Aurea Central Hotel

This was our 2nd time staying in a transit through Phnom Penh. The hotel itself feels more like a business hotel and is clean & comfortable. We were upgraded and had a decent size room with good seating options like a small chaise lounge with coffee table, and desk + comfortable chair for remote working, ambient lighting & good Wi-Fi connection this time (didn’t stay on higher floors). We liked the bedside reading lamps & the AC worked well. The bed was very comfortable and linens were good quality. The staff were kind and helpful. The hot water shower had good pressure and worked well. The bathroom small but functional and clean. There was room clean on request, and daily water top up. We initially booked 2 nights and extended a 3rd due to transit changes, for the 3rd night we opted to try the breakfast which was better value than buying separately. The options were basic but did the job, catered to Chinese taste (congee , fried rice) but didn’t mind. It was worth it for the very good coffee, and the tropical fruit. There is a laundry room upstairs, and small gym. The roof terrace bar is also nice to sit and watch the skyline but it’s not regularly staffed. On our last night the hotel provided complimentary evening noodle soups which was delicious and a nice touch. Overall the hotel feels like a business hotel for Chinese men but the services and the quality of the room is good. It is also located near many amenities like ATMs and a small grocery store across the road selling things like mosquito repellents. Restaurants in the local area are mostly Chinese, and an Amazon cafe., reflecting more western prices.

Overall a good stay. Some things to note: Walking isn’t easy in the local area as it’s so busy with traffic and on main roads, without proper pedestrian pavements so whilst things are nearby it’s quite a mission to get from A to B. There are however many tuktuks or cabs available via grab or PassApp. The small fridge in the room is barely cold, without adjustable temperature, if you need to store things to keep cool.

Room was really nice but problem with WiFi on and off

Breakfast was not upto the standard

close to center. good restaurants nearby

breakfast not so good, coffee hard to get.

The rooms themselves were fine, but I had to be moved twice, due to two different issues (see below). Showers were good and the bed comfortable. I got upgraded to a better room which had a nice view. The staff were nice enough to move me to new rooms when I presented them with the problems I encountered (see below). The location is pretty good, central to a lot of things, but that's about the best thing I can say for it.

The hotel claims to be non-smoking, but it is clear they allow people to smoke wherever they want. The entire 6th floor smelt of smoke, and I could not take the first room offered because it stank of stale smoke. A day later I had to moved again because at least three different rooms with multiple Chinese men in them all that their doors open with cigarette smoke filling the hallways. It is very clear why they keep the doors to the outside open at all times, and why most of the empty rooms are left with the doors open to air them out. Even when I was outside I could see people smoking outside of the open windows from the stairways. If you are a non-smoker, or sensitive to smoke, stay away from this hotel. (Note to hotel: if you are serious about your non-smoking policy, please install smoke detectors that actually work). Also, the wi-fi is terrible here. I had to use data on my phone the entire time, because even though my devices would show that they had connected to wi-fi, in fact, pages could never load properly, and it was impossible to watch anything, whether a short TikTok video, news clip, or movie. The breakfast was not terrible, but it was not good either. Very much geared to Chinese tastes, but at least there were eggs, bacon, bread, and fresh fruit to rely on, even if the "cooked" food had been cooked ages before and was cold to eat.

Room was ok

Breakfast, room cleaning you have to ask