It’s no secret that choosing accommodation in Asia is a bit of a lucky dip. The Angkor Mithona Guesthouse is a good find in Cambodia’s capital. Phnom Penh… for the price, the availability, the quality and the location.

It’s January, so demand is high. But I’ve taken 3 nights in the Angkor Mithona for a total of AUD$71, through Booking.com

Consider what you get for under AUD$25 a night and is decent. My first-floor, standard double room is clean, with good linen, cool tiled floor, hot water, wifi, cable TV, strong aircon, a mini refrigerator that works well, and a one-way tinted window that looks out onto busy Street 13. Dozens of bottles of water are plonked in the hallway each day for guests to grab. Security isn’t a a big deal,going by my room’s quaint, old timber door and its lock (which might be left over from the French colonial days). But valuables can be stored in a locker in the lobby, which are rented for US$1 a day.

The rooms have easy access to a shared balcony, which is the perfect vantage point to watch the locals in the street below as they eke out a living, trying to make a handful of cents each day just to survive.

Street 13 is one of the city centre’s main roads, situated one block back from the river front, and Angkor Mithona Guesthouse is at the Royal Palace end. Within walking distance are several locals’ markets – which I prefer to tourist markets – and many shops, bars and restaurants. Cambodia is the home of the cyclo, which long ago spread to neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand, and the tall, thin, weather beaten cyclo riders today still laboriously pedal their passengers through Phnom Penh’s strangled streets, despite the many tuk tuks, motorbikes and Toyota cars.

Yes, I rate Angkor Mithona Guesthouse as good value for the price in an Asian capital city. It’s nothing flash, but it’s a good option for a single or a couple.

Booking.com also did me a huge favour: I accidentally cancelled this booking online while meaning to cancel a property in Sihanoukville. To rebook the same room but now only several days from arrival, meant paying almost a third of the price more. I emailed Booking.com and explained my error. They contacted Angkor Mithona Guesthouse (I had tried to do that by phone but, to put it politely, my attempt was lost in translation), and the guesthouse reinstated my booking at the same price and with no fee. Thanks guys.