The Balé — Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Water walkway to guestrooms at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
(Image credit: TBC)

The sweep of monumental temples at Angkor has meant that Siem Reap has always attracted the lion’s share of Cambodia’s high-end luxury accommodation. The arrival of the Lifestyle Retreats group in the country’s capital is therefore timely given Phnom Penh’s more varied attractions. 

Cosseted by spider lilies, a sacred Bodhi tree, thick jungle foliage and a traditional Khmer village, the 18 all-suite Balé is a striking modernist compound on the edge of the fabled Mekong River. Its silhouette of red and pink Palimanan sandstone was conceived by Jakarta-based firm Sidarta Sanjaya and Associates as a sequence of long rectilinear corridors and footbridges that slash through white pavilions and internal courtyards landscaped with frangipani and lemongrass. 

A 30m lap-pool lined in blue tiles parallels the river’s edge, and is flanked by a bijou dining room in which chef Anton Ventslav experiments with a seasonal Cambodian menu lightly touched with Mediterranean influences.

Water walkway to guestrooms at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(Image credit: Press)

Guestroom at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(Image credit: Press)

Living room in guestroom at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(Image credit: Press)

Bar at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(Image credit: Press)

Swimming pool at The Balé, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(Image credit: Press)

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Road 6A
Bridge No. 8
Bah Keng
Phnom Penh

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Daven Wu

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.