The Sanctuary Villa Battambang Reviews

My stay here was a mixed bag. On one hand, I liked the peaceful surroundings - just far enough away from the busier areas of town to feel like a “sanctuary” but still close enough to walk to some places. The rooms were comfortable enough but inconsistent. The first room I was given had a very comfortable bed, but it was missing a kettle, shower head, and hair dryer (the front desk did provide a hair dryer when asked, but the cord was wrapped with lots of electrical tape). A corner of the ceiling had mold and leaked slightly down the wall during the afternoon rain. The second room had all the amenities, but the bed was on the hard side. Breakfast was made to order from a limited but adequate list of options. All of the above were acceptable given the price. My biggest complaint, however, came from booking a boat ride from Battambang to Siem Reap through the front desk. My travel companion and I each paid $30 for what we understood to be a decent quality excursion. Although the hotel did provide transportation to the starting place across town and arranged for initial pickup once we arrived in Siem Reap (we had to pay a few dollars extra for direct transport to our next hotel), we were not given the takeaway breakfast we were promised (it was an early departure), and the boat turned out to simply be a local water taxi dropping other passengers off at destinations along the way (hard seats with thin padding and no visible life vests). My companion and I made the choice to stay and take the boat, and the scenery admittedly was interesting along the way. My complaint is not that we were traveling with locals, for that added a certain level to the experience that we would not have had on a tourist-only boat. However, that is not what we were led to believe we were signing up for, and it certainly wasn’t what we paid for. Unfortunately, this experience of feeling cheated left a final bad taste in my mouth.

Found this small villa for my one night stay. It's only $22 without tax, including breaktast. The room is spacious and everything inside is very organized, even the bin. Like the villa in Bali, I love it. Breakfast isn't bad either—most hotels don't include breakfast at this price. Had a good vibe here, even if it's a bit far from the city center. The bathroom is really spacious, and they could even turn the room into a connecting one. Overall, a nice little stay!

This is the worst hotel I've ever stayed in.The bed sheets were very old and stained.The TV won't turn on, and there's no light in the bathroom.When I informed the staff, they ignored me, saying it was an automatic file but the light was broken.It's a very spooky hotel. I had to go to sleep in fear and couldn't shower because the water in the bathroom wasn't working. If anyone is thinking of going here, I don't recommend it. It's terrible.

It is like a ******* hotel with old amenities with only one receptionist serving like a robot

It's a little far from city center, fark at night. The pool is not usable. Room is clean and okay for the price.

The sanctuary staff were lovely and helpful. It had a very relaxed and quiet vibe. Perfect if you're looking for dome real downtime and chill. Unfortunately the pool wasn't usable. Which I was disappointed about as it was 35⁰ and would have loved to swim. The water just wasnt clean at all murky. The room was spacious and big bathroom. AC, TV and Mini fridge.

We live in Cambodia permanently and have travelled to all the great hotels in the world. We have a pretty realistic and reasonable expectation as I am also a Hotel Chef of 35 years. I don’t leave negative reviews usually. I get along great with staff in every country. As a rule. It’s my wife’s 50th bday so I took her away. We stayed 5 nights at The Sanctuary Villa. The front desk guy is great. Pray that you get to interact with him. Otherwise the answer is “no”. To everything. When we checked in he served us welcoming cocktails (pic below), but we never saw another drink or water or food at the hotel again. No water, ever. In a country that’s 37C everyday and you can’t drink from the tap. The property itself obviously used to be amazing. It has an exotic and fun feel, but it’s filthy. it has been a long time since anyone cleaned anything or did maintenance or even minor landscaping. The lack of care is everywhere. I made the mistake of trying to order cocktails on our third night and I was told to drink beer with a sneer. Really fantastic hospitality is everywhere in this country. I was stunned by the lack of friendliness here. Battambang is a very cool city with tons to see and do. The cleaning lady is just mean. Like snarls at you and you get the vibe she hates you. She brings her kids Or maybe she’s babysitting while she does the rooms? She shed everywhere in our room. Black hair everywhere AFTER she cleaned. I mean everywhere. Ew. One morning we had errands to run so we couldn’t eat our breakfast and we returned to find out she had thrown it all away. What a waste. It was a burnt omelette (pic below) so no big deal I guess but I paid for breakfast and was pretty surprised that they immediately threw it away when we left. They ask you to pick your breakfast at 7pm. Which is pretty inconvenient if you’re a tourist trying to see the Bat Cave (the bats come out at 6-7 and the hotel is an hour away, don’t get dinner out or you’ll be begging your way through the gate). They stopped offering breakfast after that. So we just woke up with no water or food or Hello. Or anything. Ghosttown. Also, Grab drivers aren’t allowed on the property so if you do order food, put on your hiking boots and leave early to meet the driver. The murky pool waterfall is coated with years of algae that a few spritzes of Clorox could clean. I’m not sure anybody working at this property has any hospitality training or genuine personal interest in being welcoming or doing their job well. This is the only hotel I’ve ever stayed in that turns off all the lights outside at night and locks the gate at 10. If you come back after 10pm they’ll probably let you in, but you’re going to get reprimanded. Honestly I wonder if ANY staff is there at night. If they are they’re hiding from the guests. Pitch black. Closed. I’d give the front desk guy from Siem Reap 5 stars for his lovely welcome cocktails and demeanor. The rest of this entire experience should be avoided at all costs This hotel needs an experienced manager that cares, and fast because Now it’s just an overnighter for bus tourists passing through BTB on their way from Thailand to Angkor Wat. Biggest spiders I’ve seen in Cambodia so far. So if you’re into Huntsman Spiders: can recommend! Otherwise, do the Caves, eat the bamboo rice (it’s sooooo good), visit the banana lady, go down to the Bamboo Train, eat at Flavors of India (it’s amazing!!), heck have a shot of King Cobra wine; and then take the night bus to Siem reap and save yourself the disappointment and mistreatment. My wife asked me to mention the total lack of hot water and the horrible leaking ceiling over our bed. But To me hospitality is about people. Cheap owners aren’t a surprise, but staff sitting around playing on their phones, inconvenienced by guest requests WILL close this hotel. And honestly I wish I could get my money back from this insult Run away

Nice place for escape and relaxing, reasonable prices, breakfast is good. The bad thing is most of the road in battambang city still under construction which caused difficulties to explore around the city

It my first ever review for a hotel since I started using digital booking. Personally the hotel potentially to be one of the best stay in BTB. However, as a local customers we felt priceless to the staff, like the front desk man. The man and the chef even argued in front of us with our 1st breakfast mornings 🥹 and both start threatening each other, which make us a bit panicked as we could understand theirs words 😌

Stayed one night only. Just used hotel for sleeping. Fine for that purpose. Difficult access road (many potholes). Too dark at night for safe walking but hotel very safe.

The Sanctuary Villa Battambang truly lives up to its name — a peaceful escape surrounded by nature. 🌿 The ambiance was relaxing and perfect for a restful getaway. We loved the cozy villa design and calm atmosphere throughout the property. What made the stay special was the amazing service. The staff were warm, attentive, and always ready to help with a smile. 😊 The pool and garden area were perfect for unwinding, and we felt completely recharged after our stay. This is definitely a place we’d love to return to for some quiet downtime. Highly recommended if you’re looking for comfort and tranquility.

The environment area is unclean

Still charming but showing its age and the roads surrounding it are full of pot holes. Food good and buffet breakfast adequate

No hot water. Room was full of mosquitoes and the lock on the door didn’t make me feel comfortable.