Battambang is a small sleepy colonial town, a couple of hours drive from Siem Reap. We caught up with Morrison and Robert at Bric a Brac, their new 3 bedroom hotel.
I knew them from my time at Design Hotels and found out by chance that they moved from Sydney to Battambang last year. As they spend most of their time in Asia for work, they had been considering a move for some years and felt Battambang ticked all the boxes. The guys wear many hats and one of them is hosting foodie tours in Burma and Vietnam through their company, The Globetrotting Gourmet.
Battambang is less commercial and more authentically Cambodian. It's a great place to relax for a couple of days after visiting Angkor Wat.
Image Courtesy of Bric-a-Brac
The old town centre is home to some of the best preserved French colonial architecture in Cambodia and UNESCO is currently considering adding the town to the World Heritage List.
Robert and Morrison bought one of the colonial houses to create a home and workspace and decided to convert 3 rooms for guest use and add a ground floor shop which sells delicate local crafts and doubles as Morrison's workspace for his tassel and fabric business.
We had a lovely evening enjoying Robert's homemade rilette and a glass of cold white wine in their small street-side bar.
The hoteI is truly fabulous and I'm full of admiration that they've managed to create something of this quality and style, especially in such a remote destination.
Image Courtesy of Bric-a-Brac
The individually designed rooms retain many features from the original building and I couldn't think of anywhere more comfortable to stay or more charming hosts!
http://bric-a-brac.asia
http://globetrottinggourmet.com
Image Courtesy of Bric-a-Brac
Image Courtesy of Bric-a-Brac