15 INCREDIBLE Hostels in Phnom Penh (2020 • Insider Guide!)
Any backpacker rolling through Cambodia on a wider South East Asia tour will inevitably find themselves in the capital Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh is a sprawling, noisy metropolis filled with seemingly more motorbikes than humans to drive them. That said, it is not without its charm. The beautiful riverfront is lined with tasty restaurants and food stalls, parks, and bars where you can wet your whistle.
Locals in Phnom Penh have taken notice of the incoming backpacker hordes and the result has been an explosion of hostels in the city.
That is exactly why I wrote this guide to the best hostels in Phnom Penh for 2020!
With the aid of this guide, you will have the list of the best hostels in Phnom Penh before you as clear as day, so that choosing the right spot for yourself is as uncomplicated as possible.
I have done the dirty work of finding all of the best backpacker accommodation in the city, and I am certain that there is a hostel on my list suited for every traveler.
Choose from categories like the best party hostel, best hostel for couples, and best cheap sleep hostel in Phnom Penh.
Let’s jump right in and take a look…
Quick Answer: The Best Hostels in Phnom Penh
- Overall Best Hostel in Phnom Penh – Envoy Hostel
- Best Hostel for Solo Travellers in Phnom Penh – Sla Boutique Hostel
- Best Cheap Hostel in Phnom Penh – Eight8 Phnom Penh
- Best Hostel for Couples in Phnom Penh – Feliz Hostel Cafe and Bar
- Best Party Hostel in Phnom Penh – Mad Monkey Phnom Penh
- Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Phnom Penh – RS III Location Hostel
- Best Hostel with a Private Room in Phnom Penh – Onederz Phnom Penh
The 15 Best Hostels in Phnom Penh
First up, we’re going to check out the overall top hostels in Phnom Penh, however, there are heaps of awesome neighborhoods and places to stay scattered around the city. Make sure you do your prior reading to book the right accommodation for your trip!
Overall Best Hostel in Phnom Penh – Envoy Hostel
– $
– Cafe
– 24-Hour Reception
– Tour Desk
For our overall best hostel in Phnom Penh we’ve selected a hostel located more in the expat part of town – that means a bit quieter and a bit more leafy and nicer than the riverside area. The downside is that you have to get tuk-tuks to the more lively areas of town. However, it’s a very small negative on massively positive scorecard. The staff are super friendly and will help you over and above to organise tours and travel. It’s also mega clean and with generally great facilities. The best hostel in Phnom Penh 2020 also offers free coffee, tea AND water whenever you want it – and walking around hot PP is thirsty work, we know.
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Best Hostel for Solo Travellers in Phnom Penh – Sla Boutique Hostel
– $$
– Bar & Cafe
– Air Conditioning
– Tour/Travel Desk
The vibe at Sla Boutique Hostel was just so cosy and homely that we had to put it here as our best hostel for solo travellers in Phnom Penh. If you want to be meet people and be in a safe, welcoming environment, and you don’t wanna party, it can be a bit tricky because drinking and partying is equated with sociability. But you can be friendly and NOT a beer monster! Really, you can! That’s why Sla is so lovely. The staff are super friendly too, which adds to it all. Great choice to get away from a typical party-party Phnom Penh backpackers hostel. Plus it’s boutique-y, beds are comfy, and it’s in a buzzy location.
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Best Cheap Hostel in Phnom Penh #1 – Eighty8 Phnom Penh
– $
– Bar
– 24-Hour Reception
– Outdoor Terrace
With one of the cheapest dorm prices in town, Eighty8 is not only a bargain but the best cheap hostel in Phnom Penh. It’s got a pool, the staff are really friendly, and the location is just peachy if you’re stepping off – or planning to catch – a bus. It also has a newly launched all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast which will set you back all of $2. The WiFi is patchy and for some reason requires you to log in constantly, and the pool and other stuff in the hostel shows a bit of wear and tear, but for a travelers backpacking Cambodia on a budget, this is a solid, solid option.
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Best Cheap Hostel in Phnom Penh #2 – The Share Phnom Penh Hostel
– $
– Bicycle Hire
– Restaurant
– 24-Hour Reception
This Japanese-owned recommended hostel in Phnom Penh is super stylish, super clean, with great facilities on top of that, but is somewhat lacking in atmosphere. However, that might be to do with the fact that it’s located right near to the university, which results in a generally quieter area anyway. We can forgive that for the general design of this place – it might be the coolest hostel in Phnom Penh, with a very hip restaurant downstairs, a rooftop bar, and dorm rooms that by their decor, polished concrete floor, dark wood-and-metal beds with curtains, feel like they should cost 10 times the price they are (which is cheap).
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Best Cheap Hostel in Phnom Penh #3 – One Stop Hostel Phnom Penh
– $
– Common Room
– Cafe & Restaurant
– Tour/Travel Desk
A very nice place with a very nice restaurant and very VERY nice staff, this is a lovely budget hostel in Phnom Penh. As we’ve already gathered, it’s a very nice place. How so? Well, it’s super cheap. That makes things nice. Second of all, the breakfast on offer for $2 (comes with a drink) V tasty. They also offer a free shower after check-out – it can get sweaty killing time waiting for a (usually) delayed bus. The dorm beds all have individual plug sockets and lights, which we appreciate. There’s not much of an atmosphere, but if all you need is a base, well, this is a great choice.
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Best Hostel for Couples in Phnom Penh – Feliz Hostel Cafe and Bar
– $$$
– Bar/Cafe/Restaurant
– 24-Hour Reception
– Air Conditioning
Wow, now this is NICE. Beautiful rooftop restaurant with perfect service, spacious hip bar downstairs, and V nice but not over-the-top rooms in between, this is the best hostel for couples in Phnom Penh. It lacks a party atmosphere, which is first and foremost probably not what you’re after when you’re travelling as a couple – so that’s great. The private rooms are really quite something, with a simple, modern look to them and really big comfy beds. As far as a Phnom Penh backpackers hostel goes, this is bordering on hotel; but of course, it has dorms and they are V cool actually. Top location also.
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Best Party Hostel in Phnom Penh – Mad Monkey Phnom Penh
– $
– Bar
– Towels Included
– 24-Hour Reception
Of course, a hostel called Mad Monkey was gonna be the best party hostel in Phnom Penh. A staple in both the Southeast Asia and Cambodia hostel scene, Mad Monkey is a notorious hostel chain. But really, if a mingly sorta vibe of sociability and singlets is your kinda thing then you’ll love it at this Phnom Penh backpackers hostel. The staff are helpful and informative but also fun since they participate in the hostel’s nightly fun of drinking games and, well, just drinking mainly. If that ain’t your scene then don’t stay here, but for all things party, you probably couldn’t pick a better youth hostel in Phnom Penh. Also cheap.
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Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Phnom Penh – RS III Location Hostel
– $
– Cafe
– City Views
– Super Stylish
It may have a name like a Star Wars droid, but wow – like, seriously WOW. This place is super nice. Coolest hostel in Phnom Penh. It’s just… so nicely done. Polished concrete, pale wood, spacious dorms (including tables and chairs) with big bunks, and a sick cafe area that is basically an ultra hip coffee shop-looking sorta area – this space is why we say it’s the best hostel for digital nomads in Phnom Penh. And not ONLY is the decor super cool, the view from this cafe is… well, there are various wats to look at with an incredible 360-degree vista of the city. It’s 100% a top hostel in Phnom Penh – AND ONE OF THE CHEAPEST!
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Best Hostel with a Private Room in Phnom Penh – Onederz Phnom Penh
– $$$
– River Views
– Common Room (With TV)
– 24-Hour Reception
Ahh, see what they’ve done there? Onederz, one-derz, WONDERS. Get it? Ugh. Anyway, this place has some really, really lovely private rooms on offer – bright, simple, stylish, reasonably priced; which is why it’s the best hostel with a private room in Phnom Penh. What also helps seal the deal is the location, being right in the heart of the riverside area – that’s where all of Phnom Penh’s best bars and nightlife, cafes, and attractions are. It’s not a drinking or party hostel but seriously aren’t there enough bars in Phnom Penh for you to NOT worry about that? Oh, and the rooftop area is V pretty and has river views – lush.
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Psst! Heading to a hostel? Don’t forget to pack a padlock! It’s well worth having one so you can secure your locker and protect your stuff!More Best Hostels in Phnom Penh
If you’re planning on backpacking around Phnom Penh for longer than a 3-day touring itinerary, then maybe you’ll want to see what other accommodations are in town? In that case, we got you covered: here are the honorable mentions!
Panorama Mekong Hostel
– $
– River Views
– Bar & Cafe
– Air Conditioning
Ok so with that name in mind, what are you thinking? If you’re thinking of river views, you’d be correct (you can also see some of the Phnom Penh skyline, too). Panorama Mekong Hostel offers up its stunning vistas via a stylish and spacious rooftop-ish bar – the sort of privilege you’d have to pay A LOT for in other parts of the world. Luckily for you, this is a budget hostel in Phnom Penh and the prices are honestly amazing. Amazingly cheap, we mean. It’s also been recently renovated and everything’s done in the trendy SE Asian way (polished concrete and sturdy metal bunks, obviously).
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Billabong Hostel Phnom Penh
– $
– Swimming Pool
– Outdoor Terrace
– Tour/Travel Desk
Although there’s an amazing pool and bar area at this recommended hostel in Phnom Penh, the scale of these social spaces ironically don’t make it ideally suited to meeting people. It’s sort of more like a hotel than a hostel atmosphere. Otherwise, this place would seriously be gunning for best-hostel-in-Phnom-Penh position, really. The pool area IS really nice. Everything’s modern and clean. The staff are pretty helpful. There’s a restaurant serving tasty food onsite. Who can say no to a burger and a can of something fizzy sitting in the sun next to a pool? AND it’s central – just down the road from the main market and a bunch of fun things to do in Phom Penh. Perf.
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Me Mates Place
– $$
– Bar & Restaurant
– Air Conditioning
– 24-Hour Reception
The name isn’t exactly very… inviting, even though it’s probably supposed to be, but still – this is a top hostel in Phnom Penh. Nothing SPECIAL, though. There’s not much of a common room to speak of, but it does have a lobby area that you can hang around in. It’s generally nice, especially for a Phnom Penh backpackers place. And though it’s not the cheapest, it’s still a relative bargain. They have an onsite restaurant and bar as well, which is also a decent place to eat if you can’t be bothered to venture out. The staff are also pretty friendly.
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Krorma Yamato Guest House Phnom Penh
– $
– Common Room
– Bicycle Hire
– Tour/Travel Desk
Another Japanese-run hostel, Krorma Yamato Guest House is very good for its dorm beds – they’re bunks, but they’re doubles and they’re sufficiently comfy. Comfy will do us just fine. It’s also tidy and clean. Staff will organise tuk-tuks and stuff for you, of course. Elsewhere there are a selection of Japanese-language books and manga in the downstairs area, if you can read Japanese or something. The location is ok – near the genocide museum, if that’s what you’re here to see. There’s a restaurant next door that does some very tasty food indeed. Not exactly a Phnom Penh backpackers hostel, but cheap and nice.
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Top Banana Guest House
– $
– Bar
– Restaurant
– Air Conditioning
Top Banana Guest House has existed for almost two decades in Phnom Penh, making it a veteran place that should be – in theory – top of the list. But it’s not. However, it is still a recommended hostel in Phnom Penh: the dorms have nice sturdy metal bunks, there’s a decent little balcony area for chilling and drinking and smoking or whatever it is you do, and then there’s the bar. The bar is pretty famous and pretty popular, and it takes place on the rooftop – sometimes there’s live music, other times there’s some event on, but one thing is for sure: it’s fun and lively and it’s got a ‘vast’ drinks menu.
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Lovely Jubbly Villa
– $$
– Bar & Cafe
– Swimming Pool
– Air Conditioning
Why is ‘lovely jubbly’ such a classic phrase used all over the world to try and connect with Westerners? We really don’t know. But Lovely Jubbly Villa (did I really type that) is a renovated Cambodian-style villa complete with pool set in a lovely garden area, which looks great all lit up at night. The dorms are spacious and nicely decorated, the private rooms are like lavish hotel rooms, the vibe is sociable (but obviously that depends on the other guests), the staff are super friendly… but there is a weird anti-bed-bug policy of storing backpacks OUTSIDE rooms. Aside from that, definitely a recommended hostel in Phnom Penh.
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Pssssst! Not picked the perfect travel backpack yet? The Broke Backpacker team has tried out over thirty backpacks this year! Our favourite carry on backpack is the Nomatic Travel Bag.
Read our full review!
What to Pack for your Phnom Penh Hostel
Here’s some gear our editors take hostelling.
1. TRTL Travel Pillow: Long flights and bus rides are quite uncomfortable (most obvious statement of the day). Most travel pillows… Well, you know how they are. TRTL travel pillow is different. I mean, look at it! It’ll cuddle you to sleep every ride and it does a pretty damn good job of supporting your neck so you don’t get that stiffness or legendary popping when you stir.
2. Power Bank: Showing up to a new city, after a 14-hour bus ride, with a dead phone and no directions to your hostel is a half-awake, messy nightmare. Putting a good power bank in your pack is the best and easiest way to keep your important electronics charged up for those long travel and sightseeing days.
3. Universal Travel Adapter: This universal travel adapter is the best we’ve found. Covering over 150 countries, you’ll always have the right plug charge your phone. You can also charge up to 5 devices simultaneously with the multiple USB ports.
4. Active Roots Toiletry Bag: Your toothpaste is lost in the depths of your backpack again? You won’t have this problem with the Active Roots Toiletry bag. The bag is made from a durable, water-resistant material, which can be a lifesaver on long travels. Super cool bonus: for every purchase, the company donates to an environmentally-friendly charity – it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
5. Headphone Splitter: Being stuck on a bus or plane with only one phone that has good music or shows downloaded can be pretty annoying if your travel buddy wants to share headphones. With this Headphone Splitter, you won’t have to listen with only one ear anymore. Your friend can plug in their headphones at the same time, so both of you are entertained (on both ears!).
6. Active Roots Microfiber Towel: Quick-drying, lightweight, super soft and compact – the Active Roots Microfiber Towel is essential for every backpacker. No need to use the scabby towels your hostel may or may not provide! Use it for drying off, as a yoga towel or even as a picnic blanket – the options don’t stop here. Made of antibacterial material, you don’t have to worry about your towel starting to smell unpleasant either after lots of use.
Read our packing list before you go, and know what to bring hostelling!
Why you should travel to Phnom Penh
Well, friends, you have made it to the end of the road of my best hostels in Phnom Penh 2020 list.
Phnom Penh is a fun city to explore though exploring ALL of the different hostels available here is not so fun.
There are some great hostels and well, to put it nicely, some thoroughly disappointing unmentionable ones.
After reading this guide, all of your work is done. You are now in full possession of all of the best hostels in Phnom Penh!
The point of writing this guide was to leave no hostel stone unturned. I have put all of the best hostels in Phnom Penh under the spotlight so you can easily book your own spot.
I know it always feels good to book your hostel with confidence. That is exactly how you should feel upon reading this list!
Where you stay matters. Book the hostel from my list that caught your eye, and you can focus more on what’s important: experiencing all of the magic this bustling city has on offer…
Still can’t choose? Feeling overwhelmed by all of your options? I understand…
If you are still on the fence about which hostel to book, I recommend just booking my top overall pick for best hostel in Phnom Penh: Envoy Hostel.
And don’t forget to sort your travel insurance before heading to Phnom Penh! We’ve put together a roundup of the best travel insurance for backpackers – check it out here, or if you’re low on time, get a quote from World Nomads, our favorite travel insurance provider.
Getting an estimate from World Nomads is simple – just click the button or image below, fill out the necessary info, and you’re on your way!
WORLD NOMADS
If you’re still, concerned about whether or not Cambodia is safe, check out our dedicated travel safety guide for lots of useful tips and advice.
More Epic Hostels in Cambodia
Hopefully by now you’ve found the perfect hostel for your upcoming trip to Phnom Penh.
Planning an epic trip all across Cambodia or even Southeast Asia itself?
Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered!
For more cool hostel and accommodation guides around Cambodia, check out:
- Where to Stay in Cambodia
- Top Backpacker Hostels in Sihanoukville
- Top Backpacker Hostels in Siem Reap
Over to you
By now I hope our epic guide to the best hostels in Phnom Penh has helped you choose the perfect hostel for your adventure!
If you think we’ve missed anything or have any further thoughts, hit us up in the comments!
Yay for transparency! Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you book your accommodation through the site, The Broke Backpacker will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep the site going.
Need More Inspiration?
- Siem Reap Neighborhood and Accommodation Guide
- Sihanoukville Neighborhood and Accommodation Guide
- Epic Siem Reap Travel Itinerary
- Siem Reap Sightseeing Guide
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