CAFÉ DE LA PAIX TO CLOSE

Café de la Paix is to close sometime mid-February, much earlier than suggested by the hotel’s former management last year. It has been a successful experiment and at times during the weekend the café has been packed out.

Several outlying properties belonging to the group which owns the la Paix name and Shinta Mani hotel have apparently been re-assessed. Properties such as Aha will be retained, but la Paix café will go.

Shinta Mani general manager Christian de Boer confirmed that the la Paix café will close and also confirmed that a new café will take its place. This apparently will be owned or perhaps part-owned privately but Christian was unable to furnish exact details at time of writing.

MORE TRIPADVISOR WINNERS

Siem Reap establishments absolutely dominated the “Top 25 B&Bs and Inns in Cambodia” category compiled by TripAdvisor for its 2013 Travellers’ Choice awards.

Of the 25 guesthouses and inns listed in the Top 25 category, 20 came from Siem Reap, with Seven Candles Guesthouse bagging Number 1 honours.

Next highest ranker from Siem Reap was the Rose Apple, voted in at Number 3.

Best Western’s Angkor Voyage Villa came in at number 15, while the good folk at Rosy Guesthouse were so wrapt at coming in at Number 24 that owner Rachel Band issued at an effusive press release.

“Rosy Guesthouse is delighted to be awarded a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for the first time,” she wrote. “To be ranked in the top 25 B&Bs and Inns in the whole of Cambodia is fantastic and a testament to our whole team’s dedication and hard work.”

Meanwhile, TripAdvisor still lists its 2013 awards winner in the Top 25 Hotels for Cambodia category as Siem Reap’s Hotel de la Paix, which has been shut since June 30 last year.

GONG-TIME IN THE REAP

Aussie expat Tania Palmer, 46, founder of the Green Gecko school and community centre, which supports about 70 former street kids, was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for her charitable work. The gong was part of the Australia Day honours announced last Saturday.

Palmer, a former interior designer, told AAP news service, “Naturally, it's an incredible honour to be recognised by our Queen and fellow Aussies for the work you do. But at the same time, it feels quite strange to be acknowledged for doing something that feels so instinctive to me."

Meanwhile, Bill Morse from the Cambodia Landmine Museum reports that demining hero Aki Ra is to be further celebrated tomorrow. Bill says,” On Saturday Feb 2 Aki Ra will be given the highest award in Rotary, a Paul Harris Fellowship. The ceremony will be at the Landmine Museum at 2Pm. The award is being resented to him by a group of Rotarians from Canada.”

GIRLIE BAR BUST-UP

Bitter and murky ‘love triangle’ ownership wrangle gains momentum  over who owns what at Siem Reap’s only Phnom Penh-style girlie bar, Mikey’s Night Bar,  which advertises itself as, “Where the beer is cold and the ladies are HOT!”  Ownership of a hotel lease is also in the mix apparently.