From the street, the FCC (FCC stands for Foreign Correspondents Club) looks like Siem Reap’s most upmarket cluster of shops and restaurants. Two smart boutiques, the Visaya Spa and an art gallery set around a stylish garden bar are all overlooked by a restaurant serving up modern European and Khmer flavours. It’s open-air, modern colonialism. On one hand you can see the old hacks G&T in hand watching the fray below in the muggy air; on the other it’s the place for the urban elite to host their events. When we were there, a Phnom Penh radio station launch lured the local beauties to sip champagne under the trees in the downstairs bar.

The main building, originally the French Ambassador’s residence, is white-shuttered art deco Indochine. Braces of ceiling fans keep it breezy while smartly dressed youngsters buzz about serving up drinks and snacks. Out the back, 31 very white rooms housed in minimally designed polished concrete with glass fronts are attached almost indiscernibly to the original pile. Best for privacy are those with garden views (as opposed to those by the swimming pool, where other guests can pull up chairs remarkably close to your sanctuary.)

The rooms:
With either garden or pool views, rooms are the antithesis of the exotic tropical fruits they are named for. Polished concrete floors in the standard rooms (wood in the suites), with the same 1950’ armchairs found in communist countries all over South-East Asia, are sleek and sexy. Neutral tones complement slick design that manages to stay intimate and friendly. The Cambodian silks on the walls and other small touches add warmth, creating an air of somewhat masculine intimacy.

Little extras include a desk set featuring a deco-inspired rubber stamp and ink pad for all those postcards and letters you’ll no doubt be inspired to write in a Foreign Correspondents Club. There’s also a branded lighter in place of the matches; even the soap in the bathroom is slick (it’s 100% natural like the rest of the amenities, but rough graphite in colour. Touch it and see.) The artworks in the rooms represent the textures and colours of Khmer herbs and spices used in the spa treatments. It all works together with the FCC policy of green housekeeping; a sensible strategy in any organisation targeting savvy travellers.