Tucked away in a jungle-like setting, this intimate Cambodian getaway is a mere 15-minute tuk-tuk ride from the ancient temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
Located on a hectare of land, Maison Polanka, a tranquil oasis, is nestled in the heart of a riverside village. Slender gravel pathways meander around a tropical garden to three wooden villas catering for about twenty guests, with one having several different apartment-style rooms, some interconnecting, so an excellent choice for families. Another building, the Garden Cottage, originally from the 1960s, features two connecting rooms.
Each of the villas reflects the owners’ decades-long connection to Asian and Cambodian crafts. Jean Pierre and Nathalie raised their family in one of the villas before expanding the estate and opening it for guests about fourteen years ago. Jean Pierre, an engineer, started Chantiers Écoles, a social enterprise teaching underprivileged locals construction, arts and crafts skills while Cambodian-born Nathalie returned to her native country from France to work with environmental NGOs and later launched her own handicraft brand, Khmer Attitude.
My companion and I stayed in the third villa, reflecting traditional Kymer-style construction on wooden pillars, the open underpart used as a working and storage area and welcome shade during sweltering summers. The villa dates back to the 1940s and was dismantled and transported from another region of Cambodia before being erected on-site.
A few wooden steps led us up to a cosy verandah with rattan chairs and a coffee table overlooking the garden where we spent relaxing evenings sipping tea and listening to the soothing sounds of night creatures all around. A statue of Buddha watched over us.
Inside was a spacious open-style living-room-cum-bedroom with comfortable seating on armchairs and a settee with floor cushions on one side and on the other a double bed with long-necked silver metal reading lamps overhanging both sides and a large dining table nearby.
The villa featured a hardwood floor and dark wooden beams crisscrossing the interior from walls to ceiling. Decorative elements included a black and white painting of a traditional dancer and another of two men who suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime of former dictator, Pol Pot – both by local artists.
A vintage manual typewriter stood atop an art deco table alongside two silver ornaments of a mother and baby deer. A selection of books nearby included ‘Cambodia Calling’ about the experiences of Richard Heinzl, founder of Medecins sans Frontier, ‘Rodin,’ on the life of the famous French artist and ‘Photography in Cambodia.’ Other artefacts comprised tripod mahogany armchairs, a lacquered box, a wooden lantern, a vintage leather suitcase, a wooden chest and a standing wooden statue of Buddha. Absence of televisions at Maison Polanka befits the nature of its tranquil setting.
Our bathroom was a separate room reached through an open doorway, and was complete with a half-walled shower and twin wash-hand basins. There was plenty of closet space for clothes and a glass panelled cupboard offered shelving for storage of smaller travel items.
Meals at Maison Polanka are served on a polished wood-floored terrace bordered by exotic vegetation with a compact swimming pool nearby. Little alcoves, or salas, with soft armchairs and settees under straw roofs offer a quiet space for leisurely pre or post-dinner conversation.
We started our dinner with deliciously refreshing passionfruit mojitos before the arrival of spring rolls filled with carrot, bean sprout, onion and cucumber. Shrimp cakes followed with a sauce of Cambodia’s famous Kampot pepper combined with sugar, peanut and salt carrot. Keeping to the seafood theme, I chose shrimps with pomelo grapefruit and a creamy coconut sauce with fried garlic and mint leaf. My companion selected Cambodia’s national dish, fish amok, akin to a fish stew, cooked in banana leaf with steamed rice. Homemade desserts included banana and coconut pudding with sprinkles of sesame on top.
The warm hospitality of manager Sopharin and her team was one of the highlights of our stay. Not only did they surprise me with a home-made birthday cake but they also presented my partner – who had mentioned she’d love to taste a jackfruit – with the delicious delicacy.
You may also be lucky during your stay to enjoy the acquaintance of three lovable animals – Nauo, an adult rabbit and two friendly dogs, Lia and Bamboo.
Relaxation comes in many forms. Either bicycling around the local area (with cycles provided free by the hotel) or indulging in spa treatments in a traditional house made from dried, interlaced palm leaves. You can choose various options including the special Khmer massage or an aromatherapy facial, with a hydrating lemongrass, cucumber and avocado mask.
Maison Polanka also offers cooking classes to its guests and hosts a small souvenir boutique stall selling select locally made krama (a traditional Khmer scarf), books and pottery.
This boutique hotel is also a convenient location for guests, being mere minutes by tuk-tuk from the Old Market area of Siem Reap while the Angkor Wat temples are a mere 15 minutes away.
