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Help out at my guesthouse and enjoy a chill authentic island vibe in M'PaiBai, Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hi! I am Ellen, Dutch (63) yep 👍🏻 and during high season (October - April) I spend 6 months on a chill island Koh Rong Samloem (M'PaiBai), Cambodia and manage my beautiful guesthouse.


    The rest of the year during the summer in Europe (and low season in Cambodia) I am back in the Netherlands (Alkmaar) because I also really enjoy my life overthere. 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. I am pretty easygoing, interested in people and their stories, enjoy life and dance a lot, preferably to (tech)housy tunes.
    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 design and color.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Help around the house
    Hospitality/Tourism
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    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.

    Please note that there are no ATM’s on the islands. You will find ATM’s at the ferry pier in Sihanoukville where you take the GTVC speedferry to M’paibai > scheduled 8, 11, 14 and 16 hr.

  • Help

    Help

    For this high season 24/25 : I am SORTED!
    For season 25/26 pls let me know if you would be available. (In general I can only host ONE person - pls don’t message me if you are a couple or 2 friends.) You would have to be available for at least a month. I will also have - if available - a local Khmer lady helping me out with the household tasks. 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: Beginner

    This 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

    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. You can also cook your own meals in the communal kitchen. There are a few small supermarkets where you can buy fresh vegetables. Since I am offering free accommodation you will have to pay for your own food and/or groceries. Use of the kitchen, hot shower and hot washing machine is for free.

  • What else ...

    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

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Internet (4G) is really fast here (and cheap) and I have WiFi available.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    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?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    One

Host ref number: 942694567492

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