The Bale Phnom Penh by LifestyleRetreats

Overall an absolutely beautiful stay and the location was perfect overlooking the mekon river.
I proposed marriage to my girlfriend with a romantic on balcony 7 course dinner..the setting and atmosphere created by the staff was beautiful and perfect for the occasion.
The food was disappointing, all meals were brought to us cold and they rushed the service of the dinner. The duck was dry and like rubber and was fed to a stray cat the wondered into our balcony area. Over all the charges for the dinner did not support the quality and freshness of the food provided.

I love this hotel, I go there for business but its a great place for leisure also. Amazing view of the mekong near the pool and breakfast is top notch. Highly recommend!

We spent a day at The Balé Phnom Penh, and it was perfect for relaxing. We didn’t stay the night, but we came to swim, have lunch, and unwind. The pool is beautiful, and the view of the Mekong River is amazing—really peaceful.

We only had the burger, but it was so good! The flavors were different from what I’ve had before, and it tasted really fresh. We also had some fruit juice, which was super refreshing after being by the pool.

Overall, it was a great place to spend the day. If you’re looking for somewhere to chill with good food and a great view, I’d definitely recommend it!

I love The Balé and will return. It’s peaceful and easy to get to from the center of town. Service could use improvement. Although everyone seems well-intentioned, it is often hard to get service at the pool
(One staff suggested i call for it from my room…😂) and twice my room was not cleaned for the second night.

So, it is a gorgeous and peaceful spot, i plan to spend more time there, but hope there can be improvement in service

5 stars. We stayed here in 2023, 2024, and we'll likely stay here again. There seems to be more staff compared to our first visit. Management seems to be doing more and better? Though I had no complaints from the past. Sorry for those who had a bad experience. Happy you could leave your reviews here, too. Long review.. here it goes.

EDITED.. some of the food and noise info. Guests can certainly misunderstand things. Management can certainly become better at serving its guests.

My Comments on the 1 Star Reviewers Concerns :

Noise? Fuel operations at a nearby depot have seized. I did hear rumblings off the water side of the property. Our room was actually adjacent to the river side. It wasn't a huge nuisance. But regardless, that isn't a thing anymore.

Food? We ordered from the food GRAB and PANDA apps. I know that it's not what you think of when you are staying at something called a Spa or Retreat. With that thinking and knowing my tastes would be different than the in-house kitchen.. that's what I did, and it worked out fine. We did have to order rice to add to a curry delivery we got from the outside. It was $2 a plate. My wife got a pizza from the kitchen for about $10. She also ordered dessert and breakfast items in the morning. There is a breakfast buffet. After talking to the staff just a few hours before checking out, my wife figured out after talking to the manager how the buffet works. It's actually a good deal.

Kids and Extra Guests and Fees? It is not kid friendly. All of the information on the website is presented properly. There is no misunderstanding as to what is available here. Kids can stay here. Kids can use the pool with adult supervision. There is no lifeguard. Bring any desired electronics and toys for them.

We were going to be charged for an airport shuttle. But my wife showed the email that we had showing it would be free. The staff said no problem. We had an extra local guest stay in our room due to family plans.. the staff mentioned to us that indeed we had an extra person that came to stay with us in our room the night before, so they will be charging us extra. That was fine. We weren't trying to hide or cheat. The cameras/staff were keep an eye on things..

Be sure to watch what you are being charged and correct staff regarding any inconsistencies.. like any place anywhere.

Pool, Poolside, and Parking?

Take a look at the pictures and estimate the pool size. I'd say it's a good size for 15 rooms. At a large hotel with +150 rooms, you will not find it with a pool that's 10 times bigger. But being that it is a resort (stay here), then more people are using the pool than average.. and because it does get hot around here. So.. yeah.

I did see plates and cups at the poolside in the morning at about 7am. Guests overnight left a mess. There isn't any staff member to clean the poolside at those hours. Staff came in the morning and cleaned up.

Parking is very limited. You will find a place to park. The resort is on a tiny local road. Parking there will be fine, it seems. But the parking lot holds about 5 cars and 15 motorbikes. It's not the right math for 15 rooms and its guests. We are tourists and taxi in each time. It seems most people are.

I had a wonderful time at The Bale throughout the weekend. It was my second visit since 2018, and the friendly service, clean and unique room conditions were outstanding.

I was also captivated by the excellent food. The breakfast was delicately prepared, and the dinner menu was really delicious.

Being able to use the meeting room made our workshop and team building time a success.

The pool quality was the best in Phnom Penh. I highly recommend swimming while enjoying the sunset and blue skies in front of the Mekong River view. Riding on a large flamingo tube will also make for great memories.

Our favourite place to come and recuperate from the pace of life! Restorative, restful and peaceful. Food and service and pool is amazing!

Lovely hotel , gorgeous room, food great especially the breakfast. Perfect for those who want to visit Phnom Penh then leave the chaos to a tranquil hotel ,20 minutes to downtown .When I checked in I was annoyed it was not in the city but after spending a day in the city I was happy to return to the tranquility of the hotel and detailed attention of the staff. Highly recommend!