If you’re looking for the coolest hostel in Southeast Asia, look no further than Arcadia Backpackers in Kampot, Cambodia, located roughly 100 miles southwest of Phnom Penh. The hostel’s main attraction is a Swiss Family Robinson-style outdoor waterpark with exhilarating features that will launch you high into the air and plunge you deep into the Preaek Tuek Chhu River.
Photo: Photo: Matador Network/Youtube
Cambodia’s Coolest Hostel Is Also an Epic Waterpark
Arcadia’s waterpark comes with slides, swings, hot tubs, and two large swimming pools, one of which is connected by a lazy river. The pool area also has plenty of loungers where you can kick back and relax after a long day of touring Kampot’s pepper plantations and salt fields. Scooters are available for rent at the hostel to facilitate your adventures.
The hostel itself also offers a variety of activities and amenities, such as wilderness hikes, riverboat pub crawls, ping pong and pool tables, a slackline, and a gym. Guests tend to congregate at the on-site bar to enjoy events including pub quizzes, beer pong tournaments, and live music, but there’s also a cafe on the premises that serves a mix of local and international cuisine from 7 AM to 8:30 PM.
Accommodations at Arcadia Backpackers hostel range from single and double rooms to 12-person eco dorms and a floating house boat. Prices vary from as little as $7 per night up to $34 per night, and all guests must be 18 or older. If you’re just passing through town, day passes to the waterpark cost $7. Note that Arcadia Backpackers is cash-only and there are no ATMs nearby, so be sure to bring as much cash as you’ll need for the entirety of your stay. 