Here be backpackers
We have been notified that Here Be Dragons has permanently closed.
Battambang’s only proper backpacker establishment, Here Be Dragons looks like a cross between a dive bar and a hippie collective. One guest described the place as “a work in progress,” and indeed there was construction going on and unfinished walls in several places. They offer a six-bed mixed dorm for $3 a night. It’s great value as the beds are big and sturdy, although the room is cooled only by fans, so this deal may not be as appealing in hot season.
They also have private rooms, including a $5 double room with a shared bathroom and a $8 twin room with a private bathroom, both with fan and cold water. There’s one deluxe room with hot water and a balcony for $10. The rooms are spare and simple with not much that could pass for interior design, but they are very clean.
The garden is lovely, filled with benches, hammocks and loungers. Upstairs there’s an area to hang out and relax or take a Pilates class. The bar stays open late, until everyone stops drinking. The kitchen, which serves up cheap Khmer and Western dishes (think burgers and buffalo wings), is open 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. During happy hour, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., they serve $0.75 Anchor draft and $2 cocktails. They have quiz night on Wednesdays (a great place to meet other expats) and BBQs on Saturday nights.
The bar is cheap and friendly, and although the crowd on most nights seems to lean towards backpacker more than expat, you can still get a $7.50 jar of Pimm’s or a $7 Anchor beer tower and make a few new friends.
Here Be Dragons
Street 159D, overlooking Sar Kheng Park, Battambang [map]
T: 089 264 895
herebedragonsbattambang.com
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