Nary Garden Bungalows — Hotel in Kampot

I used to stay at Little Garden Guesthouse in Kampot, Cambodia a lot in 2009/2010 and used to swear by it, but hadn't been there in a while. ||||I thought I'd go back for old times sake and because I 'knew 'the Cambodian owners...||||My big, big mistake. The place has gone downhill very much since the old days in many ways, most importantly in management and security.||||Checked in right before New Year; on my second night (New Years day morning) after shooting stills and video at Bokor all day, I find my door wide open in the middle of the night. ||||I'd shut and locked it (have lived in Cambodia a few years and know the value of keeping the door closed at night) using the regular main doorknob lock.||||Thief had made it past the security guy, who sleeps in a hammock by the gate, and according to local police, had jimmied or pushed their way through the faulty lock, entered my room while I slept, and stole my stuff, in my room, while I was there - my stuff being less than a meter away on the second bed.||||= Keep in mind that in Cambodia, if a thief is in the process of stealing your stuff, and you wake up or resist, and if they can't get away, you may be injured or disabled so they can avoid being apprehended.||||The same security guy/helper downstairs had also been in and out of my room a few times trying to replace the broken TV, just a few hours before. ||||Later, at Kampot police, despite the official police report, one of the officers agreed with my comment that it appeared there was a connection between the theft and the guesthouse.||||Passport, wallet, moneybelt, mobile phone in pants less than a meter from where I slept all taken - pants found tossed ingloriously in plant holder outside the door the next day.||||LOSS: $900 in items & Risk of Injury (if I'd woken with thief at work in the room)||||Luckily my camera and other gear escaped unharmed because I’d hidden them in a concealed location, behind a door, out of view. If they’d been on the bed next to me or shelf in the room, they would also have been taken.||||Cops and I inspected the lock the next day, and they said that it was indeed faulty: bolt sticking out just enough to catch and hold the door, giving the appearance of being locked, but door easily pushed in....sometimes working well and normally, sometimes only catching slightly.|| ||Worst of all: I went to discuss with black haired Cambodian manager; despite the fact that the family had known me for years, he was absolutely uncooperative and expressed no remorse or sympathy, though I'd been a frequent guest over the years. ||||Even though every penny I had had been stolen til I could get my ATM cards back and get to Phnom Penh, the entire family acted very defensively and was absolutely uncooperative; an offer of a cup of coffee or a free days’ stay in another room (since all my cash was taken) would have been welcome or even expected. ||||Not even a glass of water was offered, let alone any compensation for the loss of my stuff, as Kampot police had suggested they cover the loss initially, since the security of the guest was the responsibility of the guesthouse.||||In this case, the manager only stated that ‘if I knew there was a problem, that I should have told the staff’||||I said I didn't obviously know there was a problem with the lock until my stuff was stolen. ||||Later I went to the cops, and also asked a government Minister contact to help push the process a bit to make sure at least I could get my passport back.||||Came back from cops, went back up to room to take a shower after reporting the situation to them officially – the guesthouse owner still hadn't yet even bothered to change locks, even after the theft, and was presumably planning to rent the room out again after I left.||||When I came back downstairs, ten minutes after I had seen him, the manager was now suddenly not available – he had departed to Phnom Penh on 'urgent business'. He was not willing to discuss even on the phone, and although he had only just departed; he was also not willing to return to the guesthouse, although only a few minutes away to even discuss the theft of my passport and other items.||||Went back to cops; they said they'd 'found passport', quite quickly after intervention by Minister. ||||The police stated their police chief had gone to inspect the Little Garden property, and had observed seen numerous gaps in security; for instance, construction next door allowed thieves complete access to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building.||||They'd also seen the faulty lock on my door and stated flatly it was guesthouse problem & responsibility.||||The police claimed there were two thieves apprehended officially; when I mentioned to one of them that it seemed like there was a connection between the thieves and the guesthouse, the officer nodded his head and actually stated that he agreed with me (despite what appeared on the police report)||||The story evolved further the next day; we had previously planned a meeting of all persons, including myself and Little Guesthouse guesthouse owners – responsible for the faulty security according to police – but first day’s meeting suddenly cancelled. ||||Meanwhile, without any cash or a working ANZ ATM machine, I was living off the generosity of my Cambodian friends, some of them very poor.||||The next day, the owners and family of the Little Garden were nowhere to be seen.||||I requested a meeting with guesthouse owner at the station, but the police said the owner - responsible for stolen passport and $900 of items (not left in room unattended, but half meter from where I slept with a locked door) – was not available. ||||According to the police, the whole family was ‘in the province and unavailable’||||I took a moto taxi a few minutes later to the Little Garden guesthouse to see for myself. I discovered the owner, manager, wife, and family eating a leisurely lunch next door to the guesthouse. ||||* Cops had covered for them * ||||An NGO colleague who was with me helping translate my meeting with the police at the station noted the entire explanation by police, with subsequent revelation of Little Garden owner’s lie and cover being blown when I discovered them myself. ||||Upon seeing me unannounced at their location, and with their cover obviously blown, the owner and manager of the Little Guesthouse were furious and actually called the police on me (under what charge I have no idea)||||Nonetheless, I politely invited the owners, in Khmer language, to please come to the police station to discuss the loss of my passport, a serious crime. But rather than expressing any sort of cooperation, they flipped out: clearly non-sympathetic behavior that you would not expect from anyone who would reasonably be considered non-culpable.||||Obvious protection, and possibly/probably protection by police ensures there will be little chance to recover ANYTHING except that which would involve a foreign embassy's involvement (ie. passport).||||STAY AT LITTLE GARDEN GUESTHOUSE AT YOUR OWN REAL RISK - Little Garden is not what it was a couple years ago and is, to the risk of travellers now, apparently riding on its past laurels.|| ||Little Garden is currently, according to local police, a non-secure thief-magnet with bad security, exposure to all floors from neighboring construction, and uncooperative owner & family who, in my case, fled from premises and avoided any discussion of the theft in a very suspicious way.||||It’s too bad the place has gone downhill, now with obviously bad security and poor management: the Little Garden used to be a great place, and up til now the owners’ family had been reasonably nice and helpful, which is why I’d always come back. ||||After the theft of my passport and other items, the owner and manager of Little Garden were not only unhelpful, but actually obstructive in dealing with this situation.||||In any case, had they expressed even a slight willingness to assist me in some way, a longtime customer after all my cash had been taken – i.e., offering a breakfast, a cup of coffee, or even a bus ticket back to Phnom Penh where I could get cash from an ATM – this long time guest would not be so eager to provide transparency into this situation and the guesthouse’s current decline.||||If you do stay at Little Garden, make sure you: a) double lock door b) never, ever leave anything remotely of value in the room and c) sleep with your passport, wallet, and other valuables well hidden or rolled up under your pillow or in some other hidden and secure place (ie., under a heavy mattress, or concealed in a pillow, etc)||||Not trying to profile the Little Garden, since they are Cambodian owned and run; but the guesthouse has clearly clearly spiralled down into something very, very different from what...

Nary Gardens is a well-hidden tropical paradise in Kampot. Although its slightly out of town, this is not a bad thing. Away from all the noisy bars. Set along the river it’s so peaceful and quiet I extended my 3 day stay to an 8 day stay. I stayed in a studio room that was very spacious and had everything I needed, good aircon and hot shower. The bed was huge. ||||There are several riverside bungalows (unfortunately these were fully booked). The complex is owned and run by Sopha who could not have done anything more to have made my stay as comfortable as possible. Laundry was taken care of, meals provided and lots of information on all the various local attractions. Although I hired a scooter in town and rode out to Nary, there were times when a tuktuk was needed and this was arranged for me without any problems.||||I was on a month long holiday around south Asia and up until arriving here I had been on the move for 2 weeks constantly. Only after arriving here did I realise I needed to stop and recharge and I couldn’t have landed anywhere better to be able to do this. I spent several days just sat by the river, soaking up the sun and watching the day go by. If the doctor had ordered me to rest and relax, he would have sent me here.||||I’m very particular with where I stay and the amount of money I want to spend. The cost of staying here is amazing for the quality of comfort, service and location. I looked at lots of other places before booking here but for similar standards they were asking a lot more money. This is a new hotel and the owner is without a doubt putting her heart and soul into making it work to ensure the guests have the best visit to Kampot they can.||||I cannot recommend Nary Gardens enough. Thank you for...

Stayed here for 5 nights. Manager promised us that if we stayed five nights we would have to would take 2 nights in an inferior room at the back of the hotel (room 103) but then we would be moved to our first choice at the front of the hotel with a river view. Seemed like an OK guy so we agreed. Dumb move.||||Come moving day he suddenly couldn't remember the deal and told us that the room was unavailable to us because he had forgotten that he had promised it to another party. When I started asking him why he had made the original offer he suddenly discovered that he now could neither understand nor speak any English.||||The hotel is very clean and the rooms large. We had two light bulbs out of commission in the room which I brought to management's attention. They promised to take care of it right away. I asked again a day later. I ended up buying the bulbs myself as my wife and I grew tired of navigating the room with a flashlight for two nights. The hotel restaurant s an overpriced debacle. $1.50 for coffee in a town where $0.50 is the norm. Getting a wait staffer's attention was a lesson in boorishness. The food s a joke. Go to Captain Chin's 2 blocks away where two can eat extremely well for $5 total.||||The bed linens are clean. The mattresses thin.||||I don't want to sound cranky but my wife and I have been to SE Asia a total of 8 times in the past 10 years and in all that time and in all of the hotels we have stayed in we have never seen the poor quality of hospitality that we endured at...