A weekend retreat

In search of some much needed rest and sleep, Berry and I headed for our favourite weekend retreat away from Phnom Penh...Kep. This time we were trying a new place a little outside the town itself called Jasmine Valley Eco-Lodge, a small collection of mud-brick huts and tree-top cabins, hidden in among the trees on the side of Kep Hill. The cabins and huts were basic but done with style and care and much attention to detail which is unusual here. At the centre of the 'village' was a pond, a pool table, a table tennis table, table-football and plenty of corners and seating to tuck yourself away and read. The restaurant provided excellent food and drinks and they even had a wood-fired pizza oven.

The entire village has been designed and built form scratch using entirely local resources and staff and it is wonderful to see the mix of know how from both foreign and local minds come together so well. Training has been provided for every part of the enterprise and it is wonderful to see a place so well run and thought about in the hands of locals. Everything from building, to maintenance, to decoration, to customer service, to food is provided by local staff , who were friendly, helpful and those who needed to, spoke excellent English.

Care has been taken for the environment too and the whole place is run on Solar panels.

We were very impressed (and relaxed by the end of the weekend).