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heya. bkk3 where exactly .. here ppl rarely use the terms bkk1 2 3 etc .. got no idea where it is ..
i can give u the tel number of the agent who found me the home , hes good N knows places , or u can bunk in at a hotel N take a walk about around the town N knock at doors ,usually whoever has a place to rent they post up a sign N there are many .

Digi is good internet provider they fix it in 2-3 days
i havnt taken any pills to prevent malaria or stuff N i quite doubt theres any need of it ..

BKK 3 area is west of BKK 1 area and south of BKK 2 area.

I have not taken any pills to prevent malaria. One may consider it if you are planning to stay out of phnom penh in forested area of the country.

I have taken malaria pill previously in another country and have to take it every week. Its quite a hassle

cambodiabound wrote:

Hi

My wife and I are moving to Cambodia for 6 months in February.

We will be working in BKK3 at an NGO and would like to live close by if possible.

Could anyone advise on the optimal way to go about finding apartments? I have been reading this forum for a while and have been through a few real estate listing sites in Cambodia.

Is the best way to go through the real estate agencies? Or should we be walking around in the area and looking for "Rent" signs like I might do here in the west?

In terms of budget would $250-$350 be adequate for a place in BKK1 or 3? We were thinking of a two bedroom furnished with A/C.

I hear there are places for much cheaper in other areas. Could anyone recommend an area other than Bkk1 or 3 that wouldnt be too far to walk or bike for work (in BKK3) and what it might cost there?

We also need to get a good internet connection and I have looked at some of the providers recommended on this forum but they all sort of blend into one in the end. Does anyone know how long it usually takes to get a connection and a specific company and plan they recommend?

Finally about malaria, should we buy pills here, or are they available there? Do we really need them if we only plan on going to the beach perhaps on a weekend, spending the remaining time in the city?

thanks a lot of the help, lots of questions I know !

I would advise you to use all the methods on searching for an apartment: look on the internet, use real estate agents, ask around and use a local who knows where there are some on the market and look around for the for rent signs around the city, always good to use all options.

At present I would say you will need the $300-350 for a furnished 2 bedroom apartment, that said, it depends on what you can live in, I have seen some cheapies that are not too desirable.

The cheaper end of the market tend to have bad lighting, dreary decor, drab curtains and bedding, sparse furniture and a cold uncomfortable feel.

Only yesterday I saw a great 1 bedroom apartment, fully furnished and very western at $300, new build. You pay for what you get here. And if you get a bike then you can live further to the town center or Olympic stadium, I see many good priced apartments near Russian Market.

I do not think you need Malaria pills here, its not in the city, what you need it ant-stress pills in Phnom Penh to keep you from screaming at the tuk tuk drivers and the bad drivers.

Hiya,

I'm a fan of the BKK areas, there are a lot of NGOs, cafes, shops, and restaurants in this area, particularly BKK1. Walking around looking for rent signs is easy, so is using an agent. A couple of websites to browse on would be:

...and there are many more. Rent around BKK1 is generally more expensive as there are a lot of foreigners and its a pretty nice, safe area. But $350 for a two bedroom air-con apartment is realistic. BKK3 i know is cheaper rent-wise. Always try to bargain. They always try to overcharge foreigners on utilities which are super cheap here.

As for internet, I've used the companies 'Digi' and 'Metfone'. I had a lot of problems with the first but it's cheaper. Metfone are pretty reliable and quick. They installed my internet the day after i called. Unlimited connection is around $24 per month. And i've not had any problems to report.

I brought a stack of Malarone (anti-malaria meds) when i first moved to Cambodia, and i've used zero. Firstly in Phnom Penh there is zero malaria risk. If you travel outside of the city, there is a small risk. I've known only one person to contract malaria in my 3 years here, and i think they went far north into the jungles. But dengue can be quite common in season everywhere, but you can but meds for that locally.

Good luck with the move and settling in.

Hello Cambodiabound,

How wonderful that you are headed this way soon. I'd agree with the above poster who mentioned using various methods of finding a place to say. Get yourself a guesthouse for the first week, walk around the area and see what feels comfortable to you in terms of location, safety, proximity to work, restaurants, etc. There is NO shortage of places to live and you can find something very quickly if you need to.

Also, subscribe to the Cambodia Parent's Network Yahoo Group - not for parents but a resource where you can find places to live and have your questions answered by a group of more than 3,000 people (mostly expats) throughout the country. My book provides all the information you need about how to join (as well as details on various areas around the city).

As for malaria meds, I'd suggest NOT taking anything (unless you are planning on working in very remote rural areas for long periods of time). We've lived here for three years and have never heard of anyone contracting malaria (or of anyone knowing of anyone who did). Only one of our guests took meds and they made him sick so he stopped taking them.

With regard to internet providers, I had the opposite experience of the above poster -- started with Metphone and recently changed to Digi. There's not a whole lot of difference between them (they both run around $24/month) and you can get the service installed within 2-3 days of calling them. In the meantime, however, there are plenty of internet cafes and most of the guesthouses have free wifi (and Brown's coffee shops even has free computers you can use while in the cafe).

Good luck with your move!