Profile information
Host rating
85 %
Last replied
14 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
2
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
Hi! I am Ellen, Dutch, 62 years young and during high season I spend 7 months on a chill island Koh Rong Samloem (M'PaiBai), Cambodia and manage my beautiful guesthouse. The rest of the year during the summer over there (and low season in Cambodia) I am back in the Netherlands (Alkmaar) because I also really enjoy living there. The best of both worlds so to speak. I started in the midst of COVID and had never been in Cambodia before. The year before I managed a lodge in South Africa and got stuck there because of COVID. I absolutely loved it and I knew that my days at the office (marketing communication) were over. The guesthouse is properly built (by Sharon, also a Dutchie), nicely decorated, spacious and above all: clean. It has 6 guest rooms each named after a flower and therefor having its own color.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will gain hospitality experience and co-run my guesthouse with me. It will give you insights in the Cambodian culture and island life. If you like the chill authentic island vibe: M'PaiBai still has this. However, Koh Rong Samloen is in development so it will change dramatically during the next 10 to 15 years, but for now it's a nice, relaxed little community where locals, expats and tourists interact in a really nice way.
Help
For next high season: October 2024 up and till April 2025 I would like to welcome a workaway-er. (Just one at a time - pls don’t message me if you are a couple or 2 friends > I will not reply). You would have to available for at least a month. I will also have a local Khmer lady helping me out with the household tasks, since it has been fully booked from mid November to Mid March and at the moment I am running it by myself. It would give you the opportunity to experience the authentic Cambodian way of life. M'PaiBai is slow-island-life. You will gain experience in co-running a guesthouse, experience what it means to live on an island in a small community, interact with the Khmer and of course learn from the stories of the guests / tourists from all over the world.
If you are fluent in English you can -if you would like that - spend a few hours per week at our local (primary) school and do an English class. Once every so often we organize hygiene projects for the kids to educate them on how to handle waste, eat healthy food, brush their teeth and general hygiene subjects.
Plus we organize beach cleans since the trash and plastic that washes ashore during windy season is a big problem here. That’s also the reason I don’t use plastic water bottles but provide free filtered drinking water. And my guesthouse runs on solar panels.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Spanish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I would love to speak a little bit of Spanish. I took some Spanish (beginner) lessons so if you would like to improve on for instance your English we could share our knowledge.
Accommodation
You will be staying in one of the rooms (Poppy) in the Guesthouse. It's a private room with double bed and private bathroom with (cold) shower. You can use the hot shower down stairs, use the communal kitchen and (hot) washing machine.
There are several food options (restaurants) in the village. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be delivered at my doorstep. Most people eat out by the way. They can also cook their own meals in the communal kitchen. There are a few small supermarkets where you can buy fresh vegetables. Since I am offering free accommodation they will have to pay for their own food and/or groceries. I will charge nothing for the use of the kitchen, hot shower and hot washing machine.
What else ...
There are several bays where you can go to by boat. And they are all beautiful. The sunsets are amazing. The food here in M'PaiBai is excellent. The bigger island Koh Rong is about 15 minutes away with the Speedferry and Sihanoukville is about 45 minutes from here. The new highway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville is a real game changer: it only takes 2,5 hours by car now, so a lot of Phnom Penners stay here for the weekend.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Internet (4G) is really fast here (and cheap) and I have WiFi available.
Can possibly accept pets
Cats and dogs are welcome. Note that there are a lot of cats and dogs around in the village, so sometime this gives territorial fights.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
Maximum 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (1)
The tasks we undertook were both rewarding and meaningful. From preparing the guesthouse for the upcoming season, which… read more
Feedback
The tasks we undertook were both rewarding and meaningful. From preparing the guesthouse for the upcoming season, which… read more
