A golden home as latest hideaway in Phnom Penh

Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya or Moonlight Pavilion of the Royal Palace

PHNOM PENH—Fresh from its celebration of the water festival or thanksgiving early this month, Cambodia holds a newly launched golden home found at the heart of this capital.

Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp launched Naga2, the second tower of its multi-awarded five-star hotel NagaWorld earlier this month. Naga2 is just blocks away from the Independence Monument, one of Phnom Penh’s most popular landmarks.

Next tourist destination

As a fellow Southeast Asian country, Cambodia can be the next must-visit place for Filipino families and travelers with this hotel as their hideaway. NagaWorld has been promoting the tourism and economic development of Cambodia for over 20 years.

NagaWorld hotel and Naga2 are connected by Cambodia’s first underground retail mall called NagaCity Walk. This underground walkway was first opened by a China duty free group in August last year. It houses a duty-free shop or Khmer Market.

Khmer Market or duty-free shop found in the underground mall, NagaCity Walk

NagaWorld and Naga2 have about 1,700 rooms and more than 22 food and beverage outlets. A room typically measures 27 square meters.

Naga2 also boasts of a long entrance hall, KTVs, 65 spa rooms at the 21st floor (out of 24 floors) with Cambodian and four-handed (two therapists) massages. For casino-goers, Naga2 has nine floors of VIP mass gaming tables, mostly for Baccarat games. Naga2 is meanwhile gearing for 300 tables.

There is also a Chinese restaurant called the Hall of Golden Chimes and a noodle bar known as the Golden Bowl.

The media was treated to a barbeque dinner at NagaWorld Rooftop Pool. The prawn barbecue was uniquely tasty and smoky. The food was friendly for Muslim guests as they offered some halal food.

2 Pangea buffet restaurant

Diverse cultures

It was important to note that Nagaworld was trying to cater to guests from different religions and cultures, as Cambodia is naturally visited and surrounded by diverse countries.

A part of the hotel room conveniently pointed to the direction where Muslims should face when they pray or the “Kiblat.”

A day before the official soft opening, guests and media were welcomed at the Naga2’s Golden Horizon Lobby Lounge, where they were able to taste a new Cambodian cold drink from “Ma om” plant or rice paddy herb.

Naga2 tower

This herb is used as an ingredient for making soup but Nagaworld also discovered it as a drink identical to the taste of tea.

The hotel also showcased talents from around the world, from violin-playing to acrobatics.

Building a nation

“We don’t just build monuments. We build jobs, we build the nation,” Dr. Chen Lip Keong, NagaCorp founder and chief executive officer, said in a briefing. “It is an exciting market here.”

Keong mentioned that China was an important tourism partner, so were Malaysia and the other Southeast Asian countries. He said that they were also eyeing to have Naga3.

After the soft opening ceremony, guests enjoyed the “Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Gold” gala dinner at NagaWorld’s grand ballroom where Miss World 2013 Megan Young, one of the “Asean divas,” performed onstage. The dinner was attended by ambassadors to Cambodia of all the Asean countries.

Also not too far away from Naga2 was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where a tour guide told this writer that, despite every tourist attraction, Cambodia felt like a communist country, especially with the recent closures of The Cambodia Daily newspaper and independent radio stations. The Royal Palace and Central Market were a car ride away as well.

Just like the Philippines’ deep history and culture, Cambodia fares strongly, too.

Naga2 VIP spa room