The Balé — Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Road 6A
Bridge No. 8
Bah Keng
Phnom Penh
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
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.
-
Serenade your senses at Farasha Farmhouse in Marrakech
Farasha Farmhouse is a serene escape hidden on the outer reaches of Marrakech
By Nicola Chilton Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
Les Lalanne’s surreal world takes over Venice
‘Planète Lalanne’, presented by Ben Brown Fine Arts, takes over Palazzo Rota Ivancich, with a cast of blue hippos, woolly sheep and giant grasshoppers
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble Last updated
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo Last updated
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
K5 — Tokyo, Japan
By Danielle Demetriou Last updated