As the FCC – the letters a semaphore for the original Foreign Correspondents Club in Phnom Penh – the former Siem Reap residence of the French colonial governor had long lured travellers looking for a nostalgic bolthole to go with the outsized Angkor ruins, but even its die-hard fans admitted that the building, originally designed by Gary Fell, was beginning to look a little dated – even for a town whose MO and fortunes are based on antiquity.
But after a year-long spruce-up, the good news is that the property is very much back in the game as the FCC Angkor.
Managed by the omnipresent Avani Hotels & Resorts, the 80-room hotel was reworked by the Phnom Penh-based Bloom Architecture and Bangkok-Based interior designer Malee Whitcraft, its familiar white washed façade now leading into a sequence of classically retro public spaces anchored by lush landscaping and two saltwater pools, alongside Cambodian accents of woven textiles, hand-etched friezes, and bedframes carved from raintree timber.
The newly minted Scribe Bar is a two-level cocoon of cossetted greenery whilst head chef Philippe L’obry sends out Khmer crowd-pleasers like seabass steamed with watercress, basil and water lily leaves, and river fish marinated in coconut milk and curry paste.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Pokambor Avenue
Siem Reap
-
Incorp brings together the work of Sissel Tolaas and Panconesi in three unique fragrancesCollaborative fragrance project Incorp was founded by Kira Lillie, bringing together the work of artist Sissel Tolaas, jewellery designer Marco Panconesi and more
-
CES 2025: a collection of this year’s conceptual tech and real-world innovationsRobots of every shape and size were on display at CES, some with more promise than others, along with new approaches to art, health and entertainment
-
Discover Interni Venosta, the new furniture label where craft and beauty speak for themselvesInterni Venosta, the new furniture label of Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, is a perfectly pitched celebration of craft, quality and nostalgia
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France -
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in TokyoStep inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel
