Knai Bang Chatt Resort in Cambodia

Knai Bang Chatt with its natural beauty, combined with its sense of history and great Khmer hospitality will make your stay in Cambodia unforgettable. This highly secluded resort sits on the seafront within well groomed gardens just a ten minute stroll from the small fishing village of Kep. In years past, Kep was the beach destination of choice for French colonials and Cambodian high society and the spirit of a bygone era has been elegantly recaptured. Relaxation and tranquillity are key to a stay at this lifestyle resort, which in this country of wonders, is considered as “the best private experience in Cambodia”.

 

 Knai Bang Chatt is an interesting boutique property in Kep that plays an important role in Cambodia's architectural legacy. The hotel consists of three renovated villas built in the 1970s by protégés of Vann Molyvann, who was responsible for much of the country's modernist architecture and was a former pupil of the world renowned architect Le Corbusier. 

 But Kep was heavily affected by the extended Cambodian civil war, and the villas were abandoned around 1970 and ended up housing an army general in the early nineties. In 2003 two intrepid Belgian travellers discovered the villas, and on sensing their potential, purchased them. An architect was hired to strip the villas back to their original state and design an additional villa with similar characteristics. History resonates strongly in the thoughtful renovation. All three original villas were designed at the height of the Khmer cultural boom of post-independence Cambodia, combining ultra-modern art deco design with traditional Khmer characteristics. 

 Knai Bang Chatt seamlessly combines striking art-deco design with traditional Cambodian artifacts and antiques. The eleven individually decorated rooms, housed in three separate villas, are linked with open walkways and staircases which creates a wonderfully airy feel. The villas are designed with large terraces open to breathtaking views of the sea and islands. 

 

Designed as an exclusive getaway, there are no televisions, phones or minibars in the room so that guests can relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. With only a limited number of rooms, guests are very well looked after with an attentive team of staff and butler service. 

 The garden has a glorious array of vegetation and colours and ponds filled with fish and lilies. There is a gorgeous salt-water infinity pool, four-poster massage beds on the edge of the sea, a thatched restaurant with a stone platform stretching out into the sea and a large lawn. As the sea comes right up to the wall there is no beach, but the setting negates the need for one. There is a platform out to sea if a dip is required.

The waterfront restaurant encourages communal dining, with guests seated around a huge log table while the local cook whips up Khmer specialties such as amok and barbequed crab.

 

The relaxation-minded can enjoy an invigorating massage in the open-air cabana by the beach or a yoga or meditation session on the seafront terrace.

 

 The adjacent Sailing Club, once a fisherman's house, now serves as an ideal location for a sundowner at the water's edge or as a dining venue. From here it is possible to hire sailing dinghies and kayaks too. The resort offers yoga and massage courses and excursions to the local sites. The food is an excellent fusion of Western and Asian cuisine and the service is efficient and friendly, while the French manager is always on hand to make you feel welcome. The resort is in a great location to explore Kep and is 5 minutes from the crab markets.

 The resort also focuses on giving something back to their staff and besides giving then decent accommodation and relatively good salaries they teach them different skills and languages. The resort also donates to development projects in Cambodia and has recently started their own community-based development program in the Kep Area working hand in hand with village families in rural Cambodia to help local villagers create a better life for themselves and improve prospects for their children. If during your visit you are interested in knowing more about the project, the resort will offer a complementary tour of the area, meeting some of the villagers and gaining an insight into rural lives in Cambodia. 

This mot unusual and stylish resort is perhaps a little out of place in the remote area of the country but if you like pure luxury in a rustic setting – i.e. which has not been tainted by the trappings of mass tourism – a stay at Knai Bang Chatt could be just the ticket, and you can be sure “the Joneses” wont have been there!

By Van Thai.
For more information see http://indochina-passion.blogspot.com.au