you choose your own night.
Book through this site and you get a free beer or soft drink on check-in, one per person per day of your stay. Direct bookings only — it isn't honoured on Hostelworld, Booking.com or any other channel.
Beds you'll actually sleep in
- Pod-style queen beds with a privacy curtain
- Individual plug socket and reading light at every bed
- A locker at the bed
- Aircon in every room, dorms and privates alike
- Dorms of 12, 15 and 18 pods, $5 a pod in all three. Shared bathrooms just for the dorms
- Doubles $15, or $25 with a balcony. Triple $20, family $30. Every private room has its own bathroom
Prices checked September 2026, in US dollars. Cambodia runs on USD; riel is used for change under a dollar. Rates are per night and vary with season and availability.
Safety and comfort
Reception from 7am to midnight, a large locker at every bed that takes a full backpack, and a security subscore of 8.4 out of 10 on Hostelworld. Staff score 9.2. The room is a genuinely mixed crowd: solo travellers, couples, small groups, remote workers.
The bar downstairs
Screens mounted high for people who want the match. Tables deliberately away from the screens for people who don't. Booths for groups, street-facing high tables looking onto Street 172. Music plays most of the evening — commentary only for matches that earn it, Premier League usually on but silent, other games by request. See the full Bar & Kitchen menu for the complete food and drink list.
The pool table
Centre of the room, well kept. Winner stays on. Put your name on the board.
What's on this week
Four nights have something booked. The rest are just the bar being open: pool table, a few board games, music on, and the TV showing whatever is worth showing. There is a happy hour every day.
Food, downstairs
Western comfort food and Khmer classics, cooked properly, priced for backpackers, in a room locals and expats eat in too.
Location and what's walkable
We're in Daun Penh, the old riverside quarter, four minutes' walk from Walk Street and the same again from Sisowath Quay. Walk Street is the pedestrianised strip that has become the centre of a night out in Phnom Penh over the last few years: bars, street food and live music, closed to traffic in the evenings. Most of what people come to Phnom Penh to see — the Royal Palace, the National Museum, Wat Phnom, the markets — is on foot from the front door. The two memorial sites are a short tuk-tuk ride and reception will fix a fair price.
Distances are door to door from No. 4, Street 172. Tuk-tuk times are typical traffic.
Getting here, getting about
Most long-distance buses now leave from the strip between Wat Phnom and the Canon Rifle roundabout, a six-minute tuk-tuk from the door, and reception can arrange a pickup from the hostel for the bus companies so you are not hunting for a depot with a bag on your back. From the airport, a tuk-tuk takes about 45 minutes; the airport bus takes 45 minutes to an hour and costs a fixed 1,500 riel, and the nearest stop is a 20-minute walk or a five-minute tuk-tuk away.
| Giant Ibis | 10 min walk, tuk-tuk 3 min (1km) |
|---|---|
| Main bus operator area, Wat Phnom to Canon Rifle roundabout | Tuk-tuk 6 min (2km) |
| Vireak Buntham main depot | Tuk-tuk 8 min (2.4km) |
| Train station | 26 min walk, tuk-tuk 8 min (1.8km) |
| Airport bus stop | 20 min walk, tuk-tuk 5 min (1.5km) |
| Phnom Penh International Airport | Tuk-tuk 45 min, bus 45–60 min (25km) |
| Smile Mart convenience store | On the corner of 172 (50m) |
|---|---|
| ATMs, several banks | On Street 172 |
| Central Hospital | 11 min walk, tuk-tuk 3 min (800m) |
| Calmette Hospital | Tuk-tuk 8 min (2.5km) |
Worth knowing: every ATM on the street charges $5 or more per withdrawal. It is pretty much unavoidable in Cambodia, so take out more, less often.
| The bar downstairs | Downstairs |
|---|---|
| Walk Street | 4 min walk (300m) |
| Riverside | 4 min walk (300m) |
| Bassac Lane | Tuk-tuk 6 min (2km) |
| Toul Tompong | Tuk-tuk 15 min (4km) |
Bassac Lane is the city's most popular bar street. Toul Tompong is where a lot of the resident expats drink, with live music most weekends. Both are a cheap tuk-tuk and reception will call one.
Reception can sort it
- A network of trusted tuk-tuk drivers, not a booking widget
- Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek together, $15 for the tuk-tuk or about $5 each sharing, driver waits and brings you back
- Hop-on hop-off services around Phnom Penh, arranged on request
- Tailored excursions built around what you actually want to see
- Onward transport, tours, visas and the city-to-island run, booked before you leave
- They know who to call when a ferry time changes
You're sleeping above the bar, and the bar is lively. Music runs late.
The rooms sit directly above The Big Easy's bar, and the bar doesn't wind down early — expect music playing most of the evening, later still on Fridays and big match nights. It's the reason the hostel feels social, and the reason light sleepers should know before they book.
"Awesome lively hostel. Very welcoming staff. Feels like a home from home especially for expats. They always have live sports and the management and staff look after each other as much as their guests. The location is also excellent and the rooms are kept very clean."
Danny, UK · Booking.com 10/10 · August 2026
Great if you want to be in the middle of it. If you want early, quiet nights, book the island instead.
What guests say
Google · 5/5
Great service, food and atmosphere. Came here to watch football and had a brilliant time meeting people from all over the world. 10/10. Will come again.
Shafiq Ahmed · September 2026
Booking.com · 10/10
Awesome lively hostel. Very welcoming staff. Feels like a home from home especially for expats. They always have live sports and the management and staff look after each other as much as their guests. The location is also excellent and the rooms are kept very clean.
Danny, UK · August 2026
Hostelworld
Best value in Phnom Penh in my opinion — I ended up booking twice and extending once. Staff is friendly and bathrooms were clean.
Male, 25–30, USA · August 2026
FAQ
What time is check-in and check-out?
Check-in from 2pm, check-out by 11am. Reception is open 7am to midnight, and we can usually work around those hours for an early or late arrival — message us in advance so the team can arrange it.
Is there a curfew?
No curfew. The bar downstairs runs most of the evening and you can come and go as you like.
Are there female-only dorms?
No. Our dorms are mixed at both properties. Every bed has a privacy curtain and a large locker.
How loud is it, really?
You're sleeping above the bar and it's lively, with music running late. Want it quiet? Book the island instead.
Is there luggage storage?
Yes, at both properties. The dorm lockers are large enough to hold a full backpack, and reception will store bags before check-in or after check-out.
Do you do airport pickup?
No, we don't run a pickup service. Getting in is easy enough without one: the ride-hailing apps all cover the airport, there's an official taxi service at arrivals, and the airport bus is a fixed 1,500 riel to a stop a five-minute tuk-tuk from us.
Is there a lift?
No. The rooms are up stairs only, so bear that in mind if you have heavy bags or difficulty with steps.
Can I book the island from here?
Yes — reception can arrange the onward bed and the bus and ferry timings before you leave.
What's the wifi like?
Real wifi, and there are sockets at every bed.
How can I pay?
Cash, or KHQR — the Cambodian QR payment system, which works from any local bank app and from partner banks in countries including Vietnam and Thailand. We do not accept card payments. If you have no regional bank account, the government-run Bakong Tourist app can be topped up from an international card, though transaction fees apply and traveller reports on it are mixed. Note that ATMs here charge $5 or more per withdrawal.
Heading south next?
Do the island too.
Most people we meet here are heading for Koh Rong Samloem next — reception books the bus and ferry as one journey, and your onward bed before you leave.