Behind the Scenes: Our Incredible Staff Retreat and Inspection Trip
Introduction: Celebrating Our Hard-Working Team
At Cambodian Travel Partner and Cambodiajeep our goal is simple: to create unforgettable travel experiences for our guests from all over the world. Year after year, our team works incredibly hard behind the scenes. They manage complex logistics, maintain our fleet of vintage military Jeeps, check travel routes, and make sure every traveler enjoys the best of Cambodia. After a long period of hard work, we decided it was time to give our own staff the amazing experience they deserved.
The timing was perfect. Our founders, André and Lily, had just returned from Phnom Penh, where they were honored to receive a royal award from H.E. Hun Many for their 23 years of dedication to sustainable travel in Cambodia. Everyone was feeling proud and full of energy. We used that excitement to launch our next adventure: a fun and busy four-day staff retreat and inspection trip across the country.
We planned this journey to do a few important things: inspect a few hotels we recommend to our guests, visit the local community projects we support, help our team connect with their own history, and, most importantly, relax and have fun together as a family.
Day 1: From Siem Reap to the Busy Streets of Phnom Penh
The adventure started early in the morning in Siem Reap. Everyone was laughing and talking as we packed up, ready to travel from the ancient temples down to the southern coast.
Our first stop was Kampong Kdei to see the ancient bridge called Spean Praptos. Built a long time ago during the Angkor period, this historic stone bridge shows the amazing skills of ancient Khmer builders. Walking across it together was a great way to start our trip.
Later in the morning, we drove toward Kampong Thom and stopped for a nice team breakfast. Afterward, we visited the Sambor Village Resort and the Glorious Hotel to check their rooms and services. We want to thank the management of both hotels for being so welcoming. Keeping up our high standards is a big part of what we do.
Not far from the city, we visited nearby stone-carving shops and then went to the Santuk Silk Farm. This great project is run by Ms. Navin. She showed us the whole process of making silk—from caring for the silkworms to weaving the final cloth. This farm gives good jobs to local women, which fits perfectly with our focus on ethical travel.
By early afternoon, we arrived in Phnom Penh. We immediately went to inspect three more properties: the Sun & Urban Hotel, the Palace Gate Hotel, and the Anik Palace Hotel. We were very happy with their great hospitality.
Next came a very important part of the day. Most of our team members are young Cambodians who had never visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) before. Spending time inside those walls was a sad but very meaningful experience for everyone. It helped our team learn more about their country’s past.
To lift our spirits, we visited a great green project called Remade Cambodia. They collect old, discarded clothes from rivers and trash bins and turn them into beautiful new fashion items. It was amazing to see how they help the environment.
After checking into the Caravan Hotel and taking a quick swim in the pool to cool down, we went out to explore the city’s food scene. We met Ms. Kanha, a talented Masterchef, who took us on a wonderful local food tour across Phnom Penh.
We started at a beautiful skybar with a great view of the city lights. Then, we went to a lively local bar with draft beer and live music. Since it was Saturday night, we finished our evening at the busy Chaktomuk Walking Street by the riverside. Every weekend, this street is closed to cars and fills up with hundreds of food stalls, clothes, jewelry, and street performers. It was very late before we finally went to sleep.
Day 2: Blessings, Caves, and the Beautiful Coast of Kep
After a good night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast at the Caravan Hotel, we started our second day.
Our first stop of the morning was the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, also known as the Killing Fields. Just like Tuol Sleng, many of our younger staff members had never been here. They walked through the site using the Khmer-language audio tour.
Many young people in Cambodia today do not know all the details about what happened during the Khmer Rouge time. We believe it is our responsibility to help our team understand their history. Sharing this experience brought us all closer together.
Heading further south, we stopped to see some beautiful history. Many travelers only think of Siem Reap when they think of old temples, but the south has them too. We visited Tonle Bati and explored the Ta Prohm Temple, an ancient building surrounded by tall palm trees.
Next, we went to the peaceful Neang Kmao Pagoda. We stopped to look at the temple and to make a donation to the monks who live there. The monks gave us a blessing, which made the whole team feel happy and peaceful.
Before reaching the coast, we took a short detour to the limestone caves of Kampong Trach. These caves are unique because the center of the mountain has an open-air circle where trees and plants grow wild inside. It was a beautiful sight.
When we arrived in Kep, we started our hotel inspections again. We visited Knai Bang Chatt, a beautiful boutique hotel with unique buildings from the 1960s designed by the famous architect Vann Molyvann. They kindly gave us drinks at The Wave, which has a spectacular view over the sea.
We also inspected the lovely Tara Lodge and the hillside Veranda Natural Resort, which showed us again that Kep has excellent places for tourists to stay.
Finally, we drove to the Secret Lake to check into our home for the next two nights: the brand-new Secret Lake House. This beautiful place is managed by Lily’s brother, which made it extra special for us.
The team immediately jumped into the infinity pool to relax. Even though the hills block the direct sunset, the sky turned beautiful colors of purple, orange, and pink.
That evening, the chef and his team cooked us a wonderful dinner of local food. Afterward, we played fun team games late into the night. It was a perfect day.
Day 3: Pepper, Mangroves, and a Speedboat Ride
On our third day, we slept in a little later and met at 7:30 AM for a great buffet breakfast by the lake.
Even though our team is Cambodian and knows that Kampot pepper is the best in the world, many did not know how it grows. Most did not know that green, black, red, and white pepper all come from the exact same plant, depending on when and how they are picked and dried!
To learn more, we went to The Pepperhill. André and Lily used to co-own this plantation with a friend from Germany. It is a great project that also includes a small primary school for local children. Our team loved learning about the pepper and seeing the school.
Next, we stopped at the TANG Education Center (formerly the Trapeang Education Center). For over 12 years, the Lily Foundation—funded by our companies and our generous travel guests—has supported this school. We walked around to see the progress of their brand-new school building. It was wonderful to see it being built brick by brick.
After a quick inspection at the Kampot Sweet Boutique Hotel, we focused on nature. For years, we have supported the Trapeang Community, where local people have planted hundreds of thousands of new mangrove trees to save the environment.
We got onto small boats with lots of baby mangrove trees. Together, our team walked into the mud and planted the small trees into the riverbed. Since we bring our own travel guests here, it was great for our office staff to experience this important work firsthand.
All that work made us hungry. We went to a wooden hut right over the ocean and ate a huge lunch of fresh crab, prawns, and seafood cooked with fresh Kampot pepper. The food was amazing, and everyone loved it.
To walk off our big lunch, we took a nice walk through Kep National Park. The trail offers beautiful views of the green hills and the blue sea below.
After our walk, Lily took the team to visit the local Vipassana Meditation Center for some quiet time before we headed into Kampot town.
As the afternoon ended, we did a quick inspection of the River Tree Villa. Then, they surprised us with a fantastic treat. We boarded their private speedboat and went for a cruise through the mangrove channels out to the main Kampot River.
With cold drinks and tasty snacks on board, the team relaxed completely as we glided toward town. We even stopped to take a fun team photo in front of Kampot’s famous Seahorse Monument.
Then we return back to the Secret Lake House for a big backyard barbecue. the Chef grilled lots of meat and seafood, listened to music, and played games together. It was a wonderful night full of laughter.
Want to explore Cambodia with the local experts?
The next day, we spent the long drive from Kampot back to Siem Reap talking about our trip. In just four days, we traveled across Cambodia, inspected many great hotels, visited our school projects, planted mangrove trees, learned about our history, and laughed a lot.
This staff retreat was a huge success. It showed that we are more than just coworkers—we are a family. We are back in the office with lots of energy, ready to design the next amazing adventures for our guests!
Whether you want to see ancient temples in a vintage Jeep, cruise through the mangroves, or support local schools, contact Cambodiajeep today. Let’s plan your trip together!