3 Cafés Not to Miss in Siem Reap!

Hey, and welcome to this mini blog post! 

Everybody loves a café and when I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia, there were plenty to try.  Siem Reap town centre was fairly compact and feeding off of the rather seedy and aptly named 'Pub Street' were much quieter, quirky little side streets with boutique shops, art galleries and a variety of restaurants and cafés to suit all tastes.  

Those of you who know me, will know that I follow a coeliac diet, so whilst traveling in more touristy areas I've searched for places I can find gluten free food.  I found two cafés in Siem Reap that had specific gluten free options, but were still wildly popular with all tourists.  

Sister Srey Café is a fabulous enterprise which helps to support young Khmer people to continue their studies whilst supporting other family members.  You can read all about their ethos here: Sister Srey Cafe

They provide delicious freshly prepared food and there is a real friendly bustling atmosphere in this little cafe which looks out onto the street and river. 

I opted for the pumpkin soup which was gluten free and served in this uber cute mini frying pan! 

I then decided to splurge a little more and ordered the RAW (gluten free and vegan) passion fruit cheesecake... delicious!

New Leaf Book Café was another of my favourites whilst in Siem Reap.  Tucked away on a quieter street, but still just round the corner from the main hub; I found this to be a little escape from the busy Siem Reap town.  It had a very relaxed feel about it; just the effect a good book should have! It had shelves stacked with plenty books to choose from.  Here's also where I had quite possibly the best coconut shake - and I should know, I've certainly tried enough! New Leaf also supports local NGO's which was another great plus.  You can read more about it here: New Leaf Cafe

CAKE! Who, may I ask, doesn't like cake!? That's a rhetorical question, because of course the answer is no-one! So everyone would love Blossom Café.  It serves a delicious range of cupcakes and specializes in cake art.  Their cakes are simply amazing; with so many fabulous designs - I spent a good 15 minutes or so deliberating over whether or not the handbags in the window were in fact bags or cakes!!! That's how good they are.  When I was in, a little girl came in with her parents and after much indecision picked the 'rainbow' cupcake - she was so excited when she cut it open and saw all the colours and it was fun to watch, but whether you're a kid or an adult this café is a fantastic treat!  It has a good selection of gluten free cupcakes too - so it was heaven for me! Like the other two cafés it also has a charitable aspect and is in fact a not-for-profit organisation that supports local women.  Here's the link to their website if you fancy a browse: Blossom Cakes .

Sweet Treat Heaven!

So there they are 3 cafés you definitely shouldn't miss if you're traveling in Siem Reap! I hope you enjoyed this little post! Thank you, as always, for reading. 

Weekends in Phnom Penh

*Please note this photo is not my own.

"Ladies who lunch, rarely need therapy"

Whilst I was living and volunteering at the orphanage in Cambodia I traveled up to Phnom Penh on weekends for a break, to see the sights and enjoy some comfort away from the very basic living conditions in Treng Trayeung.  There were two hostels that I personally found to be the best: Base Villa and Eighty8 Backpackers. 

Base Villa

Both hostels were booked online via Hostelworld.  (A site I love!) Base Villa was clean, modern and practical.  We booked an 8 bed mixed dorm room which was cheap but very comfortable.  The room had air con. and ceiling fans as well as big lockers for securely storing backpacks and a toilet, sink and shower separate to each other.  

Base Villa had a pool, bar/restaurant and a pool table area.  I found Base Villa overall very good (when we were there some building work was taking place next door making it noisy, but apart from this our stay was good)

Eighty8 Backpackers

Eighty 8 Backpackers was my favourite hostel - it had everything we needed and the atmosphere was friendly and chilled out, but with plenty potential to party too, if you like.  Eighty8 also had a pool and bar/restaurant area; however what I liked best about Eighty8 was the seating area around the pool and bar - there were tables by the pool, or cane 'egg' chairs to curl up in or they had a lounging area where you could take your shoes off and lie down.  It is the perfect space to chill out with a good book after a long, hot day sightseeing or there's plenty social spaces to hang out and have a drink or grab something to eat. 

The hostel was super clean and what I really liked was the steel framed bunks and mattresses with protective covers all to deter and prevent bed bugs which can be a problem when travelling from hostel to hostel. 

The staff here were also really friendly and helpful - the man who runs the hostel is always happy to help and it was no problem for him to help with my laptop when it wouldn't connect to the Wi-Fi.  

Entrance to Eighty8:

Tuk tuks always ready to take you anywhere from Eighty8:

The Reception:

6 Bed Female Dorm:

Pool Area:

Watching monkeys from the balcony!: 

Chillin' By the Pool:

The 240

The 240 was a really unique and quirky cafe that we stumbled across whilst wandering in Phnom Penh and I'm so glad we did! It was connected to The 240 boutique hotel, but is now connected to The 240 boutique store (See the Facebook link below.) and it was such a good little find!  It's focus is on natural and healthy produce whilst still being super tasty.  The tables are covered in glass with lush green grass underneath and inside is a dreamy cool interior - it is a true oasis amongst the bustling dusty city of Phnom Penh.  Well worth a visit! 

The 240

My Friends' Cafe and Bakery

I found this gem of a cafe after browsing the internet for any gluten free options in Phnom Penh.  My Friends' is a fantastic option for any gluten free travelers, but also for anyone looking for a tasty breakfast or lunch away from the hubbub of Phnom Penh's chaotic streets.  I visited here on a couple of occasions and I wasn't disappointed.  I tried the gluten free pancakes with syrup for breakfast and the 'Meat Feast' gluten free pizza for lunch.  Their shakes are also well worth a mention too! (See the pic. below for the chocolate one!)  The cafe is quite small inside, but always seemed to have a steady flow of customers (a lot of whom were expats) popping in and out for freshly baked goods.  Whilst I was there I bought a gluten free loaf to take away with me - it was a little crumbly, but quite tasty and good toasted.  It was a welcome change from banana and honey or yogurt for breakfast! 

My Friends' Cafe & Bakery

So gluten free or not, I recommend a visit to this cafe if you're spending time in Phnom Penh!

Backyard Cafe

This was without doubt my favourite cafe I discovered in Phnom Penh; an original concept, an airy minimalist interior, with friendly staff and A-MAZ-ING food, there's nothing to dislike and everything to love about this cafe!  

It's a:

*Live and raw food restaurant

*Vegetarian and vegan restaurant and

*Health food restaurant 

This really just translates to healthy, fresh and simply delicious food.  The menu is clearly labelled for allergies including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free; making it super easy for the gluten free and vegan traveler.  I went for lunch and had the power bowl which was so good I simply had to follow it up with the mango and vanilla bean raw cheesecake. 

Everything just seems super fresh, super clean, super healthy and super super tasty! I fell in love with this restaurant and it's concept.  While there you can also purchase Coco Khmer natural products from cold-pressed coconut oil. 

I wish I had discovered this cafe earlier so I could have tried more on the menu! I have definitely been inspired by their gluten free dishes though and will be attempting some of them when I return home! 

The Super Bowl:

The Raw Cheesecake:

Backyard Cafe

Eclipse Sky Bar

I found Eclipse Sky Bar through reading a Cambodian nightlife guide book (which were in every hostel).  They're not lying when they say Sky Bar, Eclipse is on the 22nd floor via the elevator and then up another 2 flights of stairs! It is a little out of the centre of the main city area, but only a cheap and short tuk tuk ride away.  Once you reach the top, it's a really special setting - a cool, circular bar in the middle with tables set nicely between lush palms and strings of fairy lighting and lanterns.  Low key jazzy music played softly in the background and there was the dim hum of voices chatting over dinner.  Of course the real reason to visit Eclipse Sky Bar is for the stunning view across the city.   We went for drinks and dinner and Phnom Penh's skyline was lit up against the black night sky.  The Vattanic Capital Tower really sets the backdrop lit up in a rainbow of colours from the bottom all the way up. 

Compared to Cambodia's normally cheap prices, Eclipse Sky Bars prices are slightly elevated, but I reckon it's worth paying a little extra for beautiful views across the city and a magical setting, that quite frankly would be proposal worthy! 

The cocktails (as you can see from the pictures) were pretty amazing too and there were plenty to choose from! We went here to celebrate the end of our time volunteering at the orphanage and to cheer ourselves up after saying all our goodbyes so we even splashed out on dessert! 

Eclipse Sky Bar

So there's just a few of the places I loved to eat, drink and stay at when I was in Phnom Penh.  Of course I still loved the street food at the night market, but it was nice to experience these places too.  In terms of food, it seems a true reflection of Cambodia overall: the traditional and poverty stricken side and the new, ultra modern up and coming Cambodia that's popular with expats.

Little pick-me-ups for when you're not feeling your best

Hey, and welcome to my new blog post :)

I'm going to be talking about what I do to combat those times when you're maybe feeling a little under the weather, tired, lethargic or just a bit down! We all have these times whether it's because we've been snowed under at work, buried under an ever growing pile of coursework or stressed out emotionally in our personal lives.  But, I believe that as awful as these times may feel there's some things we can all do to help our bodies feel a little healthier and our minds a little happier! 

When I feel like this I usually just want to have a duvet day... snuggled on the couch under the duvet with a cup of tea and some mindless daytime TV! (or a good movie!) But as we all know this just isn't always possible - we have to drag ourselves out of bed in the cold and dark early mornings and soldier on through the day. *cue lots of sympathy from friends, family, work colleagues, the coffee shop barista, hell anyone who will give us some!*

For me, there's four main areas I try to focus on when I'm feeling like this in order to get back to my usual sunny self ASAP!!  

1. Nutrition: lots of healthy eating

2. Physical activity: sometimes a little walk in the fresh air can blow away all the cobwebs

3. Sleep: plenty of beauty sleep, my body needs rest to recouperate

4. Stress management: when I'm feeling rundown stress can make it 100X worse, staying relaxed works wonders!

I always try to do a super healthy shop (if you're not actually up to facing the supermarkets try a home delivery) I find filling my body up with lovely nutritious goodies makes me feel good plus they're packed with vitamins!  So make sure your fruit bowl is full to the brim!!!

A really easy way to ensure you get 5 a day is to make up a big fruit salad - I especially love adding lots of berries (blueberry, raspberry and blackberry) into mine. But, you can choose all your faves!

Multi-vitamin food supplements are another way to add some extra vitamins into your diet and give you a little pick-me-up! I personally love Berocca - I have it in the mornings with breakfast instead of a fruit juice.  Orange is my favourite and I think it tastes fab!  Even better is that they contain the B-12 vitamin and a deficiency in this can cause tiredness so it's super important to make sure this is included in your diet!

I love nothing more than wrapping up and heading outside on a cold, crisp and sunny or blustery day to get fresh air and blow away the cobwebs! Granted, if I'm feeling tired and run down I might not feel like a huge hike, but even a small wander round the park can help.

LAVENDER LAVENDER LAVENDER!!! I find it a MUST when it comes to getting a good nights sleep.  Sleep is really important when you're feeling rundown and you might not be getting as much as your body needs so make sure the quality of sleep you do get is good.  Unwind before bed, run a bubble bath to make you feel sleepy.  This Radox 'Relax' bath soak has notes of lavender and waterlily and it smells dreamy! Just perfect before bedtime.

I also love a hot drink before bedtime, this Twinings Camomile and Honey tea is delicious - the honey just adds a hint of sweetness and for me it is as it says on the packet really soothing!

My last tip for a little pick-me-up is to pamper yourself!.. As if I need an excuse!  Pampering and some nice beauty products can give me a lift and make me feel luxurious.  Think of your home as a spa... light some candles and chill out. Stress is good for no-one and will only make you feel more run-down.  

I've picked 3 No7 beauty products that I find really useful in combating the tired look that annoyingly accompanies the run-down feeling.  

Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator -  this is a lovely 'kind' facial exfoliator that is designed to leave skin brighter; I think it does the job well, it's really creamy and moisturising at the same time which is a great bonus!

Instant Illusions - MY FAVOURITE! I could rave on about this product forever in a day! It smells fruity and delicious, it has a lovely silky feel on your skin without the grease! AND I definitely think it makes my skin look brighter and more radiant.  I have worn this on its own and underneath my make-up and it's great both ways.  Definitely worth investing in this product for days where your skin feels dull and tired!

Beautiful Skin Overnight Revitalising Eye Balm - I dab this on my under eyes at bedtime and leave it to work its magic overnight! It does have a slight slimy texture and the smell is fairly nondescript, but I do think it works well at reducing dark circles which is after all the what it's supposed to do! 

So why not treat yourself to one of these little delights to help combat the tired look! 

That's all for now! I hope this post helps anyone who's been feeling rundown! Remember Spring is just around the corner! In the meantime be kind to yourself!