I will be interning in Phnom Penh for two months and I have a couple questions about accommodations. I've been scouring the forums desperately, but haven't been able to find anything that addresses my questions directly. I'd appreciate any answers or being directed to old threads.
1. Since I'll be in Phnom Penh for only two months, would it be cheaper/more hassle-free for me to stay at a guesthouse? Or should I try to find an apartment with a short-term lease?
2. I'm going to be working somewhere around here (11.574721, 104.871297). Considering the commute, what would be the best neighborhood for me to live? I was thinking southern side of Toul Kork or even Russian Market.
3. What should I do for commute? Should I be relying on tuk tuks for my daily commute or should I try to find a motorbike/bicycle rental? What would be more cost-effective? (And also keeping the rainy season in mind.)
Thank you in advance for all your help!
Phnom Penh Accommodations & Commute
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1. I would say a guesthouse, because finding short term apartments is a hassle (really depends on your budget). You can also have a look at the shared accommodation: people constantly look for flatmates and will be be more inclined to consider short termers as a lot of them are the same. There are a few groups on facebook.
2. I would go for Toul Kork out of those two, because traffic from Russian market will be hell. Also consider anything north of airport on Russian blvd., there are some places around that area too (though I don't know anyone who lives there).
3. The easiest and cheapest to get a moto, you can rent them for about 70 bucks a month (or less?). But that is only if you are comfortable with driving here: many people are not after years of living in PP. Motodops are the cheapest and most accessible option as well as tuktuks that are slightly more expensive - if you don't mind constant haggling for a price. Can't comment on bicycles, I don't get people doing it for fitness as pumping toxic PP air through your lungs and blood sounds like the opposite of fitness to me - definitely the cheapest though
2. I would go for Toul Kork out of those two, because traffic from Russian market will be hell. Also consider anything north of airport on Russian blvd., there are some places around that area too (though I don't know anyone who lives there).
3. The easiest and cheapest to get a moto, you can rent them for about 70 bucks a month (or less?). But that is only if you are comfortable with driving here: many people are not after years of living in PP. Motodops are the cheapest and most accessible option as well as tuktuks that are slightly more expensive - if you don't mind constant haggling for a price. Can't comment on bicycles, I don't get people doing it for fitness as pumping toxic PP air through your lungs and blood sounds like the opposite of fitness to me - definitely the cheapest though
I've done the Russian Market area - Psar Dey Hoy commute. It ain't fun.
1. I have been in this position and there are no easy solutions. Two months seems a long time to be languishing in a guest house, most of them are not very nice, especially in the vicinity of your specified location. They will not be a cheap option either. On the other hand of course two months is rather short for a let on an apartment. Don't bother with the commercial agencies, they take a one month's commission from the landlord so the landlords don't use them for lets less than six months minimum. Most landlords will not consider a two month let even if they do not have to pay an agent and you are running a proportionately increased lost deposit risk (lost deposits are commonplace in PP). I agree with the suggestion to look for a share in an existing let, this has the potential to be the cheapest and best quality option. Don't commit to anything until you have seen it, however.
2. Tuol Kouk is the obvious choice but the street crime and house burglaries there seems to be bad, search the forums for more details. On the assumption you are young, you could opt for an area that has similar people and places to go out that you like (possibly BKK1) and just suffer the commute time, relative to other cities it won't be that long.
3. If you use motorbikes a lot (either self-driven or motodops) you have to acknowledge that you may be enjoying a hospital trip before you leave PP (either due to traffic accidents or bag snatching). And PP hospitals do not enjoy a good reputation. Tuktuks are safer and much better in the rain. You could engage a regular tuktuk driver or motodop to do the daily commutes. That way you avoid haggling every trip.
Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy PP. You will have a great time but do take the right steps to stay safe.
2. Tuol Kouk is the obvious choice but the street crime and house burglaries there seems to be bad, search the forums for more details. On the assumption you are young, you could opt for an area that has similar people and places to go out that you like (possibly BKK1) and just suffer the commute time, relative to other cities it won't be that long.
3. If you use motorbikes a lot (either self-driven or motodops) you have to acknowledge that you may be enjoying a hospital trip before you leave PP (either due to traffic accidents or bag snatching). And PP hospitals do not enjoy a good reputation. Tuktuks are safer and much better in the rain. You could engage a regular tuktuk driver or motodop to do the daily commutes. That way you avoid haggling every trip.
Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy PP. You will have a great time but do take the right steps to stay safe.
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Facebook housing groups. Someone link them. I'm lazy and on my phone. So many people looking for a roomate.... Slide in for 2 months and then peace out. They don't care. These young kids planning to leave before they arrive just rent 3 bedroom + places and constantly rotate out roommates
Anyone who doesn't like Capitalism is a pathetic loser. God bless the USA and no place else.
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Do you think the commute would be bearable/doable if I did lived in one of the BKKs or even Russian Market? I'm more interested in neighborhoods located south and west of the city.QED wrote: 2. Tuol Kouk is the obvious choice but the street crime and house burglaries there seems to be bad, search the forums for more details. On the assumption you are young, you could opt for an area that has similar people and places to go out that you like (possibly BKK1) and just suffer the commute time, relative to other cities it won't be that long.
I would be grateful if anyone can help me with the trade-off between easy commute to work vs. more suitable surroundings, etc. I'd like to be in a decent neighborhood (safe, quiet, food sources nearby), but wouldn't want commute to be brutal.
Thank you for all your responses so far! It's been very helpful.
I don't know the details of those specific commutes but I would say that any commute will be enhanced if your working hours can be flexible to some extent. The busy spells don't last that long and factors like factory shift changes can be worked around once you know the routines.
Assuming you want some life outside of work, I would recommend you go for a nice place to live as a first priority. Once you arrive you can look at the different localities and see which appeals to you. It's a great idea to do the research, but bear in mind there is only so much you can prepare for in advance!
With accommodation in particular, you have to trust to luck that the right room in the right location will come up at the right time.
Assuming you want some life outside of work, I would recommend you go for a nice place to live as a first priority. Once you arrive you can look at the different localities and see which appeals to you. It's a great idea to do the research, but bear in mind there is only so much you can prepare for in advance!
With accommodation in particular, you have to trust to luck that the right room in the right location will come up at the right time.
It's 8km and 9km from your work Russian market and BKK respectively. Not something you probably want to have to do on a bicycle at peak hour times twice a day. I've done almost the same commute through a wet season with a moto, and wouldn't recommend it.Revolving Fan wrote:Do you think the commute would be bearable/doable if I did lived in one of the BKKs or even Russian Market? I'm more interested in neighborhoods located south and west of the city.QED wrote: 2. Tuol Kouk is the obvious choice but the street crime and house burglaries there seems to be bad, search the forums for more details. On the assumption you are young, you could opt for an area that has similar people and places to go out that you like (possibly BKK1) and just suffer the commute time, relative to other cities it won't be that long.
I would be grateful if anyone can help me with the trade-off between easy commute to work vs. more suitable surroundings, etc. I'd like to be in a decent neighborhood (safe, quiet, food sources nearby), but wouldn't want commute to be brutal.
Thank you for all your responses so far! It's been very helpful.
After 8pm the commute home was ok, around 30 minutes. Any other time of day ranged from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Renting a place somewhere around Santormok highschool goo.gl/maps/l1cfP would be a good balance, imo. Supermarket and local markets within reach, not an outrageous commute.
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