Located in: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Rooms
Rooms are spacious and clean. There are two electrical outlets and a small lamp for each bed. Bedsheets are clean and the cushion is comfortable. Lockers are located under the bottom bunk. The only reason I don’t like it, is that it’s metal and can be quite loud when it’s accidentally hit/kicked (this happened several times). You must provide your own lock, but can buy locks from reception.
One unique aspect of the bunk bed: On one narrow end of the bed is a mirror, which is convenient – you can do your makeup or hair in the comfort of your own bed.
4-pax private room. The room has a ceiling fan. I stayed on the top bunk and using just the fan was comfortable enough; those on the bottom bunk found it hot. There is air-conditioning available for an extra USD 5/night. There is an open rack and hangers for your clothes, as well as a narrow desk. The private room also comes with its own bathroom.
Girls dorm (10- and 18- bed dorm). Air-conditioning and multiple ceiling fans are used in the room. There are two bathrooms per room, and a full-length mirror.
One unique aspect of the bunk bed: On one narrow end of the bed is a mirror, which is convenient – you can do your makeup or hair in the comfort of your own bed.
4-pax private room. The room has a ceiling fan. I stayed on the top bunk and using just the fan was comfortable enough; those on the bottom bunk found it hot. There is air-conditioning available for an extra USD 5/night. There is an open rack and hangers for your clothes, as well as a narrow desk. The private room also comes with its own bathroom.
Girls dorm (10- and 18- bed dorm). Air-conditioning and multiple ceiling fans are used in the room. There are two bathrooms per room, and a full-length mirror.
Bathroom
Aside from the two bathrooms in the rooms, there are also two public/common bathrooms by the stairwell of the 2nd and 3rd floor. The common bathrooms are especially helpful if you have already checked out of your room but would still like to shower before an evening flight. The water pressure is very good, so there is no problem with showers or flushing.
There is no physical barrier separating the shower, toilet and sink. There is a hook to hang your towel and clothes, but other than that there is no other surface allotted for it.
The bathrooms are cleaned at least once a day, so there was never any eww moment apart from, err, special cases. During the time I was there, I saw two clogged toilets (that was gross). There are signs warning you not to dispose of tissue in the toilet.
There’s good ventilation in the bathrooms so there are no lingering odors. The light is activated by motion sensor; super convenient except when taking a #2 (lol); you may have to wave your arms around if you’re on the toilet for a while.
There is no physical barrier separating the shower, toilet and sink. There is a hook to hang your towel and clothes, but other than that there is no other surface allotted for it.
The bathrooms are cleaned at least once a day, so there was never any eww moment apart from, err, special cases. During the time I was there, I saw two clogged toilets (that was gross). There are signs warning you not to dispose of tissue in the toilet.
There’s good ventilation in the bathrooms so there are no lingering odors. The light is activated by motion sensor; super convenient except when taking a #2 (lol); you may have to wave your arms around if you’re on the toilet for a while.
Location
The hostel is less than a minute walk to a main street. There is a laundromat, restaurants, even a stall selling cellphones.
By tuktuk it’s around 20 minutes to the Angkor temples, and 20 minutes to the airport.
By tuktuk it’s around 20 minutes to the Angkor temples, and 20 minutes to the airport.
Food and Drinks at the Sky Bar
FFP has a full kitchen and offers food from a range of cuisines. They offer popular western dishes, mexican food, pasta, burgers, etc. I really enjoyed the food; it’s up to par with western standards and portions. We tried and enjoyed the fish and chips, onion rings, the Funky burger, chicken quesadilla, vegetarian quesadilla, spaghetti Bolognese and Carbonara. The only thing I wasn’t happy with was the nachos but that may be because I take my nachos very seriously. They also serve local Khmer food as well as gluten free and vegan options on the menu. They also serve desserts like brownie a la mode, banana Nutella crepe, crème brulee, etc.
They have a wide range of drinks including bottled water, fresh juices, milk shakes, fruit shakes and (of course) different alcoholic drinks. Happy hour is from 5 PM to 8 PM.
They have a wide range of drinks including bottled water, fresh juices, milk shakes, fruit shakes and (of course) different alcoholic drinks. Happy hour is from 5 PM to 8 PM.
As of July 2016, the menu (food, drinks) they’ve posted on their website is outdated, though most of the prices remain the same. A 1.5L bottle of water is USD 1 (refill at pool bar for USD 0.5), other drinks such as juices, fruit shakes are around USD 2.50. For alcohol, a glass of the local beer on tap is USD 1. During happy hour, there are also several cocktails offered at USD 2.
There is a pool table at the sky bar, and FFP also plays a movie every night at around 7 PM.
There is a pool table at the sky bar, and FFP also plays a movie every night at around 7 PM.
Staff
The staff are helpful and warm. Because I arrived earlier than my group and left after them, I transferred from a dorm to a private room, then back to a dorm when they left. They were really nice about the check-out time and frequent transfers. We also had an iPhone cord that wouldn’t work, so one of the staff lent us a charger we could use. Most of the staff are locals, but there are maybe a dozen employees who are not (European, etc).
Tours
There are multiple tours offered by hostel; this might cost a few dollars more than you find elsewhere, but it’s very convenient and you may even go on tours with others staying at the hostel. Even if you don’t avail of it, it will give you a general idea of prices when you haggle with tuktuk drivers or tour guides.
WiFi
The WiFi is free and reliable. The reception was strong in the female dorms I stayed in on the 2nd and 3rd floor. I used the pool bar WiFi when I was at the private room on the first floor (the room was literally 10 steps away from the bar) but the reception was still shoddy. Other than that, WiFi gets five stars.
Pool
The pool itself is well maintained, though the water probably could’ve been cleaner. There are a dozen large bean bags around the pool for people to use. The pool area and bar is very high energy and is where most of the drinking occurs, while the sky bar has a more chill vibe.
There are people drinking at the pool bar and swimming in the pool every day. Music starts blasting from noon onwards and there are at least two dozen people drinking, chilling and tanning by the pool from 11 am to 8 pm. Some people transfer to the sky bar/lounge (4th floor) in the evening.
There are people drinking at the pool bar and swimming in the pool every day. Music starts blasting from noon onwards and there are at least two dozen people drinking, chilling and tanning by the pool from 11 am to 8 pm. Some people transfer to the sky bar/lounge (4th floor) in the evening.
Luggage Storage
The storage for those checking-in is by reception while the storage for those checking-out is beside the stairwell/ hostel entrance. I didn’t find it particularly safe as the door is kept open, not all the bags fit in the actual storage space, and no one actually monitoring who gets what.
The check-out storage seems riskier as people outside (tuktuk drivers, etc) can see that the storage door is open and unmanned. I didn’t really mind, and I’d never heard any stories of people losing things at storage, but you should consider keep your more valuable items on you.
The check-out storage seems riskier as people outside (tuktuk drivers, etc) can see that the storage door is open and unmanned. I didn’t really mind, and I’d never heard any stories of people losing things at storage, but you should consider keep your more valuable items on you.
Building and fixtures
The building itself is new. There are no signs of wear-and-tear or aging. The walls are all white; there are pop-culture referenced art in between each landing of the stairwell and inside the rooms. The interior of the bathrooms aren’t painted, it’s a smooth finish of concrete. Toilet fixtures, air-conditioning unit, furniture looks either new or very well-cared for. The vibe is, by all means, “funky” and modern.
Deposit
For deposit you have to surrender your passport. I asked one of the staff, and he said they’ve never lost a passport that has been surrendered to them. If you’d like to hold on to your passport, they also accept a USD 20 deposit. Towel rental requires a USD 10 deposit but is waived if they have your passport.
Additional Information
If you’ve been on their website, FFP markets itself as a party hostel and that’s basically what it is. It’s very social and welcoming. What it is not is quiet. You will 100% be able to hear the music, albeit muffled, from inside the rooms.
There are several signs around the hostel stating that they do not tolerate drug use/selling and you will be kicked out if you are. I don’t know how strict they actually about this; there was a guy I encountered who looked stoned af and was being kinda creepy, but maybe the staff didn’t notice.
The music played was a Top 40 playlist – a general crowd pleaser. I think they only use one playlist, so we heard the same songs day after day.
The music played was a Top 40 playlist – a general crowd pleaser. I think they only use one playlist, so we heard the same songs day after day.
Bugs are unavoidable. This is not to say that he hostel isn’t clean – Cambodia is just full of bugs. There were no bugs inside the rooms, but expect to encounter many at night (outdoors).
They have cool swing/couch sets on the 2nd and 3rd floor overlooking the pool. They’re usually empty; most people I've seen there were on video chat with friends/whoever from back home. It’s a nice place to relax during the day; there’s a fan overhead so you don't get hot. At night though, the wind from the fan blows small bugs in your direction. The one night we did stay use the swings, we had to swat away tiny (harmless) bugs that landed on us every few seconds. The bugs aren’t an issue when you don’t use the fan, but then it gets hot pretty quickly too. Verdict: ideal for daytime chilling.
Personal Experience
Overall, I had a good experience at FFP. The first day I checked-in to the female dorm, the bed they assigned me was not made (blanket crumpled and used); I didn't think anything of it because I was tired from my flight and arrived at the hostel close to midnight. The sheets seemed to be clean, so I just showered and slept.If, like us, you’ve only allotted a few days to see the temples and are committed to exploring as much as you can, then staying at a party hostel is inconsequential. After a full day of tours, we barely had energy to socialize or drink, and hadn’t been bothered by the loud music because we had no problem passing out from exhaustion.
**Photos taken from the Funky Flashpacker website.
**No copyright infringement intended.
