Arcadia Hostel Review in Cambodia
Nowadays, most countries that welcome backpackers have at least one unique or standout hostel that people will ask if you’ve stayed there. In Guatemala, it’s Zephyr Lodge. In Thailand, it might be a Mad Monkey. But for Cambodia, it’s Arcadia Hostel.
As a hostel crossed with a waterpark, Arcadia is certainly one of a kind! For that reason, it consistently draws people in! After all, when else can you wake up and dive straight down a slide into a Cambodian river?
During my time there, I was no different! Seeing it advertised on Hostelworld when looking for hostels in Kampot caught my attention. Then curiosity (coupled with a few recommendations from friends) led me to book a few nights to check it out.
So here’s my detailed Arcadia Hostel review. I will be covering everything you need to know about the atmosphere, accommodation, food, facilities and more.
Before we get started, a brief word of warning! Unlike other travel articles you might see, this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. This article includes my honest opinions, which are sometimes negative. I will endeavor to be as fair, open, and balanced as possible so you have all the information you need to decide whether to visit Arcadia Hostel yourself.
About Arcadia Hostel
What is Arcadia Hostel?
Arcadia Hostel is an out-of-town hostel crossed with a waterpark that welcomes backpackers and partiers travelling through Cambodia.
This is Arcadia Backpackers Hostel (Arcadia Backpackers and Water Park), not to be confused with Arcadia Downtown Backpackers Hostel which is a fresher Arcadia Hostel in the city centre.
Who is Arcadia Hostel for?
Since it’s a party hostel, Arcadia is restricted to guests that are 18+.
The crowd is generally younger and aimed at those who want to chill out, have a laugh and have a few drinks. Being further away from the town centre, it attracts backpackers looking for a more social scene or a relaxing break, rather than to explore tourist sites or experience the town.
Arcadia Hostel General Information
- Where to book: Hostelworld or their website.
- Phone: +855 97 74 550 73
- Email: arcadiabackpackerskampot@gmail.com
- Socials: Instagram
- Cancellation: 2 days before arrival
- Check-in: 15:00
- Check-out: Before 12:00
- Payment: Cash only (there is no ATM nearby, so bring plenty with you)
Where is Arcadia Hostel?
Arcadia Hostel is located approximately 8km from Kampot, in the village of Snam Brampi. This is situated just inland from the south coast of Cambodia.
Sitting on the edge of the river Preaek Tuek Chhu, this rural hostel is away from the hustle and bustle of suburban areas.
How to get to Arcadia Hostel in Kampot
Since Arcadia Hostel is slightly out of town, it’s a little bit trickier to get there.
Firstly, you need to get to Kampot town centre. There are buses to Kampot from other popular backpacking cities. Booking with 12Go or Giant Ibis are both reliable.
- Phnom Penh to Kampot: 4 hours (£6)
- Siem Reap to Kampot: 9.5 hours (£19)
- Sihanoukville to Kampot: 3 hours (£6)
Once in the town centre, you can get a tuk-tuk to drop you off at Arcadia (most should know where the hostel is). This should take approximately 20-30 minutes and cost around $5.
For larger groups, you should consider a private taxi which may cost anywhere between $25-$50 from Sihanoukville (Koh Rong/Koh Rong Samloem) or Phnom Penh.
Once you arrive at Arcadia, you can get around by moped. There is a moped rental from a friendly family across the road which I had a lovely encounter with.
Alternatively, you can chat with reception who can order transport to collect you from the hostel whenever you want to leave. However, this can sometimes be slow.
What facilities does Arcadia Hostel have?
The facilities at Arcadia Hostel are mixed. It’s somewhat rough around the edges as facilities haven’t been maintained, but a lot of people turn a blind eye because that’s not why you’re there.
There are no laundry facilities, the internet is intermittent (I’m hoping that’s fixed since I left), the showers are cold, and the communal toilets aren’t flushable. Though nothing new for hostels in SE Asia!
But besides that, here’s the fun stuff:
Arcadia Hostel has:
- A massive slide
- Rope swing
- Jumping platform
- Zipline
- Russian Swing
- Big ‘blob’
- Climbing wall
- Kayak rental.
Back on the deck, there’s a cool layout with loads of hidy holes to chill out in. There are plenty of hammocks and benches, overlooking the river where you can watch people stunting off the slides.
Scattered around the hostel there is also a table tennis table and a bar serving food and drinks.
What to Expect at Arcadia Hostel
Vibe
Besides the facilities, how does Arcadia feel?
The slightly run-down and dated feel isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But you could argue that it fits with the rural and rustic vibe of the hostel. It certainly solidifies its image of living in a little bubble away from the town.
Because of that, your experience of Arcadia is partly down to what you make it and partly down to the people you meet there.
If you are down to have a laugh and party and are surrounded by others who are the same, you will forget about the small things wrong with Arcadia and have a great time. However, if you haven’t got that, then the vibe is a bit strange – Arcadia’s two assets (party and waterpark) aren’t as fun without company.
Whilst Arcadia was somewhat social, I didn’t find it as social as other hostels. I think partly because it’s the type of hostel that people visit in groups.
On a separate note (which I don’t want to dwindle on because there’s always a turnover of staff), the staff were often slow and uninterested at times. This didn’t help the atmosphere.
Accommodation
Dorms
In terms of accommodation, Arcadia Hostel is relatively basic. It’s the novelty that sells the place, so I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular.
The cheapest option is the large 12-person dorm room, which costs less than £5 per night. It’s closest to the bar and is pretty much open to the environment. Because of this, it can get noisy and hot. But at least the dorms have fitted mosquito nets.
One of the shockers for me with this dorm was the lack of a door… I heard stories about someone from outside the hostel entering the room, which is concerning since there aren’t lockers. Whilst I didn’t experience this, I did experience the hostel dogs entering the room in the middle of the night… The dorm is on stilts meaning you could hear the dogs scurrying underneath as well.
There are also 4-person dorm rooms. These vary in price from around £6-7 per night.
The cheaper 4-person dorms are semi-open to the environment and have fans. The more expensive dorms come with air conditioning and are closer to ‘normal’ hostel dorms. If you want a dorm room, I highly recommend picking the dorms with air conditioning.
Private Rooms
The private rooms in Arcadia Hostel are very cheap by private-room standards! The most expensive room (Deluxe double bed private ensuite) is less than £20.
There are 5 double rooms on the property, each coming with a double bed, air conditioning and river views. The price difference comes from sharing a bathroom vs ensuites.
Food and Drink
Due to its relative isolation, I was expecting the food to be shoddy and overpriced. But I was wrong!
Whilst it was expensive by Cambodian standards, the food was delicious. The hostel offered a variety of Khmer favourites as well as plenty of other Asian or Western options.
However, I did end up having curry for breakfast as their breakfast was limited…
Similarly, drinks were cheap and nicely chilled which was great.
Tips for surviving Arcadia Hostel
- Avoid the boat trip: I heard that the boat sank on one of the outings…
- Use the moped rental for day trips: The type of traveller I am means that I can’t stay in the hostel for days at a time and it’s important to get out and explore.
- Avoid the 12-bed dorm: It’s cheap, but the difference in room quality you get by spending an extra £1 is crazy.
- Come with friends: I travelled to Arcadia Hostel solo and I made a few friends there. However, I did feel my experience wasn’t as good because of it. This is partly because I arrived after a big group left, meaning the atmosphere at the hostel was quieter.
What to do in Kampot
Whilst you’re staying at Arcadia Hostel, you can either use the time to chill out by the river, enjoy the water attractions and generally have some downtime. But if you’re looking to explore, there are a few things to do.
- Visit La Plantation
- Take a day trip to Kep
- Go into Kampot town centre for food
- Visit Bokor National Park
Is Arcadia Hostel worth it?
Arcadia has a lot of pros: cheap prices; relaxed swimming costume vibes; hammocks overlooking the river; and not forgetting the literal waterpark on the grounds!
However, there are some issues…
The wooden structure seemed old and splintered. The water park (despite being fun) didn’t seem particularly safe. Other than a few cameras, security was limited. The cheapest dorm rooms were pretty open to the outside world.
Don’t get me wrong, you can have a lot of fun at Arcadia Hostel. And you forget about these things when you’re having fun at the hostel or out exploring the local area. But in this balanced Arcadia Hostel review, the negatives need to be mentioned.
All things considered, Arcadia Hostel wasn’t worth it for me. In hindsight, it wasn’t what I was looking for, and personally the fun and novelty of the waterpark didn’t compensate for the rough-around-the-edges hostel.
However, one of the reasons I visited was because of recommendations. So clearly, Arcadia is worth it for some backpackers.
My takeaway piece of advice I have is to book Arcadia if you know exactly what you’re after, rather than to follow people’s recommendations, as the hostel is either something you’ll love or you won’t.
NOTE: If you do decide to go to Arcadia Hostel, book for fewer days and extend if you like it.
Arcadia Hostel Review
- Atmosphere – There were lots of places to chill and have a laugh at the waterpark facilities during the day. Then it was quite social in the evening as most people are back from their day out.
- Cleanliness – It felt like the hostel wasn’t looked after.
- Facilities – Waterpark was a cool addition that nowhere else has. Lacking in other areas.
- Location – Beautiful next to the river, but the distance made it harder to see Kampot.
- Rooms – The private rooms looked pretty good. But the 12-bed dorm was poor.
- Security – My dorm room didn’t have a door or lockers. Privates are more secure.
- Staff – The staff were unattentive. Plus, someone was meant to be at reception when I arrived early in the morning after a sleeper bus, but they weren’t.
- Value for Money – It’s one of the cheaper hostels I’ve been to. And given that the waterpark day pass on its own is $7, it works out cheaper to stay there if you plan to visit.
Arcadia Hostel Overall Rating: 5/10
Alternatives to Arcadia Hostel
There aren’t loads of hostels to choose from in Kampot.
I actually ended up using one of the alternatives after moving after a couple of nights.
- Onederz Kampot: I stayed in the Onederz in Siem Reap and it was one of my favourite hostels during my whole Southeast Asia trip. It was fresh, clean and a great all-purpose hostel. Since the Onederz in Kampot is relatively new, I can only imagine it’s another great alternative to Arcadia.
- Monkey Republic: This is the hostel I moved to away from Arcadia. It’s located in the city centre and has a much better atmosphere (personally). It has its own bar and serves food throughout the day.
Before you go
Thank you for reading my review of Arcadia Hostel in Cambodia. If guides, itineraries and travel content like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more.
If you are new to Matt’s Next Steps, check out the About Me page to find out a bit more about who I am, my travel adventures, and why I wanted to become a travel writer.
Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.
Happy travelling!
No Comments